Saharnaz Mirzazad joined ICLEI USA in July 2024 as the Executive Director and is a member of ICLEI’s global senior management team. In her role, she leads efforts to assist local governments in combating climate change through localized actions, leveraging over twenty years of experience in the public and private sectors focused on infrastructure development, climate resiliency, and community development.

Before joining ICLEI USA, Saharnaz served as the Executive Director of State Planning and Policy Development at the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, where she oversaw the development of state climate, environmental, and land use planning policies, and implemented multiple programs to pilot new initiatives. Prior to that, she was the Deputy Director of Community Investment and Planning at the California Strategic Growth Council, managing an investment of over $3 billion in infrastructure programs and community-driven policy solutions. Her work also included collaborating with local and regional governments to pilot initiatives that bridged climate and equity goals, including the Transformative Climate Communities program.

In the private sector, Saharnaz has worked as a consultant on various community revitalization and urban design projects. Her diverse experience has equipped her with the skills to drive impactful, sustainable change in communities across the U.S.

Saharnaz holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning with a Certificate in Sustainable Urban Infrastructure from the University of Colorado Denver, a Master of Urban Design and Planning from Shahid Beheshti University, and a B.A. in Architecture from Iran University of Science and Technology.

‍