Resources for the Future’s Board of Directors Welcomes Three New Members
As members of RFF’s Board of Directors, Jonathan Garfinkel, Paula Glover, and Catherine Wolfram will lend their academic, policy, and industry expertise to help further Resources for the Future’s strategic goals.
On Friday, October 21, Jonathan Garfinkel, Paula Glover, and Catherine Wolfram joined Resources for the Future’s (RFF) Board of Directors. The three new board members will join an esteemed group of leaders in economics, energy, and environmental issues that lend expertise to RFF’s strategic vision.
“All three of our new board members are incredibly talented individuals who will help carry RFF into the future,” RFF President and CEO Richard G. Newell said. “Having just celebrated RFF’s 70th anniversary this month, we’ve been thinking deeply about where we’ve been and where we’re going as an organization—our board of directors, and especially the fresh voices that new members bring, is incredibly pivotal to our long-term success.”
Jonathan Garfinkel is a partner of TPG, a global alternative asset investment firm based in San Francisco, and is a member of the leadership team at TPG Rise Climate, the firm’s dedicated climate impact investing business. He has worked at TPG for 22 years and has served in numerous roles within the firm, including as its co-chief operating officer. He has also served in leadership roles related to corporate development and compensation.
"I’m very excited to be joining RFF’s Board of Directors,” Garfinkel said. “Sound research is an incredibly vital part of making business decisions with a climate focus. RFF does an excellent job of addressing research questions that investors and other business leaders are interested in, and I look forward to lending my perspective going forward.”
Paula Glover is the President of the Alliance to Save Energy, a DC-based nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for federal energy efficiency policies. Since becoming the organization’s president in January 2021, Glover has worked with myriad stakeholders to drive significant federal investment in energy efficiency programs and energy justice initiatives. Previously, Glover served as President and CEO of the American Association of Blacks in Energy, an organization that works to amplify African American and minority voices in energy and environmental policy; the National Petroleum Council; and for electric and natural gas distributors.
"I’ve worked in and around the energy industry for over two decades,” Glover said. “I know firsthand how important sound and equitable energy policy is to a healthy economy. I’m deeply impressed by RFF’s commitment to both issues and am thrilled to now be involved with an organization that shares my ideals of ensuring power-sector decarbonization and energy affordability for all.”
Catherine Wolfram is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Climate and Energy Economics at the US Department of the Treasury. She is currently a Visiting Professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, on leave from the University of California, Berkeley where she is the Cora Jane Flood Professor of Business Administration. She conducts research on the economics of energy markets, including on topics like rural electrification and energy efficiency programs. She previously served as the Program Director of the National Bureau of Economic Research's Environment and Energy Economics Program.
“I’ve worked with many RFF scholars on both research and policy issues over the years,” Wolfram said. “I have such respect for the organization and enjoy my time working with the research team here. It’s great to solidify my relationship with RFF by joining the board of directors, and I’m looking forward to helping it continue to accomplish important things in the energy and climate space.”
Sue Tierney, chair of RFF’s Board of Directors, said that it is a privilege for RFF that Garfinkel, Glover, and Wolfram have agreed to join the board. “I am so excited to have these three bright, experienced professionals on our team. RFF will only be made stronger by having their voices added to our strategic conversations and decisions, with the goal of ensuring that the past 70 years of RFF expertise marks just the beginning of the impact we can have on climate, energy, and natural resource research and policy.”
Read more about the members of RFF’s Board of Directors here.
Resources for the Future (RFF) is an independent, nonprofit research institution in Washington, DC. Its mission is to improve environmental, energy, and natural resource decisions through impartial economic research and policy engagement. RFF is committed to being the most widely trusted source of research insights and policy solutions leading to a healthy environment and a thriving economy.
Unless otherwise stated, the views expressed here are those of the individual authors and may differ from those of other RFF experts, its officers, or its directors. RFF does not take positions on specific legislative proposals.
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