Senior Director  
Natural Resources Defense Council’s  
Canada Program  

At the Natural Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) Canada Program, I lead work focused on climate change, protecting nature and transitioning away from fossil fuels. In this role I led the campaigns against tar sands development and the Keystone XL pipeline, and currently lead a global campaign to protect primary forests. 

My liberal arts education at Austin College has been foundational for my work at NRDC. At Austin College, I received more than a multidisciplinary education, but I learned both how to approach learning, the importance of clear communication and the concept of tailoring that communication to different audiences. To be effective in my current role, I have had to be able to achieve mastery, or at minimum a proficient understanding, of a broad range of fields ranging from forest ecology, the economics, logistics and supply chains of the oil and gas and the pulp and paper industries. I also work with law and policy issues at the subnational, national and international levels in the United States, Canada, and Europe. I have had to effectively communicate and advocate before a wide variety of audiences, bringing technical, legal and policy expertise to bear before policymakers, technical and scientific audience, corporate stakeholders, broad coalitions of other NGOs, grassroots organizations and Indigenous allies, and the public. While no four-year program could have taught me everything I needed to know to excel in these varied contexts, Austin College did something better. By giving me an excellent multi-displinary foundation of knowledge and teaching me how to approach learning and communication, Austin College gave me the tools I needed to be an effective advocate for the planet and the natural systems on which we all depend.