R. Bong Vergara
Social Epidemiologist @Hope And Heal Fund
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WORK HISTORY
Social Epidemiologist @Hope And Heal Fund
I advance UN SDG 16 by conducting research on gun violence prevention and postvention care frameworks for Community Violence Intervention (CVI) practitioners, with a special focus on developing evidence-based organizational support systems and trauma-informed practices for nonprofits and philanthropic firms. I lead research initiatives examining practitioner wellbeing, program sustainability, and postvention care models that strengthen workforce resilience. I coordinate with state and national networks of CVI leaders through research-practice partnerships and knowledge exchange initiatives, translating findings into policy recommendations that advance both violence prevention outcomes and practitioner support systems.
EDUCATION
University of Southern California
Doctor of Social Work (Student), Behavioral dimension and economics of smart sustainable city development
UCLA
MSW, MA, Joint Graduate Program in Social Welfare and Asian American Studies
UCLA
Bachelor of Arts, Asian American Studies
SKILLS
ABOUT R. BONG VERGARA
I link social equity, impact investing, and technology transfer with the transition to a zero-emission economy. I do it as part of my personal and professional journey from focusing on poverty in my youth to focusing on resilience in my old adulthood.I\'m an ESG strategist and clean energy project developer. Senior Director at CarbonBank Fund managing a $250M pipeline; Co-CEO of Young Moon, Inc, a waste-to-energy developer for Southeast Asia; VP of ESG at Sabine Technology; convenor of the Zero Emission Consortium. U.S: Due diligence and underwriting for 10 contracted projects ($395M value, 37.8 MW solar, 153.9 MWh storage,$170M ITC). Key deals: Genshift, TriSMART, Fifth Ward Community Solar.ASEAN: AI data center initiative (15-300 MW) across six countries. WTE development: 4 signed MOUs, 80 hectares allocated, 12 municipalities in pipeline.ESG Credentials: 24-year arc from social epidemiology and Indigenous healing systems (15 U.S. states) to climate finance integration in U.S. and Southeast Asian markets. Lead metrics researcher, NSWC Port Hueneme (NAVSEA). NASEM briefings. UN Commons Cluster technical writer. Social/NGO finance expertise since 2001. Lead author, ENTERA climate finance instrument and California Hydrogen Highway & Clean Energy Hub. NREL/USAID US-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership collaborator.Policy Service: Health Reform Advisory Committee, Office of Rep. Loretta Sanchez, U.S. House of Representatives. Former Co-Chair, California Mental Health Services Act Multicultural Coalition (CMMC), California Reducing Disparities Project Phase 1; invited stakeholder for Phase 3 Design Taskforce.Core Principle: Localizing decarbonization without a genuine social foundation fails - in adoption, in community relations, in long-term returns. My 24 years in health equity and poverty reduction inform how I evaluate social risk and design community benefits that hold.
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