Local and Global
Boards and Leadership
Boards and Leadership
WRI’s Global Board of Directors provides strategic direction and oversight for the Institute and plays a critical role in facilitating connectivity across WRI’s global network. Each of WRI’s independent country and regional offices maintains an independent board of directors to oversee country operations and provide local support and expertise. WRI’s centrally coordinated governance model streamlines collaboration across global, country and regional offices and emphasizes alignment through shared mission, values and strategy. Connectivity and representation in global decision-making is prioritized through overlapping membership between the WRI Global Board and each of WRI’s governing bodies.
"Over more than two decades on WRI’s Global Board of Directors, Frances Beinecke has helped WRI grow into the kind of institution the world needs now — rigorous, practical and built to deliver lasting change for people, nature and climate. A foundational leader in the environmental movement, she has guided WRI through moments of growth and transition and championed the organization’s ability to pair evidence with solutions that can scale. Frances has played a critical role in building a strong culture of philanthropy on the Global Board and helped to establish and lead WRI’s Global Leadership Council. She has long advocated for flexible support that strengthens WRI’s ability to innovate, respond quickly and invest in the capabilities that make impact possible. That leadership helped shape the Campaign for People, Nature and Climate, where she continues to play an important role."
— Frances Beinecke
WRI’s Global Board of Directors
David Blood
Chair, WRI Global Board of Directors
Founding Partner and the Senior Partner, Generation Investment Management
Pamela P. Flaherty
Vice Chair, WRI Global Board of Directors
Former President and CEO, Citi Foundation; Former Director of Corporate Citizenship, Citi
Daniel Weiss
Vice Chair, WRI Global Board of Directors
Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Angeleno Group
Clara Barby
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors
Senior Partner, Just Climate
Frances Beinecke
President Emerita and Honorary Trustee, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
*Term Expired May 2025
Afsaneh M. Beschloss
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors
Founder and CEO, RockCreek
Stephen Brenninkmeijer
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors
Founder and Principal, Willows Investments
Jesper Brodin
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors
Senior Advisor, IKEA Foundation
Sharan Burrow
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors
Former General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation
William Chen
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors
Founding Managing Partner, ClearVue Partners
Jamshyd N. Godrej
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors; Chair, WRI India Board of Directors
Chairman and Managing Director, Godrej & Boyce Mfg Co. Ltd., India
Lawrence E. Jones
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors
Co-Founder, Energy Plexus Institute
Frannie Léautier
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors
Senior Partner and CEO, SouthBridge Investments
Joaquim Levy
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors
Director of Economic Strategy and Market Relations, Banco Safra Brazil; Former Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer, World Bank
Carlos Lopes
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors
Professor, Nelson Mandela School, University of Cape Town; Chair of the African Climate Foundation Board; Former Executive Secretary, Economic Commission for Africa
Yunli Lou
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors
Founder and Managing Partner of Milestone Capital Partners
Cecilia Martinez
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors; Chair, WRI México Board
Former Director of the UN-Habitat
Kathleen McLaughlin
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors
EVP and Chief Sustainability Officer, Walmart Inc.
Michael Miebach
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors
Chief Executive Officer, Mastercard
Nader Mousavizadeh
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors
Founding Partner and CEO, Macro Advisory Partners
Mari Elka Pangestu
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors; Chair, WRI Indonesia Board
Professor of International Economic University of Indonesia
Michael Polsky
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Invenergy
Roger W. Sant
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors
Chairman, The Summit Foundation; Co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus, The AES Corporation
Jennifer Scully-Lerner
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors
Vice President of Private Wealth Management, Goldman Sachs
Susan Tierney
Chair, US Advisory Board
Senior Advisor, Analysis Group, Inc.
*Term Expired May 2025
Johannes van de Ven
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors; Chair, WRI Brasil Board of Directors
Executive Director of Good Energies Foundation
Gloria Walton
Member, WRI Global Board of Directors
President & CEO, The Solutions Project
Ani Dasgupta
President & CEO, World Resources Institute
"There is no more committed a champion for nature than Roger Sant. First elected to the WRI Global Board of Directors in 1992, Roger’s inspiring philanthropic leadership and unrivaled dedication to protecting and preserving nature has had a profound impact on WRI. Ten years ago, Roger Sant established the President’s Fund to provide WRI’s President and CEO with discretionary resources to innovate, seize emerging opportunities and strengthen the institute for the long term. That early flexibility helped catalyze WRI’s oceans work, contributing to the creation of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. Today, the President’s Fund remains a critical resource. The immense value of the flexibility it provides helped to inspire WRI’s enterprise funding, now a centerpiece of the Campaign for People, Nature and Climate for which Roger serves as Honorary Co-Chair."
— Roger Sant
Emeritus Board of Directors
James A. Harmon
Chair Emeritus
Chairman, Caravel Management LLC; former President of the Export-Import Bank, United States
Harriet C. Babbitt
Vice Chair Emerita
Former U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States, United States
Alice F. Emerson
Vice Chair Emerita
President Emerita, Wheaton College, United States
Jonathan Lash
President Emeritus
Former President, Hampshire College
James Gustave Speth
Founder and Trustee Emeritus
Former Administrator, United Nations Development Programme, United States
Andrew Steer
Former President and CEO, WRI
Professor of Practice in Economics and Sustainability, The London School of Economics and Georgetown University
Susan Tierney
Vice Chair Emerita; Chair, WRI US Advisory Board
Senior Advisor, Analysis Group, Inc
"This was a challenging year for our agenda, but WRI proved extraordinarily resilient. WRI’s strong global presence, diverse funding base and commitment to an evidence-driven, non-partisan approach has enabled it to navigate unexpected obstacles. There is no reason to believe that the headwinds will subside, but I believe that WRI is uniquely well-positioned to continue to drive impact in these uncertain times."
— Susan Tierney
Governance in country offices
Relevant information on governance in our country offices can be found at the following web pages:
WRI Africa | Advisory Board in progress
WRI Brasil | Board of Directors and Fiscal Council | wribrasil.org.br/sobre/conselhos
WRI China engages an informal group of advisors to exchange views on our strategic di- rection, challenges, opportunities, and risks. These advisors include non-governmental local partners, key development-oriented financial institutions, leading scholars, and WRI leaders.
WRI Europe | Supervisory Board of Directors | wri.org/wri-europe
WRI India | Board of Directors | wri-india.org/about/trustees
WRI Indonesia | Board of Advisors | wri-indonesia.org/en/about/board-advisors
WRI Colombia | The WRI Colombia Board of Directors includes Kevin Moss, Adriana Lobo and Shailesh Sreedharan
WRI México | Board of Directors | es.wri.org/about/board
WRI US | US Advisory Board | wri.org/north-america/united-states
Michael DiPietro and family
WRI DONORS
"Some years back, our family wanted to find a way to help protect our world. WRI jumped out, not just because of the work they do, but because of their commitment to delivering real, measurable results. Contributing to WRI helps ensure our kids and theirs inherit a planet in at least as good a shape as we have enjoyed."