Speaker Biographies

Speaker Biographies • Dr. Naoko Ishii is the CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), an independently operating financial organization that provides grants for projects related to the global environment. Dr. Ishii was unanimously selected by the GEF Council in June 2012 and took office on August 1. Prior to becoming the fourth CEO and Chairperson of the GEF, Dr. Ishii, as Deputy Vice Minister of Finance, was responsible for Japan's international financial and development policies, and for its global policies on environmental issues such as climate change and biodiversity. She led the Japanese delegation at the Transition Committee for designing the Green Climate Fund. Dr. Ishii's career at the Ministry of Finance began in 1981 with a focus on the international sphere, particularly development issues. Later in her career she was Japan's Director for Bilateral Development Finance (2004-2006) and for coordination with Multilateral Development Banks (2002-04). For nearly half of her career, Dr. Ishii has served in international assignments outside of Japan, including at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. At the World Bank, Dr. Ishii was the Country Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives (2006-2010). During that period, while based in Colombo, she managed the World Bank program for Sri Lanka amidst that country's quarter-century old civil conflict by building partnership among key stakeholders. She also served as the country program coordinator for Vietnam at the World Bank (1997-2001), project manager at Harvard Institute for International Development (1996-1997), economist at the International Monetary Fund (1992-1995) working for Africa and Asia, as well as visiting fellow at Center for International Affairs at Harvard University (1984-1985). Dr. Ishii also taught sustainable development and environment at Keio University. She has published numerous papers and several books, two of which were awarded by Suntory Prize (1990) and Okita Memorial Prize for International Development Research (2004). She is the inaugural recipient of the 2006 Enjoji Jiro Memorial Prize. She holds BA and Ph.D. from University of Tokyo. • Dr. Rosina Bierbaum is the Chairperson of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of the Global Environmental Facility. She is also a Professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy with appointments in both the School of Natural Resources and Environment and the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan. She served as Dean of the School of Natural Resources and Environment from October 2001 – October 2011. In that decade, she facilitated the creation of a new undergraduate Program in the Environment; enhanced interdisciplinary teaching and research by successfully recruiting thirty-two new faculty to the School, developed new Master’s tracks to link engineering, architecture and urban planning, and natural resources; tripled research activity; and expanded the mission of the School to include global change. In 2010, Bierbaum was appointed to the Federal Advisory Committee of the U.S. National Climate Assessment, and serves as the Chair of the Adaptation Chapter for that Congressionally-mandated effort. She was also named by President Barack Obama in April 2009 to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) in addition to being selected in April 2008 by the World Bank to co-direct its prestigious World Development Report 2010, which focuses on climate change and development for the first time. Bierbaum teaches each year and delivers more than 50 public lectures on climate change to audiences as diverse as the United Nations, the IFC, AID, EPA, the Clinton Global Initiative, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, multiple Universities, National Laboratories, many science societies (AAAS, AGU, ESA, AMS, AIBS), college clubs, children and youth groups, rotary clubs, and retirement communities. She has lectured on each of the continents, and in more than 15 countries. • Dr. Ana Bucher is an adaptation specialist within the Climate Change Policy Team of the Climate Policy and Finance Department of the World Bank. Currently, she is working on several initiatives regarding mainstreaming of adaptation to climate change, climate risk screening, and climate smart planning. Her work focuses on understanding the impacts of climate change and adaptation measures particularly on agriculture and natural resource management (NRM), as well as mainstreaming climate change within cross-cutting initiatives such smart planning for green growth development. She supports activities that liaise scientific and policy communities on development of climate services, climate risk management, and climate smart development planning. She is responsible for the development of the WB Climate Change Knowledge Portal, and the recently launched multi-partner Climate Smart Planning Platform. Prior to joining the World Bank, she was a post-doctoral researcher at the Center for Environmental Studies of the Mediterranean in Spain working on EU projects related to carbon cycling and climate change on semi-arid lands. She has more than ten years of experience in the research, development, and management of international programmatic activities and research projects related to climate change, agriculture, ecosystem assessment, and long-term environmental sustainability in Latin America, USA, and European Union. She holds a Ph.D. in Soil Science from the Pennsylvania State University and a B.Sc. in Biological Chemistry from the University of Cordoba, Argentina. • John Garrity, Global Technology Policy Advisor, CISCO. John Garrity joined Cisco Systems in 2006 and is currently Global Technology Policy Advisor. He is responsible for policy engagement and data-driven analytical research on technology issues related to the expansion of fixed and wireless broadband, including national broadband agendas, municipal strategies for ICT use, Internet protocol network traffic demand and Internet governance. His role involves engaging with public and private counterparts in dialogue on the potential of IT and network connectivity for economic growth, competitiveness, social inclusion and environmental protection. Previously at Cisco, he was a manager in Cisco’s Strategy and Economics, helping guide strategic direction for the Emerging Markets group, a business unit with geographic market coverage of 130 countries, 2,500 personnel and US$7.5 billion in annual revenue. Prior to Cisco, Mr. Garrity was at the World Bank in the Corporate Strategy Group and holds a Masters degree in Applied Economics from the Ohio State University. • Christopher G. Hankin, Senior Director, Environment and Sustainability Policy, Information Technology Industry Council. Chris joined the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) in May 2010, after spending over 10 years as the head of the Washington DC office of Sun Microsystems. Chris is primarily responsible for ITI’s policy efforts to promote government policies and practices that encourage ICT-enabled sustainable economic growth and clean energy innovation. This includes both staffing ITI’s Energy and Environment Committee, and serving as the Executive Director of the Digital Energy & Sustainability Solutions Campaign (http://www.digitalenergysolutions.org/). During the Reagan Administration, Chris was Director of Legislative Affairs and an Associate Deputy Under Secretary for Trade at the Labor Department. He moved to the State Department in 1987, serving as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Trade Controls, and he remained at State through both the Bush Administration and for the first years of the Clinton Presidency. Chris then spent two years on the staff of the House International Relations Committee, and three years as a lobbyist for NCR Corporation before joining Sun Microsystems in December 1999. Chris received has BA from Amherst College. • Scot Horst, Senior Vice President for LEED, U.S. Green Building Council. As Senior Vice President of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Program, Scot Horst significantly influences the global course of sustainable design and building performance. Scot brings genuine expertise to helping the built environment intersect with natural systems in positive and ultimately regenerative ways. His professional experience includes the private and nonprofit sectors as president of both 7group, a leading green building consultancy, and Athena Institute International, a nonprofit dedicated to the lifecycle assessment of buildings. Before joining USGBC he chaired the LEED Steering Committee and championed the development of LEED v.3. He was awarded the USGBC Leadership Award for LEED in 2008. Scot sits on the board of the Sustainable Building Alliance in Paris, the Advisory Board of Cradle to Cradle, and the Buildings Retrofit and Finance Steering Committee of the World Economic Forum. Known for both his technical knowledge and his ability to facilitate action, Scot strives to create major shifts in human thinking through tools like LEED. He leads USGBC's Building Performance Partnership, which focuses on the connection between building design, operation and human behavior. He is driving a current effort to improve LEED, and designing an innovative approach for advancing regenerative action. In order to develop LEED globally, Scot organized the LEED International Roundtable in 2010. An inspirational speaker, Scot most recently co-authored An Integrative Design Guide to Green Building published

Load more