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To accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health.
A planet where all beings are ensured access to a sustainable and clean environment, health services, and education.
We believe that developing and sharing knowledge through facts and data accelerates positive global change. Through original research and analysis, and in collaboration with philanthropic and academic partners, we aim to enrich the lives of individuals, strengthen communities, and educate future generations. We track our progress using a variety of qualitative and quantitative approaches and we support programs that generate measurable, meaningful, and sustainable results.
Our Founders, David S. Vogel and Thais Lopez Vogel, have maintained a personal philanthropic portfolio for many years, largely comprised of public health and education programs. As they became more informed and noticed evident changes in the environment and climate, they set out to answer the hard questions by funding projects aimed at solving this major issue. In 2014, David and Thais formed VoLo Foundation. David, an MIT graduate, and Thais, a Venezuelan-born attorney, are the visionaries and heartbeat of VoLo. Together they built our team. They brought together some of the smartest brains and declared to put these top scientific minds to work.
In 2019, David and his team of experts took action to leverage the Foundation’s data science expertise to serve new purposes in the domain of health. Through the health research program, the team has extended their focus to longevity and wellness data in seeking new paths to reduce hallmarks of aging, prevent diseases, and improve wellness metrics.
We are scientists, lawyers, philanthropic professionals, community leaders, and innovative thinkers. Half of us quantify the research and results and the other half interact with the community. We are deeply passionate about the health and wellness of our planet and we believe that data-driven research can accelerate change in our world.
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“David is known as one of the best in the field in building predictive models.”
David S. Vogel is a data scientist who has earned international recognition for his predictive modeling accuracy. He has won the prestigious KDD Cup several times and the Heritage Health Prize in 2013. As the Founder and CEO of Voloridge Investment Management, LLC, an award winning quantitative hedge fund, David has been expertly quoted in Bloomberg, Barron’s and others on charitable and financial topics. He currently serves as Board Member to Environmental Defense Fund, JUST Capital, and Amplio. He is part of the Climate-Related Market Risk Subcommittee at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. As Trustee of VoLo Foundation he conducts scientific data research gathered to create awareness around the effects of climate change. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Science degree in Scientific Computing from New York University.
Having spent many years as a preeminent voice connecting science and climate change to raise awareness on the topic, David and the VoLo Foundation team are widening their focus into epigenetics, gut biome, and multi-omic data analysis. Through research funding and collaborations with top scientists, David applies his data modeling expertise to assist with cutting edge research that has the potential to maximize longevity and optimize health.
“Thais is a powerhouse for change. She sets goals and achieves them with intelligent passion.”
Thais is a native of Caracas, Venezuela. Before moving to the United States, she worked for Petroleos de Venezuela Sociedad Anonima (PDVSA), a Venezuelan State oil company and the 39th largest company in the world. As our Trustee, Thais is responsible for setting priorities, approving strategies and allocating resources. She envisions VoLo playing a leadership role in expanding awareness of environmental issues. As a visionary, she created Florida Climate Week making it the most important climate focused event in the Southeastern United States. Her focus is expansive to include childhood education and global health care, which she believes are core building blocks for a sustainable future.
As a mother of six, she aims to set our goals and values as an extension of the principles she instills in her children. In 2019 and 2020 Thais was named one of the 100 Most Influential Latinos Committed to Climate Action. She is a board member at Environmental Defense Fund, American Conservation Coalition, Tiffany Circle at the American Red Cross, Water People Theater in Chicago, and also participates in several local community-focused committee groups in the Palm Beach area. Thais attended school at Colegio Emil Friedman and received her law degree from Universidad Catolica Andres Bello.
Wendy is a seasoned foundation leader with a unique ability to connect with and understand a wide variety of communities. She is responsible for supervising VoLo’s grantmaking while observing strategic objectives of the foundation. A Republic of Panama-born American, Wendy graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Florida Atlantic University. She attended Stetson University’s Educational Leadership Program and graduated Suma cum laude with a master’s degree. Wendy is passionate about helping others help themselves and pursues leaving future generations with a cleaner, healthier world.
Alex is responsible for overseeing VoLo’s editorial publications, translations, reports, newsletters, press releases, and articles. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management from the Instituto de Nuevas Profesiones in his hometown of Caracas, Venezuela. After receiving a scholarship from the National Academy of Arts and Sciences for TV and Film, he had a successful twenty-year career in the Venezuelan and Peruvian television industries. During a two-year hiatus, Alex traveled to Orlando, FL, where he joined the UCF English program for international students and graduated with honors. This led to his first job as an editor at Platts Oilgram News in New York City.
While living in Peru, Alex obtained an Associate degree in Graphic & Web Design from Trilce Community College and a Bachelor’s degree in Gastronomy from Alas Peruanas University, both located in Lima. His proficiency, outgoing personality, and dependability propelled him to positions of responsibility, where he managed and supervised staff while ensuring quality of service and presentation, budget management, and staff training.
