Frances G. Beinecke (born August 2, 1949) is an environmental activist. She served as the former president of the Natural Resources Defense Council from 2006 to 2015.
Frances Beinecke | |
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Born | August 2, 1949 |
Education | Yale University (BS, MS) |
Awards | Rachel Carson Award |
Beinecke is the youngest of four children born to William Sperry Beinecke and Elizabeth Beinecke.[1] She was born in New Jersey.
She received a bachelor's degree from Yale College in 1971 and a master's degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 1974.[2]
Beinecke first joined the Natural Resources Defense Council in 1973 as an intern.[3] In 2006, she was nominated as president of the organization, only the second person to ever hold the position. She had previously served as their executive director for eight years.[4]
She was appointed by President Barack Obama to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling in 2010.[5]
She currently serves on the boards of the World Resources Institute, the Energy Future Coalition, the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, the Nature Conservancy,[6] and Conservation International's Center for Environmental Leadership in Business. She previously served on the boards of the Wilderness Society, the China-U.S. Center for Sustainable Development, and the New York League of Conservation Voters.[7]
Beinecke married Paul Elston in 1977.[8] They have three children.
Former classmate and actress Sigourney Weaver has stated that she uses Beinecke as inspiration when she plays a strong female character.[9]
In 1990, The Wilderness Society awarded Beinecke the Robert Marshall Award, their highest award presented to a private citizen who has never held federal office.[10]
In 2007, Beinecke was awarded The National Audubon Society's prestigious Rachel Carson Award, a premier award honoring distinguished American women environmentalists.[11]
She was one of five alumni to be awarded Yale's prestigious Yale Medal for outstanding individual service to the university.[12]
Lehman College presented Beinecke with an honorary degree in 2013.[13]