JOHN ADAMS co-founded the Natural Resources Defense Council in 1970, serving as NRDC's executive director and later president from its inception until 2006 -- a tenure unparalleled by the leader of any other environmental organization. As NRDC's founding director, Adams continues to play an active role in the organization on the local, national and international levels. In February 2011, Adams received the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- our nation's highest civilian honor -- from President Obama, who referenced Rolling Stone Magazine's description of Adams when announcing the award: "If the planet has a lawyer, it's John Adams." In 2010, Adams and his wife Patricia co-authored A Force for Nature, a memoir recounting their forty years of battles and victories with NRDC. He is currently chair of the board of the Open Space Institute and sits on the boards of numerous other environmental organizations. He has also served on governmental advisory committees, including President Clinton's Council for Sustainable Development. Prior to his work at NRDC, Adams served as assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. He is a graduate of Michigan State University and the Duke University School of Law. Adams lives in Catskills mountains of New York, not far from the farm where he was raised. Press contact: jpowers@nrdc.org, 212-727-2700 ANN ALEXANDER is a senior attorney in NRDC's Midwest office. Prior to joining NRDC, she served as an environmental attorney for the Attorney General of Illinois and was a staff attorney at the Environmental Law and Policy Center. She was previously the acting director of the Rutgers Environmental Law Clinic, leading her students and staff in environmental enforcement matters and policy campaigns. Additionally, Ann has worked at a New York City law firm and as a federal judicial clerk, and has done extensive environmental organizing in communities of faith. She graduated from Columbia Law School in 1987 and received a bachelor's degree from Yale University in 1984. Press contact: jmogerman@nrdc.org, 312-663-9900 If you are not a member of the press, please write to us at nrdcinfo@nrdc.org.