Verra has announced the election and appointment of three distinguished experts to its Board of Directors: Derek Walker, El Hadji Mbaye Diagne, and Jennifer Park. Bringing a wealth of experience across carbon markets, international climate diplomacy, and sustainable finance, the new members join the organisation at a pivotal juncture for the evolution of global environmental markets.
Derek Walker, who joined the board on 1 January 2026, is a prominent nonprofit executive with a 25-year track record in clean energy and equity-focused climate solutions. Currently a senior advisor at the Health Effects Institute, Walker previously held leadership roles at the Environmental Defense Fund and served as executive director of the Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society at Dartmouth College.
Effective 1 April 2026, El Hadji Mbaye Diagne and Jennifer Park have also formally commenced their tenures. Diagne is a globally recognised authority on United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) processes, having served as the chair of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Executive Board and a lead author for the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report. He continues to lead market-related negotiations for Senegal’s official UNFCCC delegation.
Jennifer Park joins the board from her current role as a partner at ALTÉRRA Management Limited in Abu Dhabi, where she oversees impact strategy for one of the world’s largest private climate investment vehicles. A lawyer and Chartered Financial Analyst, Park previously advised UN Secretaries-General Ban Ki-moon and António Guterres, playing a central role in the advancement of the Paris Agreement.
The addition of these three leaders is intended to enhance Verra’s institutional governance as it scales its operations to meet increasing demands for integrity and innovation within the voluntary carbon market.
