Laura Hughes is the director of the Pembina Institute's equitable transition program. She leads the organization’s files on gender equity, sustainable finance, depolarizing narratives, nature-based solutions, and works with municipalities to support their transitions to renewable energy. Laura holds an undergraduate degree in geography from the University of British Columbia and a M.Sc. in environment and resource management from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She has worked in conservation and researched climate impacts in Honduras, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, the Netherlands and Canada.

Based in Canmore, Alberta, Laura spends every moment possible playing outside. Back country skiing, scrambling, and yoga fill most of her time. Laura believes that climate action can include everyone and she is working to create a Canada in which those who have been previously excluded from environmental and climate issues feel ownership and belonging in the climate space. She brings 13 years of climate change and conservation experience to the POW science alliance.