Jennifer Gerholdt is the Director of Corporate Engagement at We Mean Business, a  global coalition of nonprofit organizations working with the world's most influential businesses to take action on climate change. In her role, Jennifer orchestrates, empowers, and measures the coalition's corporate engagement work to achieve a fundamental shift in corporate climate leadership by 2020.

 

Prior to We Mean Business Jennifer served as Senior Director, Sustainability and Circular Economy Program at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Corporate Citizenship Center. In her role, Jennifer directed high quality programming for business leaders to help them maximize their positive contributions to society's challenges. This included developing and executing the strategy for CCC's engagement with the private sector on issues including the circular economy, the energy-water-food nexus, and water stewardship. Jennifer directed CCC's signature sustainability conference, workshops, trainings, roundtables, business delegation tours, case study reports, and research.

 

Prior to CCC, Jennifer was Senior Manager of Conservation International's Business & Sustainability Council (BSC), a forum for influential companies that are committed to business and environmental leadership. In her role Jennifer managed corporate partnerships, planned and executed BSC's annual event and oversaw delivery of additional membership benefits, and directed BSC marketing and communications efforts.

 

Prior to Conservation International, Jennifer was the Program Officer with WWF's Global Forest & Trade Network-North America program, working with global companies including Avon, Capital One, Domtar, Johnson & Johnson and Tetra Pak on responsible wood and paper sourcing issues. In her role, Jennifer assisted these companies in understanding the sources of their forest products, developing and implementing responsible purchasing policies, and increasing the proportion of credibly certified material in their supply chains. Jennifer also managed special projects and events, communications products, research and reporting.

 

Prior to WWF, Jennifer served as the Outreach Coordinator for Green America's Better Paper Project, providing technical assistance and expertise to U.S. magazine industry leaders to help them incorporate credibly certified and post-consumer recycled content sources into their magazines to drive responsible paper industry best practices.

 

Jennifer previously served as a Member, Board of Directors, of the U.S. Water Alliance, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to advance holistic, watershed based-solutions surrounding complex water sustainability issues.

 

Jennifer holds a Master of Science degree in Environmental Sciences and Policy from The Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from New Mexico State University.