Molly Hellmuth, Ph.D.

Dr. Molly Hellmuth has over 25 years of experience managing and implementing climate and sustainable development projects in more than 45 countries. Her clients span bilateral and multilateral agencies and the private sector. She has secured over $75 million in funding for climate and development initiatives, demonstrating an ability to win both small and large competitive business opportunities.

Hellmuth’s technical expertise includes climate-resilient water and energy systems planning, integrating climate into strategies and policies, and facilitating climate finance for projects. An established thought leader, she has contributed to numerous publications throughout her career and currently serves as the lead author of the 5th U.S. National Climate Assessment’s International Chapter and the co-chair of the Environment and Sustainability Workgroup at the Society for International Development – U.S. (SID-US).

As the senior project director for the U.S. Agency for International Development-funded Comprehensive Action for Climate Change Initiative (CACCI), Hellmuth leads Abt Global’s flagship program aimed at supporting countries in meeting their climate change commitments. She leads a core project team working in more than 20 countries on climate policy, climate integration into sector plans and budgets, private sector investment and climate impact investment. The work also includes implementation and monitoring, evaluation, and learning. Hellmuth provides strategic leadership in positioning CACCI for growth, finding and leading new business opportunities, and ensuring the project team’s competitive edge in the market. Additionally, she oversees the health and delivery performance of CACCI activities, ensuring financial performance, compliance, technical quality, and optimal staff engagement. She applies best practices in project and program management to manage scope, quality, budget, schedule, subcontractors, staffing, stakeholders, and risk.

Before joining Abt Global, Hellmuth was the senior technical director for climate at Winrock International. She led the integration of climate into Winrock’s organizational strategy and provided thought leadership in business development and project implementation. Before joining Winrock, Hellmuth was a senior fellow at ICF’s Climate Center, and the international climate resilience market lead, tasked with building and managing a portfolio of international projects. Her previous positions include associate director of science policy outreach and associate research scientist at the International Research Institute for Climate and Society at Columbia University, research scholar within the Water and Population Programs at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, scientist at the United Nations Environment Program Risoe Centre on Energy, Climate and Sustainable Development, and water resources expert at the Dialogue on Water and Climate.

Expertise:

• Climate change policy, planning, and finance 
• Climate smart water resources, agriculture, and energy planning
• Vulnerability, risk, and adaptation assessment
• Resilient impact and private sector investment
• Strategic decision making, business development and planning

Key Projects:

• USAID CACCI 2024- present 
• Environmental Compliance Services (ECOS) Program, USAID, 2018-2022
• Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Support Contracts, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), 2015 – 2022
• Climate Change Resilient Development (CCRD), USAID, 2012-2016
• Dialogue on Water and Climate, DGIS/SIDA, 2001- 2003.

Selected Publications:

Hellmuth has contributed to over 80 publications and reports, including:

• Hellmuth, M.E., F.H. Akhtar, A.H. Cameron, C.A. Corner-Dolloff, G.D. Dabelko, T. Dinku, J.L. Koh, D. Mason, R.S. Pulwarty, L.I. Sperling, and M.F. Zermoglio, 2023: Ch. 17. Climate effects on US interna[1]tional interests. In: Fifth National Climate Assessment. Crimmins, A.R., C.W. Avery, D.R. Easterling, K.E. Kunkel, B.C. Stewart, and T.K. Maycock, Eds. U.S. Global Change Research Program, Washington, DC, USA. https://doi.org/10.7930/NCA5.2023.CH17
• Hill, A., Mason, D., Potter, J., Hellmuth, M., Ayyub, B., and Baker, J. 2019. Ready for Tomorrow: Seven Strategies for Climate-Resilient Infrastructure. Hoover Press.
• USAID, 2018. Resilient Land Use and Development Planning for Dominican Republic Municipalities: A Resource Notebook for Integrating Climate Change Considerations.
• Climate and Society Series: Climate Risk Management in Africa: Learning from Practice (#1, 2007);  Index Insurance and Climate Risk: Prospects for Development and Disaster Management (#2, 2009); A Better Climate for Disaster Risk Management (#3, 2011).
• Van Aalst, M.; Hellmuth, M. and Ponzi, D. 2007. Come Rain or Shine: Integrating Climate Risk Management into African Development Bank Group Operations. Tunis, Tunisia: African Development Bank.