(Washington, D.C.): The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) is pleased to announce that Jordan Diamond became president of ELI on January 1, 2022. The announcement was first made this past October at ELI’s annual Environmental Achievement Award Ceremony, where ELI honored Carol M. Browner in recognition of her visionary leadership and outstanding environmental stewardship over a most distinguished career. Watch Jordan Diamond’s conversation with Carol Browner from the award ceremony here.
“For over 50 years, ELI has been an unassailable source of leading insight on environmental law and policy. It has published, researched, convened, and educated all in the name of safeguarding environmental governance in a changing world,” said Jordan. “It’s hard to express how excited, honored, and humbled I am to be following in the footsteps of Scott Fulton, John Cruden, Leslie Carothers, Bill Futrell, and others as the next president of ELI.”
Jordan previously served as the Executive Director of UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, a center that designs and develops pragmatic policy solutions to environmental and energy issues, where she helped grow the team and research portfolio and helped launch initiatives including GrizzlyCorps and the California-China Climate Institute. Recognized for her work on marine policy, Jordan also co-directed the Law of the Sea Institute at UC Berkeley, and in 2018 she was appointed by former California Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr., to serve on the California Ocean Protection Council. Prior to Berkeley, Jordan was a Staff Attorney at ELI, where she worked on federal energy, disaster response and restoration, and Arctic policies.
Throughout her career, Jordan has focused on ensuring environmental governance is based on the best information available, developed through inclusive and transparent processes, and implemented through adaptive and accountable systems. She holds a JD with a certificate of specialization in environmental law from UC Berkeley School of Law, where she was the managing editor of Ecology Law Quarterly, and a BA with departmental honors in earth and environmental sciences from Wesleyan University, where she was awarded the Sease Prize for outstanding work in her discipline. She has been recognized in the field of environmental law through the ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources Distinguished Environmental Advocates: The Next Generation award and ELI’s own Environmental Futures Award.
“While Jordan was selected following a nationwide search, she is not new to ELI. Jordan began her career at ELI as a law fellow, then joined the permanent team as a Staff Attorney and later the co-director of ELI’s Ocean Program,” said former ELI President Scott Fulton, who will continue working at the Institute as President Emeritus and International Envoy, primarily focusing on ELI’s international programming and partnerships. “Jordan is sure to bring fresh energy to the Institute, and I’m so pleased to be passing the baton over to her,” he added.
Since 1969, ELI has played a pivotal role in shaping the fields of environmental law, policy, and management, domestically and abroad. ELI works to attain its vision—a healthy environment, prosperous economies, and vibrant communities founded on the rule of law—by fostering innovative, just, and practical law and policy solutions that enable leaders across borders and sectors to make environmental, economic, and social progress.