As Manager, Natural Climate Solutions, VCS Program Management, Milena is responsible for reviewing registration and verification requests ensuring quality and integrity. She provides technical guidance to the Program Management Team and VCS Program users, especially those focusing on agricultural land management (ALM) and wetlands restoration and conservation (WRC) projects. Milena actively contributes to the evolution of Verra programs, refining rules and procedures, and providing technical expertise for methodology development. Her role is pivotal in shaping the program’s future towards robustness and transparency.

Prior to joining Verra, Milena gained valuable experience working with project developers. Over six years, she played a key role in coordinating and collaborating on the development of AFOLU projects, ensuring their certification under VCS, CCB and Gold Standard. During her last three years contributing to project development, she took a leading role in managing the full carbon project cycle for agriculture and wetland projects on a global scale. Her previous experience also includes contributing to human-induced regeneration projects for the Australian Carbon Farming Initiative while she was working for another project development organization.

Before her roles in carbon project development, Milena’s foundation was established through diverse experiences in Colombian research institutions. Her work with INVEMAR, the Corporation for Biological Research – CIB, and the National University of Colombia involved an in-depth exploration of Andean, Amazonian, and coastal tropical forest dynamics and functionality.

Milena holds a bachelor’s degree in Forest Engineering and a Master of Science in Forestry and Environmental Conservation from the National University of Colombia. She lives in Medellín, Colombia. Milena loves to immerse herself in the forests and enjoys dancing and cooking.