As Operations Director, Shannon works closely with VoLo’s Trustees and leadership team to ensure the smooth functioning of all mission-critical back-office operations. With over 20 years of experience in communications, she also collaborates with VoLo’s press and public relations team to guide the successful public delivery of VoLo’s and its partners’ data. Shannon is an effective, entrepreneurial, and highly organized professional. She is also the host of our Climate Correction Podcast.
Nicole serves our VoLo team as Climate Action Program Officer and Events Coordinator. Nicole brings sustainability experience as a LEED Certified Green Associate and a decorated work history with several environmental and sustainability businesses and non-profits, including ReThink Energy Florida and The Committee on Sustainability Assessment (COSA). She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Florida State University, as well as a Master of Arts degree in Global Sustainability from the University of South Florida. As a mother, Nicole’s passion for helping secure a livable future for her children is paramount.
Stephanie is responsible for expanding VoLo’s mission and research through digital media outreach. With over 10 years of experience in marketing and communications, she specializes in making connections online through social media, newsletters, paid digital advertising, and website copywriting. Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mississippi State University. A South Florida native, she is passionate about preserving the environment for future generations.
Stephanie Ortega Powery is the Creative Director at VoLo Foundation. She manages creative products from start to finish and develops ideas for all VoLo Foundation branding, campaigns, social media and other digital and traditional marketing activities. Stephanie leads the creative team in developing a monthly strategy for all platforms and has played a key role in crafting the look, tone, and feel of all creative content for VoLo.
Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Communications degree from Universidad Mesoamericana in her hometown of Guatemala. She has worked for significant corporations in the past, including Disney Latin America, Entravision, CBS in Spanish and an important retail store in Los Angeles name Curacao; her experiences in the corporate world, coupled with her passion for storytelling, led her to recognize the power of communication as a tool for creating awareness and effecting change.
Moreover, Stephanie is a new mom, and from the moment her child entered this world, her life transformed. She embraced motherhood with an unwavering commitment to nurturing, protecting, and providing a bright future for her little one. This profound experience awakened a fierce sense of responsibility, not only for her child’s future but also for the planet they would inherit.She enjoys informing, educating, and creating awareness about climate change in our Latin community.
Juan Miguel Lopez is VoLo Foundation’s Creative Coordinator, he works together with both the creative and communications teams to organize and create content for social media and events.
He studied Marketing at the Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid, later completing an internship with WWF at their Madrid headquarters, where he began his professional career oriented towards nature and social well-being. Subsequently, he worked for the Red Cross in Madrid before finally joining VoLo Foundation to contribute everything in his power to the environment and nature.
Juan Miguel considers himself an empathetic person and capable of conveying a clear message to whoever it is directed at. He uses creativity and imagination to capture the ideas and messages he wants to communicate to the audience, thus simplifying the complexity of topics addressed daily in the field.
For him, every day is a new opportunity to bring positive change, to deliver and inform those interested in the values of the Foundation and the love for nature that he deeply feels.
Currently, he is the content creator for VoLo Foundation’s TikTok account, as well as part of the communications and digital marketing team since 2021.
Antonio studied photography, acting, and completed two semesters of communications at the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, as well as community management and marketing for social networks, in Caracas, the city where he was born. He has worked for brands and organizations in Venezuela, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and the United States.
Antonio considers himself a creative and artistic person who uses his skills to express, from his perspective, the personality of the brands, companies, and organizations he has worked for, to inform and communicate through visual content.
Antonio adopted a sustainable lifestyle with the purpose of providing guidance and inspiration through his example, aware that his generation will face serious repercussions if collective and immediate action is not taken. He believes that achieving a sustainable life is simple, involving paying attention to activities that could cause negative effects in the future, and making changes step by step, with the goal of achieving positive results for our well-being on this planet.
From his experience, achieving a sustainable life is easy. It involves becoming conscious of which of our actions could have negative effects in the future and recognizing the need for gradual changes. This approach aims to yield positive results for our future on this planet.
Antonio views himself as a spokesperson for the foundation’s legacy and loves sharing his knowledge about climate change with his family, friends, and followers.
Christopher serves as an advisor to the trustees in the areas of research, policy, and strategy. He brings over twenty-five years of experience in nonprofit management and public policy research. He spent three years as a project manager/research associate in the health unit at RAND Corporation, where his work focused on clinical quality and performance measurement in health care. Prior to that he worked at the Institute for Health Policy Solutions where he expanded affordable health coverage for working families in California. He also spent two years as an independent nonprofit management consultant in Boston, MA. He is currently Chief of Staff to the CEO at Voloridge Investment Management, a role that includes providing executive leadership to the Strategy Data Group. Christopher earned a Bachelor of Science in Linguistics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Public Policy from the Goldman School at the University of California, Berkeley.
Chris is a Managing Partner and the Head of Partnerships for VoLo Earth Ventures, an early-stage climate tech venture capital fund. Before co-founding the firm, he served as Principal and Managing Director at JonesTrading Institutional Services, a third-market institutional broker. Chris has spent 20 years in sales and trading in public equity markets, overseeing FINRA and SEC trading compliance. He has worked closely with some of the largest asset managers in the world, strategizing to achieve the best execution in domestic and foreign markets. Chris lives with his wife and two daughters in Snowmass Village, CO.
