Cambridge, MA – The Center for Public Leadership (CPL) at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) announced today that Rand Wentworth, Land Trust Alliance President Emeritus, has joined the Center for Public Leadership as its inaugural Louis Bacon Senior Fellow in Environmental Leadership. His appointment began this September 2016 and will continue through spring 2017.
During his 14-year tenure as President of the Land Trust Alliance, the organization lobbied Congress to dramatically expand the funding and tax incentives for conservation—doubling the pace of conservation in the United States. Wentworth is widely credited for spearheading the formation of Terrafirma, a not-for-profit insurance company that funds the legal costs of defending conserved lands, and for the creation of the Land Trust Accreditation Commission which has transformed the quality of conservation practices throughout the country.
CPL executive director Patricia Bellinger remarked, “Rand Wentworth is a seminal voice in this country’s environmental movement. As the president of a network of 1100 conservation organizations with 5 million members, Wentworth managed across sectors at the highest level, navigating the complexities of Congress, corporate stakeholders, and invested communities.
“Rand’s incredible leadership and service in this space adds an essential new dimension to programming at CPL, and we can’t wait for him to bring his expertise to graduate students across HKS. We are grateful for the gift from Louis Bacon which made this possible, and we look forward to collaborating with the Belfer Center’s Environment and Natural Resource Program and the Harvard University Center for the Environment (HUCE), with which Wentworth will partner this year,” Bellinger said.
During his tenure at CPL, Wentworth will contribute as an active member to CPL’s community of scholarship and learning, developing mentorship, coaching opportunities, events and leadership development programming for HKS and the greater Harvard community. Wentworth will also work closely with this year’s class of Louis Bacon Fellows—HKS graduate degree candidates with demonstrated leadership potential who receive scholarships and robust leadership training.
“I am thrilled to join Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership and am excited about the opportunity to mentor this generation’s most ambitious and committed environmentalists,” said Wentworth. “Leaders in public life have a responsibility to train the next generation of leaders, and I am honored to do this important work at Harvard Kennedy School which, I believe, is the preeminent institution of public leadership in the country.”
Wentworth is a graduate of Yale University and holds an MBA in finance from Cornell University.