About: directors
ClimateWorks is governed by a board of directors whose experience includes leadership positions with some of the world’s leading scientific, regulatory, business, environmental, and academic institutions. With home bases on four continents, ClimateWorks’ board members are respected international leaders in their fields.
Each ClimateWorks board member is committed to promoting low-carbon prosperity around the globe. The board’s vision, expertise, and collective wisdom help guide ClimateWorks’ philanthropic investments and strategic focus.
William K. Reilly, Chair
William K. Reilly is a founding partner of Aqua International Partners, LP, a private equity fund dedicated to investing in companies engaged in water and renewable energy, and a senior advisor to TPG Capital, LP, an international investment partnership. Mr. Reilly served as the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1989-1993), president of the World Wildlife Fund (1985-1989), president of The Conservation Foundation (1973-1989), and director of the Rockefeller Task Force on Land Use and Urban Growth (1972-1973). He holds a B.A. degree from Yale, J.D. from Harvard, and M.S. in Urban Planning from Columbia University.
Richard C. Levin, Vice Chair
Richard C. Levin has been Yale’s president since 1993. An economist by training, Mr. Levin is a leading voice in efforts to improve the environmental sustainability of higher education. In 2005, he established an Office of Sustainability and endorsed an aggressive greenhouse gas reduction target and strategy for the university. Mr. Levin is a trustee of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, a director of American Express, and a member of the National Committee on United States-China Relations. Mr. Levin received his B.A. from Stanford University, his B.Litt. degree from Oxford University, and his Ph.D. from Yale.
Bertrand Collomb, Board Member
Bertrand Collomb is honorary chairman of Lafarge, the worldwide leader in building materials with 90,000 employees in 80 countries. From 1966 to 1975, Mr. Collomb worked in the French government in a variety of positions. He joined Lafarge in 1975 and was appointed as chairman and CEO in 1989. Under his leadership, Lafarge became a global leader in sustainable development, especially in reducing carbon emissions. He founded the Center for Management Research at the Ecole Polytechnique and was a key supporter of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, serving as its chairman in 2004 and 2005. Mr. Collomb is also chairman of the French Institute of International Relations, chairman of the Institute for Studies in Science and Technology, and a director of Lafarge, Total, ATCO, and DuPont. A graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and the Ecole des Mines in Paris, Mr. Collomb holds a French law degree and a Ph.D. in management from the University of Texas.
Jamshyd N. Godrej, Board Member
Jamshyd N. Godrej is chairman of Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd, one of India’s largest engineering and consumer products companies. Mr. Godrej serves as chairman of the Aspen Institute — India, vice president of the World Wide Fund for Nature — International, trustee and president emeritus of World Wide Fund for Nature — India, and director of the World Resources Institute. A graduate of the Illinois Institute of Technology, he is a former president of both the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association. Mr. Godrej is the chairman of the CII Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre, which is housed in the first LEED-Platinum building constructed outside of the U.S. In 2003, India’s president conferred on Mr. Godrej the Padma Bhushan award for his distinguished service to the country.
Charles O Holliday, Jr., Board Member
Charles Holliday has been chairman of the board of DuPont since 1999. He also served as DuPont’s CEO from 1998 to 2008. Mr. Holliday is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and he is past chairman of the Business Roundtable's Task Force for Environment, Technology and Economy; the World Business Council for Sustainable Development; The Business Council; and the Society of Chemical Industry – American Section. Mr. Holliday serves on the board of directors of Deere & Co. and is chair emeritus of the board of directors of Catalyst. In addition, he is chairman of the U.S. Council on Competitiveness and is a founding member of the International Business Council. He co-authored Walking the Talk, a book detailing the business case for sustainable development and corporate responsibility.
Mario Molina, Board Member
Mario J. Molina was co-recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Through his research, he has greatly expanded our understanding of the stratospheric ozone layer and its susceptibility to human-caused perturbations. More recently, Professor Molina has worked on the chemistry of air pollution in the lower atmosphere, especially related to rapidly growing cities. He is currently a professor at the University of California, San Diego, with a joint appointment at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Professor Molina holds a chemical engineer degree from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, a postgraduate degree from the University of Freiburg, Germany, and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.
Madame Chen Zhili, Board Member
Madame Chen Zhili is a senior female politician of the People's Republic of China, and the former State Councilor and Minister of Education of PRC. She currently serves as vice chairman of the standing committee of 11th National People's Congress, vice chairman of organization commission of 29th Olympic Games, the governor of Beijing Olympic Village, and President of All-China Women's Federation.
Chen was born in Xianyou, Fujian Province, in 1942. Following her graduation from Fudan University in 1964, Chen obtained a Master's degree from the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, affiliated to Chinese Academy of Science, in 1968, and later became a leader of the Institute. At the Institute, Chen conducted years of research on ferroelectric and piezoelectric materials and elements, as well as their transformations. She also carried out further study as a visiting scholar at the Materials Research Institute of Pennsylvania State University.
Prior to her current position, Madame Chen was the First Deputy Director of the National Leading Group of Science, Technology and Education. The importance of this group is signified by the fact that its Director is the Prime Minister of China. Madame Chen Zhili has enjoyed an award-winning career as a physicist and held important positions in the Shanghai Municipal Government, including being Vice-Mayor before emerging on to the national stage as first Vice-Minister, and later Minister of Education of The People's Republic of China. She is the author and chief editor of twelve books in the areas of science, culture and philosophy. She currently sits on the board of directors for ClimateWorks Foundation.
Hal Harvey, Ex officio
Hal Harvey served as founder and president of the Energy Foundation, a joint initiative of six large U.S. foundations, from 1990 through 2001. From 2001 to 2008, he was environment program director at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Mr. Harvey served on energy panels appointed by Presidents Bush (41) and Clinton, published two books and dozens of articles on energy and national security issues, and speaks widely on energy topics. He is president of the board of directors of the New-Land Foundation and chairman of the board of MB Financial Corporation. Earlier in his career, he designed and built solar homes. In 2005, Mr. Harvey served as Rhodes Chair and Lecturer in Public Policy at Arizona State University. He has B.S. and M.S. degrees from Stanford University in engineering, specializing in energy planning.