Waverley Street Foundation, a climate action initiative founded by philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, has announced that Jared Blumenfeld, who currently serves as California’s secretary of environmental protection, will serve as its inaugural president. 

Before his tenure in California governor Gavin Newsom’s administration, Blumenfeld served as a regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the Pacific Southwest, which covers Arizona, California, Hawai‘i, Nevada, the U.S. Pacific territories, and 148 tribal nations. Formerly known as the Emerson Collective Foundation, the $3 billion climate and community organization invests in climate solutions and community priorities, supporting local leaders and organizations working to maintain a livable planet. To that end, the foundation has pledged to invest the entirety of its endowment by 2035 in support of organizations working at the intersection of climate change and community priorities.

“We have 10 years to drastically cut climate pollution, which is already causing extreme heat, mega-wildfires, destructive droughts, and sea-level rise. Our best solutions and climate heroes are in local communities that are struggling for survival. Waverley Street will place community voices at the center of our work,” said Blumenfeld, who starts his new role in September. “Together with [former U.S. EPA administrator and current Waverley Street board chair] Lisa Jackson, Laurene Powell Jobs, and the Waverley board, we will supercharge efforts that result in an equitable and livable planet for all humankind.” 

“Our planet, and all of us who inhabit it, face no greater threat than our climate crisis. The Waverley Street Foundation was formed to address this crisis with the kind of bold, innovative ideas that are urgently needed,” said Powell Jobs, who serves as the foundation’s vice chair. “In Jared, the Waverley Street Foundation will have a proven leader with the vision and experience that this complex global challenge demands. His leadership at the city, state, and regional levels will prove invaluable as we seek to translate local action into worldwide impact.” 

(Photo credit: Getty Images/stellalevi)