The Center for Climate and Security welcomes three new fellows to its policy and research programs: Lieutenant Commander Oliver-Leighton Barrett, U.S. Navy (Retired), Anthony Burn and Sarah Volkman. Together, they bring significant expertise and experience on a wide range of issues, including the nexus of climate change and civilian-military dynamics in Latin America, satellite technologies and sustainability management. They join our other fellows to create an excellent team of area and thematic specialists. See their bios below!

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Lieutenant Commander Oliver-Leighton Barrett, U.S. Navy (Retired)
Senior Research Fellow

Oliver-Leighton Barrett is a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Climate and Security where he focuses on the impacts of environmental degradation and climate change on the stability and security of states and populations, with an emphasis on Latin America. He is also the founder of Janus Advisory Inc., a company that provides advisory services to federal agencies. Most recently, he led a multi-author effort to draft the Pentagon’s Environmental and Energy Issues for Militaries report – a collaborative multi-national assessment of the impacts of climate change on Latin America and Caribbean militaries’ operations and installations. A retired naval officer, Oliver began his military career as an enlisted U.S. Marine deploying to Somalia in support of humanitarian assistance operations, and later, flew reconnaissance missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He worked as an advisor to U.S. Southern Command for six years managing partner nation public-private cooperation outreach efforts, technology programs as well as environmental and energy security initiatives. Oliver is also a Contributing Writer for Foreign Policy Association, with published articles on fragile states, environmental security and emerging diplomacy and defense issues.

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Anthony Burn
Senior Research and Policy Fellow

Anthony Burn is Senior Research and Policy Fellow at the Center for Climate and Security, where he focuses on satellite technologies, climate change and state stability. He also serves as a consultant for the International Space Station (ISS), working with intergovernmental institutions and commercial companies to develop and deploy improved technologies for gathering data on the effects of climate change and intensive human resource use, tracking its implications for national and regional security. This builds on previous work seeking to improve the development of satellite-based applications for climate change adaptation and capacity development in North Africa. Previously Head of Space at ADS Group, he provided cross-sector support to the Group’s Civil Aerospace, Security and Defense Divisions, ensuring commercial growth for its members, while also exploring adaptation to climate change and its implications for regional security. His work at ADS also included a secondment to the Aerospace Industries of America, where he worked on military and commercial aviation pathfinders for alternative biofuels, on the basis of improving energy security. He is also providing research into the effectiveness of space technologies for monitoring natural and humanitarian disasters – in line with the requirements of the United Nations SPIDER Program.

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Sarah Volkman
Research Fellow

Sarah Volkman is a Research Fellow at the Center for Climate and Security, where she focuses on the domestic security implications of climate change. She is a sustainability professional with experience consulting on energy and policy-related projects for local and national government agencies. She has served as a Climate Corps Fellow working with the City of Long Branch New Jersey’s Housing Authority and has also acted as a consultant for Montenegro’s Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism. Previously Sarah worked as a Communications and Outreach Lead at The Nature Conservancy. She is pursuing an M.S. in Sustainability Management through The Earth Institute at Columbia University and holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Sarah Lawrence College, with a concentration in environmental studies.