Dive Brief:
- Ceres has added New York City Comptroller Mark Levine and former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy to its board of directors, the sustainability nonprofit announced Tuesday.
- Levine and McCarthy were among the five climate, energy transition and finance-focused experts added to the board of directors, according to a July 29 press release. Ceres also added four new members to its President’s Council, who serve as ambassadors for the nonprofit.
- The new additions come after Ceres joined other shareholder advocates in filing a regulatory petition to the Securities and Exchange Commission last week, urging the agency to “largely retain” the rule that governs the shareholder proposal process.
Dive Insight:
Ceres — which also runs networks for investors, companies and public policy — is adding the new board members to a group “with backgrounds in responsible investing, corporate sustainability, government and policy, environmental justice, and nonprofit advocacy.” The additions bring the total number of board members to 21, including Sierra Club Executive Director Loren Blackford, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs, according to Ceres' website.
Ceres said its board members have an “active role” in setting the organization’s long-term strategy, while President’s Council members offer strategic oversight, specialized expertise, and public outreach to scale the organization’s impact.
Ceres CEO and President Mindy Lubber said in the release that the new members to the board and council will help Ceres as it looks to “grow [its] global networks, pursue new financial opportunities, and deepen [its] relationships and expertise.”
Levine was elected in 2025 to replace outgoing NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, now the Democratic nominee for New York’s 10th Congressional District. Levine initiated a search for new asset managers for the city’s pension plans, after Lander recommended that the pension funds drop Fidelity and BlackRock over dissatisfactory climate planning.
“It is a privilege to join the Ceres Board at a time when informed risk-adjusted investing requires absolute clarity in the face of geopolitical and market pressures,” Levine — whose term runs until Dec. 31, 2029 — said in the release
McCarthy, in addition to being a former EPA Administrator, was also the first White House national climate advisor and led the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy that was created under President Joe Biden.
In addition to Levine and McCarthy, Ceres’ board additions include:
- Rose McKinney James, a former commissioner for the Nevada Public Service commission, who is currently the managing principal for consulting firms Energy Works LLC and Mckinney-James & Associates
- Aniket Shah, managing director and global head of the sustainability and transition team financial services company Jefferies Group
- David Young, a former managing director at Boston Consulting Group — who still serves as a climate advisor to the firm — and executive managing director of a new venture called CascAldient.
Ceres added Collins Climate Consulting Founder and Principal Lori Collins, Meritage Wine Group Managing Partner Jim Richardson, Samuels and Associates Vice Chair and Principal Joel Sklar and NYU Cleantech Initiatives Advisor Pat Sapinsley to its President’s Council. The addition to the council brings the group of organizational ambassadors to 32 members.
Ceres recently joined shareholder advocates in pushing for the SEC to immediately reinstate the no-action process and for any alterations to Rule 14a-8 — which governs the shareholder proposal process — to be narrow. Ceres signed the regulatory petition last week, along with DiNapoli, the U.S. Sustainable Investment Forum, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, the Shareholder Rights Group and For the Long Term.
