Aliya leads the team at Breakthrough Energy that advocates for an ambitious climate and clean energy policy agenda in the U.S., with the goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. She manages the development of policy ideas and frameworks across multiple sectors, to speed up innovation and create demand for clean technology deployment. She also oversees multiple strategies to advance Breakthrough Energy’s policy goals, including coalition building, policymaker education, political engagement, and policy communications.

Prior to joining Breakthrough Energy, Aliya was the Federal Climate Policy Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). She managed NRDC’s advocacy work to defend existing federal climate safeguards and to advance new federal action both in Congress and through existing executive authorities. Aliya has been laser-focused on climate and clean energy issues since she was a college student, and has worked at a number of national environmental organizations throughout her career. She has a strong background in climate and clean energy policy development, communications, field organizing, and research.

Aliya holds a master’s degree in environmental management from the Yale School of the Environment, and a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in environmental sociology. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband and two young, spirited children. Among her favorite things are spending time with her kids, eating chocolate, watching movies, carving pumpkins, and going to karaoke.