- Profile
Frances Beinecke is the former president and an honorary trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council, a non-profit focused on addressing climate change, supporting human health, safeguarding nature, and working for environmental justice. She began her four-decade career with NRDC as an intern, moving her way up to positions including policy analyst, program director, executive director, and president (2006–2015).
Frances continues to help shape the environmental landscape as a member of Cary Institute’s board, a member of the board of the World Resources Institute, and ClientEarth. She previously served on the boards of the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability and The Wilderness Society, among others.
Formerly a Dorothy S. McCluskey Fellow in Conservation at Yale School of the Environment, Beinecke received a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a master’s degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Sciences. In 2007, the National Audubon Society awarded Beinecke its prestigious Rachel Carson Award, which honors distinguished female leaders advancing conservation. In 2010, she was appointed by President Barack Obama to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling.