National Resources Defense Council

President

Children: Three daughters

Frances Beinecke heads one of the most important environmental action groups in the US, the National Resources Defense Council [NRDC]. Under Beinecke’s direction the organization has focused on clean energy, climate change, the world’s oceans and endangered wildlife. Beinecke has been with the NRDC for over 30 years, only leaving for a couple of years when her three daughters were young to become a stay-at-home mom temporarily. In addition to her work for the NRDC, Beinecke was appointed to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling by President Barack Obama. Beinecke says her children have had an enormous impact on her work. “My daughters have been a big influence on me,” she says. “They’re millennial kids and very aware of the environment. They’ve inspired me.”