Bezos Earth Fund Adds New Leadership to Growing Team, Climate justice leader Dr. Cecilia Martinez joins this week
Press Release
Today, the Bezos Earth Fund announced the addition of new senior staff to support its mission to fight climate change, protect and restore nature, and advance environmental justice and economic opportunity.
Cecilia Martinez joins this week as the newest addition to the Bezos Earth Fund’s senior leadership team as Principal Advisor for Resilience and Communities, after serving as the White House’s inaugural environmental justice official. Dr. Martinez, one of Time magazine’s most influential people of 2020, will lead efforts to build resilience and strengthen communities worldwide, working to tackle climate change and protect and restore natural ecosystems.
Additional senior hires in 2022 include the following:
- Doug Varley joins as General Counsel. Varley was previously President of the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Caplin & Drysdale. He has worked with national and international environmental organizations for more than 25 years.
- Leon Clarke joins as Director of Decarbonization Pathways. Clarke previously was the University of Maryland Center for Global Sustainability’s Research Director. He is a coordinating lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and has worked on energy and climate issues for more than 30 years.
- Stacie Cobos joins as Chief Communications Officer. Cobos previously led global communications and marketing at the International Fund for Animal Welfare and The Climate Reality Project and has managed communications on three U.S. presidential campaigns.
- Tony Chan joins as Chief Financial and Operating Officer. Chan previously served as the Ford Foundation’s Deputy Chief Operating Officer and earlier held senior positions at Habitat for Humanity International, Accenture and Arthur Andersen.
- Valerie Blain-Smith joins as Chief People Officer. Blain-Smith has more than 20 years of experience working in human resources and previously served as the World Wildlife Fund’s Senior Vice President of Human Resources.
“We are delighted to welcome a growing team of individuals who combine deep professionalism with genuine passion. Together with our partners and grantees, we look forward to helping drive bold climate action and seizing the challenges of this decisive decade.”
These new staff members join the current team, which includes Andrew Steer (President and CEO), Charlotte Pera (Vice President for Strategy and Programs), Kelly Levin (Chief of Science, Data and Systems Change), Danielle Deane-Ryan (Director of Equitable Climate Solutions), Brian Cimagala (Senior Film Producer), Fiona McRaith (Manager for Engagement and Delivery) and Eda Lee (Executive Assistant).
Jeff Bezos serves as the Earth Fund’s Executive Chair, and Lauren Sánchez serves as Vice-Chair.
The Bezos Earth Fund also benefits from the deep subject matter expertise of its advisers and fellows. These include:
- Amanda Eichel (Cities), former Executive Director of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy and advisor to the U.N. Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate.
- Amen Ra Mashariki (Data and Social Justice), former New York City Chief Analytics Officer, and the Federal Office of Personnel Management’s Chief Technology Officer.
- Arun Majumdar (Energy Technology), Professor of Engineering, Stanford University, Chair of the Advisory Board for the U.S. Secretary of Energy, Founding Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, and formerly Google Vice President for Energy.
- Cristián Samper (Principal Advisor, Nature), President and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society and former Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
- Pamela Matson (Food Systems), Professor at Stanford University, where she was Dean of the School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences. She is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Science and a MacArthur Award recipient.
- Tom Rivett-Carnac (International Climate), Co-founder of Global Optimism with Christiana Figueres and advisor at the Macquarie Group and for the Earthshot Prize.
The Bezos Earth Fund has awarded $1.4 billion since November 2020, focused on five themes: nature, decarbonization of the economy, environmental justice, economics and finance, and monitoring and accountability.
The Earth Fund continues growing its team of experts, partners and grantees. Browse open positions at bezosearthfund.org.
About the Bezos Earth Fund
The Bezos Earth Fund is transforming the fight against climate change with the largest ever philanthropic commitment to climate and nature protection. We’re investing $10 billion in this decisive decade to protect nature and drive systems-level change, creating a just transition to a low-carbon economy. By providing funding and expertise, we partner with organizations to accelerate innovation, break down barriers to success and create a more equitable and sustainable world. Join us in our mission to create a world where people prosper in harmony with nature.