TAP Network Secretariat

John Romano

Director

John is the Director of the TAP Network, based in New York. Prior to joining the TAP Network, John worked at Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), coordinating global advocacy campaigns around the UN’s Post-2015 sustainable development agenda. He has also worked for the UN Secretariat with UNDESA’s Division for Sustainable Development, where he helped facilitate the engagement of civil society in the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, and coordinated the UN’s social media coverage for the conference. John has a M.S. in Sustainability Management from Columbia University and a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Geography from Ohio Wesleyan University.

Email: romano@tapnetwork2030.org

Debra Jones

Strategic Advisor, #SDG16Now Campaign

Debra A. Jones is a senior global advocate and campaigner with 30 years of experience leading high-impact advocacy campaigns, programs and research with a commitment to ensure local communities develop and execute innovative solutions to local to global problems. Ms. Jones currently serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs on economic, political, and sustainable development. She is a Co-founder and Chair of the Board of International Organization for Adolescents preventing adolescent trafficking.
 
Ms. Jones has served as a Strategic Advisor to The Education Commission and the UN Special Envoy for Global Education; a Global Advocacy and Campaigns Director at JK Rowling’s Lumos Foundation; Save the Children’s Director and UN Representative in New York; and Family Care International’s Director of Global Advocacy and National Director in the Dominican Republic. As co-founder of the Paraíso Assistance Program (PAP), Ms. Jones, together with Haitian and Dominican community leaders, built Amor al Projimo Hospital in Paraiso, Dominican Republic.
 

Email: jones@tapnetwork2030.org

Elena Marmo

Communications and Engagement Officer

Elena is the Communications & Engagement Officer of the TAP Network. Prior to joining the TAP Network, Elena worked with Global Policy Forum, monitoring and analyzing various UN processes related to sustainable development and global governance. Elena brings experience working in civil society stakeholder groups, notably the Women’s Major Group, to develop and implement advocacy strategies and campaigns to influence global policies related to gender equality and economic justice. In addition to her work in policy-advocacy spaces, Elena serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Peace and Justice Studies at Pace University. Elena holds an MSc in Violence, Conflict and Development from SOAS, University of London and a B.A. in Political Science and Peace and Justice Studies from Pace University.

Email: marmo@tapnetwork2030.org