NRDC Hires Leading Academic Fundraiser as Chief Development Officer

NEW YORK – The Natural Resources Defense Council today announced the appointment of Anders Yang as Chief Development Officer, effective July 1, 2016. Yang joins NRDC with an exceptional track record in principal and major gift fundraising, with key leadership roles in campaigns at the University of California, as well as Harvard University.

“We are extremely excited to have Anders on board,” said Rhea Suh, NRDC president. “His leadership and expertise in external relations, campaigns and development will bring NRDC the fresh, innovative thinking we need to help secure the financial resources necessary to remain the standard-bearer for solving the central environmental challenges of our time.”

Leading an international team spanning all of NRDC’s offices, Yang will play a key role in galvanizing a new generation of funders while maintaining deep and meaningful ties with the organization's long-standing and most generous donors. Yang will be responsible for creating and implementing plans to acquire private support, including gifts from individuals and foundations, to advance NRDC’s efforts to combat climate change and build a clean energy future, provide safe and sufficient drinking water, defend endangered wild places and wildlife, and foster sustainable healthy communities across the world.

“It’s an honor to serve an organization whose mission and work is so critical,” said Yang. “NRDC has been one of the nation’s most effective environmental groups for almost 50 years, and I am excited to contribute to the important and vital work ahead.”

Yang joins NRDC from the University of California Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business, where he served as assistant dean of external relations/advancement. Before that, Yang served as associate dean of the Office of Development for the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was part of a campus wide team to achieve a record fundraising year. Prior to his position at UCLA, Yang held leadership roles in fundraising at the University of California, San Francisco and at the University of California, Berkeley.

Before joining the University of California system, Yang spent over a decade with Harvard University, including serving as the founding director for Harvard Law School's western regional campaign office based in San Francisco. He also held positions at HLS in alumni relations, admissions, externships and clinical legal education. In addition, Yang worked for Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences, traveling to Asia regularly to engage alumni and supporters of Harvard College and the Graduate School.

Yang grew up along the California coast. He is an honors graduate of UC Berkeley and Harvard Law School. Prior to his career in academic administration, Yang was an attorney with Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and a member of the California Bar. He serves on the board of CTBC Bank (USA).

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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 2 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles; San Francisco; Chicago; Bozeman, Montana; and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.