R. Bong Vergara

R. Bong Vergara currently co-leads a tech transfer firm focused on using technology to solve food-energy-water systems nexus problems in emerging markets, including Southeast Asia.

He convenes a consortium of 300+ research labs, startups, and nongovernmental organizations committed to localizing the net zero transition.

He currently leads initiatives in the Philippines and U.S. that link clean energy, the arts, and social equity for rural and Indigenous communities.

He works with NREL, USAID, and the U.S. State Department on the US-ASEAN Smart City Partnership.

In 2018, he co-hosted and organized a panel at the 3rd Annual UN Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Forum to advance the social work perspective in harnessing tech for social good.

From 2011 to 2015, he was the Co-Chair of the California Mental Health Services Act Multicultural Coalition that pushed for health equity innovation under the California Reducing Disparities Project.

From 2008 to 2010, he developed and ran the “Safety Net of the Future” Initiative that served as the overarching initiative for 24 health centers in Orange County, CA, earning him membership in then Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez's (D-47) Health Reform Advisory Task Force.

From 2007 to 2010, he was one of eight policy trainers with The California Endowment Health ExChange Academy who led health policy trainings for health agencies across California.

He has published a number of policy briefs and agency reports on community health and presented briefings before national convenings, including the National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and the Subcommittee on Populations of the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics.

He formerly taught at University of Southern California, UCLA, and The California Endowment Health Ex/Change Academy.