Events

Speaker Bios:

David Ackerly is the dean of the Rausser College of Natural Resources and has a joint appointment in the departments of Integrative Biology and Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley. His research group studies plant ecology and evolution, with an emphasis on the native plants of California. Ackerly is a recipient of the 2011 Distinguished Faculty Mentor Award, a Senior Fellow with the Berkeley Institute of Data Sciences, a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, and a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America.

Eliza Barclay is the climate editor for New York Times Opinion. Formerly, she was science and health editor at Vox.com, and co-editor of NPR’s food vertical, The Salt, and wrote about food, health, and science for NPR on the web and on the air. Before NPR, Barclay covered the environment, immigration, economic development, and international politics. She has reported from Latin America, East Africa, and East Asia. Barclay's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, FORTUNE, National Geographic News, The Lancet and other publications. She received her B.S. from UC Berkeley and an M.A. from Johns Hopkins University.

Louise Bedsworth is the Executive Director at the Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment (CLEE) at UC Berkeley where she also serves as a Senior Advisor to the California China Climate Institute. Before joining CLEE, Bedsworth spent nearly a decade working for the State of California, most recently as the Executive Director of the Strategic Growth Council, a Cabinet-level State institution that brings together multiple agencies and departments to support sustainable communities emphasizing strong economies, social equity, and environmental stewardship. While with the State, Bedsworth also served as the Deputy Director of the Office of Planning and Research in Governor Jerry Brown’s office. Bedsworth is a Commissioner on the California100 Commission and served as an inaugural Policy Fellow at Elemental Excelerator’s Policy Lab. Bedsworth received a Science in Public Science Award from the California Council on Science and Technology in 2020.

Kristi Pullen Fedinick, Ph.D. is a public health scientist and strategist with over 20 years of research experience. For the last decade, she has worked at the intersection of science and public policy to advance data-driven, health-protective policy solutions. Pullen Fedinick is the Executive Director of the Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy, previously she served as the Chief Science Officer of the Natural Resources Defense Council. She also holds a part-time faculty position in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University. Pullen Fedinick received her B.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and her Ph.D. in molecular and cell biology with a concentration in structural biology and biophysics from UC Berkeley. She was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society Scholar at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

David C. Wilson is Dean of the Goldman School and a Professor of Public Policy. Wilson’s research examines how individuals formulate their political preferences about race and justice, including double standards in evaluating racial groups and how diversity culture and climate affects employee engagement. He is co-author of Racial Resentment in the Political Mind (2022). Previously, Wilson served as a professor and an associate dean for the social sciences at the University of Delaware, where he led creation of the Joseph R. Biden Jr. School of Public Policy. Wilson also held senior positions with the Gallup Polling Organization. He earned a BA in government from Western Kentucky University and holds an MPA, masters and PhD in political science from Michigan State University. Wilson is a military veteran with 19 years of service to the US Army Reserves, including combat tours for Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom.