“I’ve made great connections and gained new insights into the legal and policy structures behind science and technology in Virginia.”

Summer Responsibilities: Tara assisted JCOTS in managing three issues that came before it this summer: the Virginia Consumer Data Privacy Act, the Child Protection Online Bill, and the Virginia Academy Coastal Flooding Report. In the last month of the fellowship, she encouraged JCOTS to explore zero- emissions power generation through carbon-capture and storage technology.

Background: Tara’s work includes (1) being co-director of the Science Policy Initiative (SPI), (2) testifying to the Virginia General Assembly regarding Carbon Capture Bill (SB1374), (3) writing three science-policy memos addressing air pollution injustices and carbon dioxide removal (CDR), (3) publishing three op-ed’s, and (4) addressing US Congressional members with UCAR (2019) and AAAS-CASE (2021). In 2022, Tara was a Yale Environmental Fellow with the MacArthur Foundation Climate Solutions Team and gained research experience in carbon storage using data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS). In 2023, she worked with the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management within the U.S. Department of Energy. Currently, Tara works as a Lead Business Development and Public Affairs and Policy Consultant with Global CCS Institute.