Industry, Research Experts Join RFF’s Board of Directors

Following its meeting on October 25, the Resources for the Future (RFF) Board of Directors welcomed three new members to its ranks: Hilda Pinnix-Ragland, Christopher Smith, and Laura Taylor. The trio joins an esteemed group of leaders and experts who help guide RFF’s strategic mission.

“I can think of no better people to join the board during my first year leading RFF,” said RFF President and CEO Billy Pizer. “Hilda, Chris, and Laura have a wonderful diversity of expertise and leadership experience that will help guide RFF successfully as we build and grow. Their participation on the board and around RFF more generally will strengthen our ability to execute on our mission of rigorous research and policy engagement.”

Hilda Pinnix-Ragland is the former vice president of corporate public affairs at Duke Energy, where she worked for almost 20 years. She was the first Black vice president at the company. Pinnix-Ragland has sat on the boards of many organizations related to RFF’s mission, including RTI International and the Southwest Water Company. She also chairs the US Environmental Protection Agency’s federal advisory council for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions. Through her role at Duke Energy and her leadership positions, she has a strong background in federal and state energy regulations, environment and energy compliance, and risk management.

“Sound research is the backbone of good decisionmaking,” she said. “Without an understanding of the costs and benefits of environmental policies, policymakers and the energy industry would be less equipped to make decisions that affect our day-to-day lives. I’m proud to be on RFF’s board to help guide that research process and ensure that industry leaders have the expertise they need for success.”

Christopher Smith is the chief government affairs officer at Ford. He leads a global team that works to promote legislation, policy and regulation on issues related to electric vehicles, critical minerals, connectivity, and digital services. Before arriving at Ford in 2022, Smith was the senior vice president for Policy, Government, and Public Affairs at Cheniere Energy, the world’s second largest liquified natural gas operator. During the Obama Administration he served as the Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy at the US Department of Energy.  Smith began his career as an officer in the United States Army after earning a bachelor’s degree in engineering management and mechanical engineering from the US Military Academy at West Point.

“I’m excited to be joining the board,” Smith said. “I have a long appreciation for RFF’s work and its analytical, research-based approach to environmental stewardship. As the debate about resources and the environment becomes increasingly partisan, especially regarding the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, RFF’s analytical, nonpartisan approach is now more important than ever.”

Laura O. Taylor is the director of the Energy Policy and Innovation Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology.  Previously, she was chair of the School of Economics, also at Georgia Tech, and the Director of the Center for Environmental and Resource Economic Policy at North Carolina State University. She is an economist who conducts research on policy-relevant topics at the intersection of energy, environmental management, and healthy communities; she recently published papers about offshore wind energy in the United States, the impacts of distributed energy resources on communities, the impacts of air pollution exposures on mortality, and other topics related to RFF’s focal areas. She is a fellow of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.

“I have long admired the outstanding and impactful work by RFF’s researchers, and I’m thrilled to be able to contribute to RFF’s exceptional ecosystem in this new capacity and help chart a course for its research agenda in the coming years,” Taylor said. “RFF’s success is our field’s success, and our field’s success is critical for creating our sustainable future.”