Ricardo “Rick” Nogueira consults on climate finance and climate change policy, international development, and sustainable investing.  Most recently Rick completed a tour at the U.S. Department of State with the Obama administration where he served as a Senior Adviser to the U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change.  As State’s GCF lead, Rick oversaw all GCF related matters including initial resource mobilization, institution building, strategy and public outreach. Rick also represented the U.S. on the Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the largest multilateral climate fund, serving on both the Private Sector Advisory Group Committee and the Strategic Plan Working Group.

Prior to government service, Rick spent 10 years in private sector fund management with a focus on carbon markets and clean energy. His most recent role was as a Managing Director at EEA Fund Management, where he founded Leaf Clean Energy Company, a $400 million publicly-listed clean energy investment private equity fund that built a portfolio of investments across a variety of sectors including wind power, solar panel manufacturing, Brazilian biofuels, biomass power, LFG capture, waste-to-energy, concentrated solar and hydro power. Previously Rick oversaw the Latin American portfolio for Trading Emissions plc (TEP), a $600MM AUM emerging markets-focused publicly traded investment fund with invested equity and mezzanine debt in renewable and low-carbon businesses as well as in greenhouse gas emissions trading markets.

Earlier in his career, Rick practiced law with a focus on energy transactions and climate policy. He spent five years as a senior associate at Washington D.C.’s Van Ness Feldman and three years in São Paulo (Brazil) with Felsberg & Associados.

Rick holds a BA in Anthropology from Lafayette College and a JD from Seton Hall School of Law. He is fluent in English and Portuguese and capable in Spanish.