Introducing the Forerunner Academy, a learning platform for floodplain managers
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Meet the team: Sophia Clavel!

January 30, 2022
Susanna Pho, CFM

We're thrilled to continue spotlighting our awesome team members from across the country. This week, we hear from Sophia Clavel, our multi-talented Sales Development Representative who also lends a hand with GIS analysis!

Hi Sophia! Tell us a bit about yourself.

I grew up in Ithaca, NY where I found myself exploring and crafting for most of my childhood. I had an interest in maps and art at a young age and found myself graduating from the University of Vermont recently with a degree in Geography and Geospatial Technologies. Some of the projects I worked on there include conducting research on refugee resettlement in the US and mapping the impacts of climate change on cashmere goat herders in Mongolia.

I now live in Portland Maine, working at Forerunner as a Sales Development Representative and GIS Analyst!

What brought you to Forerunner? What are you looking forward to learning?

I joined Forerunner after my friend (and co worker) told me about what Susanna and JT were up to in climate adaption. I’ve always been interested in the larger impacts of climate change on communities, and in my last semester of college I was taking a course on climatology and the impacts of natural disasters. This drove my need to find an outlet to participate in helping communities, and Forerunner is the place to do this work.

You've been with us for a little while now. What is the best thing about your work? Any surprising learnings?

The best thing about my work is collaborating with my coworkers and our partner communities alike, as well as working toward common goals collectively. I like that I get to learn on the go and develop some of my lesser known skills for the good of the whole team.

It has been really interesting to learn how complex floodplain management is from a day-to-day perspective. I am so impressed by the work of our local government partners, who do so much with limited resources. Compliance and resident communication are both incredibly challenging. I am really looking forward to continue learning about how we can support the work of our partner communities, many of whom deal with flooding constantly.

What do you do in your spare time? 

I love screen printing and linocutting. It’s extremely soothing and I have gotten a few of my friends to join me. I also really like going to the beach, traveling, and meeting new people. It's very rewarding to be able to learn from other people and make things with my hands that have a purpose!

What is your favorite fun fact?

My favorite fun fact is that penguins do not swim just for hunting, but also to play and exercise their bodies!

Interested in joining our team and working with Sophia? We're hiring and we'd love to hear from you!

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