Rebeca Sandoval is a global program officer with the foundation’s Natural Resources and Climate Justice (NRCJ) program. She leads efforts centered around forest governance and protection and at the intersection of work on the decarbonization of energy systems, with a focus on climate justice.

She joined the NRCC team in 2021 as a program associate, supporting them in the development, analysis, and monitoring of strategy. Before this, Rebeca was a program associate with the Mexico and Central America regional office. Prior to joining Ford in 2015, she was a high school teacher and a member of the Universidad de Monterrey’s research department. Trained as a sociologist, Rebeca has conducted research about the return migration of Mexicans from the United States and participated in the creation of Dream in Mexico, a nonprofit that provides education and employment opportunities to young Mexican returnees.

Rebeca holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in humanities from the Universidad de Monterrey in Mexico.