Nigel Purvis

Nigel Purvis, a member of the Board of Directors at Environment 2004, "joined The Brookings Institution as a senior scholar in 2003. He currently directs Brookings' Environment and Development Project, a new institution wide effort to bring environmental issues into the mainstream of international affairs and U.S. foreign policy. Mr. Purvis is the first Brookings scholar to receive appointments to each of the institution's three principle research programs - foreign policy, economics and governance.

"Previously, Mr. Purvis served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. In that capacity he oversaw U.S. environmental diplomacy regarding climate change, biological diversity, forests, toxic chemicals, coral reefs and endangered species. From 1998 to 2001, Mr. Purvis also served as a senior U.S. negotiator on global climate change, biotechnology and environmental aspects of trade policy. From 1993 to 1997, Mr. Purvis served as an international lawyer at the State Department advising on such diverse topics as the Dayton peace process for Bosnia, human rights, humanitarian affairs, economic sanctions and U.S. law on foreign relations.

"Early in his career, Mr. Purvis worked as an attorney at Sullivan & Cromwell in New York. He also taught graduate courses in government and law at Georgetown University. Mr. Purvis has published numerous works on foreign policy, international law, globalization and environmental challenges. His book The Other War: Global Poverty and the Millennium Challenge Account will be released by The Brookings Press in June 2003. Mr. Purvis graduated with honors from Harvard Law School in 1990, where he received the Laylin prize for work on international law. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Minnesota in 1987."