Beinecke to Retire as NRDC President at the End of 2014

NEW YORK (November 14, 2013) - Frances G. Beinecke will retire as president of the Natural Resources Defense Council at the end of 2014, she announced today.        

“I'm making this decision public now to give the organization time to identify a successor and make an orderly transition to new leadership at the end of next year,” said Beinecke. “Until then, I'll stay focused on the work of protecting our environment, leading our talented staff and making sure the pieces are in place for NRDC to remain, as always, the Earth's best defense.”

Beyond the end of next year, Beinecke said, she will remain engaged, in other capacities, in the movement that has defined her career.

“I will continue the fight to protect our environment and curb climate change, as I have for the past 40 years,” she said.

Beinecke, 64, joined the NRDC as an intern in 1973, three years after it was founded by John Adams and several others. She became the second president in NRDC’s history when Adams retired from the post in 2006.

“For four decades, Frances has combined powerful advocacy with a vision and passion that has advanced our efforts to build a cleaner, safer and more sustainable world,” said Daniel R. Tishman, chairman of the NRDC Board of Trustees. “In the coming months, we will conduct a rigorous search for the person who best embodies these values, is committed to these goals and has the talent to lead this organization into the future.”