Michael Boots Named Aspen Institute Senior Fellow

April 1, 2015

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Dana Caryl
Program Manager, Business and Society Program
The Aspen Institute
dana.caryl@aspeninstitute.org 


Michael Boots Named Aspen Institute Senior Fellow
White House Environmental Advisor to counsel on issues at intersection of business, civil society, and the environment.

Washington, DC, April 1, 2015 – The Aspen Institute has appointed Michael Boots as a Senior Fellow, effective April 1, 2015, where he will work with both the Business & Society Program and the Energy & Environment Program. In his role as a Senior Fellow, Boots will advise these Institute programs on issues at the intersection of business, civil society, and the environment. 

“I am thrilled to be joining the Aspen Institute given its unique role in tackling the most critical issues of the day,” says Boots. “Its emphasis on pragmatism and dialogue continues to encourage business executives and policy leaders to come together in search of more sustainable and values-based solutions. I look forward to working with the Institute’s team to keep moving that work forward.”

Prior to joining the Institute, Boots led the White House Council on Environmental Quality, where he served as President Obama’s primary environmental advisor. Boots was responsible for collaborating with members of the Cabinet to develop and implement the Administration’s environmental, climate, clean energy, and conservation policies. In his six years at the White House, he also led the President’s Task Force on climate preparedness and resilience – working with 26 governors and mayors to deliver more than 100 recommendations that better prepare our communities and infrastructure for future climate impacts.

“We’re honored to have Mike sharing time with the Aspen Institute and the Energy & Environment Program, and that we’ll be able to draw on his substantial experience for the important ongoing work we do within our program on oceans protection, conservation, climate resilience, and energy policy,” says David Monsma, executive director of the Aspen Institute Energy & Environment Program.

Judith Samuelson, executive director of the Business & Society Program, added, “Mike has a unique set of experiences that are relevant to companies working to resolve public, private, and community-based expectations and measures of success. His interest in business models that work for the planet is of direct interest to business executives with whom we work.”

Boots’ prior experience includes working as Vice President for Sustainable Markets at SeaWeb and as a policy advisor to former California Governor Gray Davis. He holds a Master of Public Administration from Syracuse University and a Bachelor of Arts from UCLA.

About the Aspen Institute Business & Society Program – www.aspenbsp.org
The Aspen Institute Business & Society Program helps established and emerging business leaders put values at the heart of practice.  Through dialogue, research, and outreach, Aspen BSP creates opportunities for executives and educators to explore new routes to business sustainability and values-based leadership. 

About the Aspen Institute Energy & Environment Program – http://www.aspeninstitute.org/policy-work/energy-environment
Through our intentional dialogues, public programs, annual policy forums, and environmental leadership initiative, the Energy & Environment Program creates impartial venues for global leaders to engage in informed discussion around energy and environmental challenges and solutions.  

About the Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization.  Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also has an office in New York City and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

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