The Founding Board

• Jane Lubchenco

  Vice Chair and Secretary

  

  Dr. Lubchenco is Distinguished Professor of Zoology at Oregon State University. Her research interests include marine ecology, climate change, and the connections between the environment and human well-being. She has been named one of the ‘Most Highly Cited’ ecologists in the world. She co-founded the Leopold Leadership Program, the Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea, and the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans. She received a B.A. from Colorado College, an M.S. from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. from Harvard University in marine ecology. She is a former President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the International Council for Science, and The Ecological Society of America, and served on the National Science Board. She serves on the boards of the Environmental Defense Fund, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Her honors include a MacArthur Fellowship; nine honorary degrees; the Heinz Award in the Environment; the AAAS Award for Public Understanding of Science and Technology; and the Zayed International Environment Prize. Dr. Lubchenco is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society.

• Stephen W. Pacala

  Chair

  

  Dr. Pacala is Frederick D. Petrie Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University and Director of the Princeton Environmental Institute. He also co-directs the Carbon Mitigation Initiative, a collaboration between Princeton University, British Petroleum and the Ford Motor Company to find solutions to the problem of global warming. His research covers a wide variety of ecological and mathematical topics with an emphasis on interactions between greenhouse gases, climate and the biosphere. Dr. Pacala has an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. in biology from Stanford University. He serves on the board of the Environmental Defense. Among his many honors are the David Starr Jordan Prize and the George Mercer Award of the Ecological Society of America. Dr. Pacala is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences.

• Wendy Schmidt

  Board Member

  

  Mrs. Schmidt is President of The Schmidt Family Foundation. She is the founder of The 11th Hour Project, which popularizes high-level, high-quality information about solutions to global warming in order to transform public perceptions about the climate crisis from hand-wringing hopelessness to engaged, hands-on problem solving. She has a Master’s degree in Journalism from The University of California, Berkeley and graduated magna cum laude from Smith College. Before devoting her time to the public conversation about energy and the environment, Mrs. Schmidt worked in high-tech marketing communications at Sun Microsystems, and later operated a design business, specializing in residential interiors. Mrs. Schmidt is a trustee of The Natural Resources Defense Council, a member of Environmental Entrepreneurs, and a member of the American Society of Interior Designers.