Natalie COX

Natalie Cox is a Program Officer with IUCN, based in Washington D.C. and supporting the Commission on Education and Communication (CEC) and the North America Regional Office.

She joins IUCN with 10 years of experience managing large-scale international education initiatives at the intersection of education, environment, and diplomacy across France and the United States. Previously, Natalie was Deputy Director of Campus France USA at the Embassy of France in Washington D.C., where she led a team supporting study abroad and research initiatives under the French Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Higher Education, Research, and Innovation, including bilateral climate research programs. She led the design of a new French government scholarship supporting graduate students and launched communications campaigns highlighting the alignment of higher education pathways with the UN SDGs. Under the French Ministry of Education, Natalie managed the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF) and the French Teaching Intern Program, the largest bilateral young professional exchange programs between France and the United States. 

Natalie chaired the Forum on Education Abroad's Working Group for Advancing the UN SDGs, and is a volunteer evaluator for U.S. State Department-funded exchange programs. Natalie started her career in philanthropy working at a foundation in Boston supporting domestic conservation efforts and youth organizing around environmental justice. She has also consulted with NGOs on public policy advocacy in the areas of investment in education, health, and environment. Natalie grew up in California and Washington State, and holds a Master of Public Administration from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and a B.A. with honors in Linguistics and French from the University of California, Santa Cruz (Rachel Carson College) where she also studied environmental and climate science and became a tireless advocate for the natural world. A passionate environmental educator, Natalie has led outdoor education canoe expeditions in Voyageurs National Park, volunteered in the Virgin Islands National Park, and served as an organizer for the March for the Ocean and the DC Environmental Film Festival.