Mark Van Putten

Mark Van Putten "served for seven years as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), America's largest conservation education and advocacy organization. NWF has more than four million members and a full-time staff of about 600. He created and employed a grassroots network to achieve national legislative victories to restore the Everglades, protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, reform environmentally-damaging practices by the Army Corps of Engineers, and increase funding for state fish and wildlife programs.

"Prior to serving as CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, he spent fifteen years as the founding director of its Great Lakes regional office. He built it into the largest of NWF's nine regional operations.

"A magna cum laude graduate of the University of Michigan School of Law, he spearheaded NWF's litigation on water issues, including a precedent-setting $100 million plus settlement resolving Lake Michigan fish kills. In 2002, on the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Clean Water Act, he was selected as one of thirty "Clean Water Heroes."

"He founded the University of Michigan Environmental Law Clinic, and working collaboratively with both law students and graduate students from the School of Natural Resources and the Environment, he led in crafting policy solutions to the toxic pollution, wetland loss, and biodiversity challenges facing the Great Lakes region. He also taught seminars and courses on environmental law and on the regulation of toxic substances at the University of Michigan School of Law.

"He is currently the president and founder of ConservationStrategy, an environmental strategy and organizational development consulting firm. His projects have focused on global and national clean and safe drinking water issues, development of a Great Lakes restoration initiative, development of a sustainability strategy for a consortium of universities, and development of a strategy focusing on key Republican congressional districts to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He has also worked on strategies for state wildlife agencies and for the Federal Highway Administration related to the protection of wildlife habitat."


 * Advisory Panel, Water Policy Institute
 * Consultant, Water Advocates
 * External Advisory Board, Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute

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