Environmental Defense Names "Boundary Crosser" as Executive Director
February 19, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sean Crowley 202-572-3331 or scrowley@environmentaldefense.org
(New York, NY – February 19, 2008) – Environmental Defense has named David Yarnold its new Executive Director and President of its lobbying arm, the Environmental Defense Action Fund.
A Pulitzer Prize-winning editor at the San Jose Mercury News, Yarnold, a native of San Mateo, CA, joined New York-based Environmental Defense in April, 2005, as its first Executive Vice President. Environmental Defense has nearly 350 employees and more than 500,000 members. Called “…one of the hottest environmental groups around” by The Wall Street Journal, Environmental Defense was ranked first among environmental groups — and second overall — in the 2007 Financial Times global study of 850 business-nonprofit partnerships.
The Stanford Business School Center for Social Innovation Review called Yarnold a “boundary crosser,” citing the unusual nature of his cross-sector career path. During a 27-year career at the San Jose Mercury News, Yarnold served as Editor, Executive Editor and Managing Editor. The newspaper won the Pulitzer Prize for General News for its coverage of the Loma Prieta earthquake and Yarnold was one of three Pulitzer finalists for Editorial Writing in 2005. The Mercury News, the first newspaper to publish online, was consistently ranked among the nation’s 10 best newspapers and was widely recognized for its diversity initiatives and coverage of technology in Silicon Valley.
“From the implementation of the California Hotbed strategy to the growth of Corporate Partnerships, from the build-out of our marketing-communications staff to his critical role in the U.S. Climate Action Partnership…David has helped reshape the organization,” said Environmental Defense President Fred Krupp. “David has shown great courage in completely crossing career fields — something few people have the guts to even try — and even fewer succeed at.”
The U.S. Climate Action Partnership (U.S. CAP) is a landmark alliance formed in 2007 of leading corporations and environmental leaders working together to urge the federal government to: cut greenhouse gas emissions 60-80 percent, create business incentives and, and to act swiftly and thoughtfully.
In his new role as Executive Director, Yarnold is responsible for all operations at Environmental Defense, which also has offices in Beijing, China; San Francisco, Sacramento and Los Angeles, CA; Washington, DC; Boston, MA; Raleigh, NC; Austin, TX; and Bentonville, AK.
“This dynamic organization understands that entrepreneurs, markets and business leadership often point to the quickest path to environmental success,” said Yarnold. “People know that innovation is the knife-edge of progress and is a better alternative than a wishful return to the past.”
Prior to his dual promotion, Yarnold’s accomplishments at Environmental Defense include:
- Environmental Defense’s revenues have skyrocketed from $55 million in 2005 to $78 million in 2007 and projected to be $116 million in 2008.
- Authoring Environmental Defense’s California growth strategy, more than doubling its staff, creating a west coast Vice President and opening a state-of-the-art “green” office in San Francisco;
- Playing a leading role in the launch of the United States Climate Action Partnership (US-CAP), a coalition of leading businesses and NGOs that support federal action on Climate Change;
- Tripling Environmental Defense’s signature Corporate Partnerships programs that promote environmental, market-based solutions, including becoming the first environmental advocacy group to open an office in Bentonville, AK, to influence Wal-Mart’s environmental practices;
- Doubling Environmental Defense’s communications capacity, with special emphasis on climate issues;
- Playing a key leadership role for Environmental Defense in the passage of the nation’s most sweeping climate change legislation, The Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32), which the organization co-sponsored.
Yarnold, his wife, Fran Smith, and daughter, Nicole, live in Dobbs Ferry, NY. He maintains strong ties to Silicon Valley, where he works with Valley companies and civic leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions that address some of the world’s most pressing challenges, especially climate change.
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