World Resources Institute names new president

The World Resources Institute named Andrew Steer, the World Bank’s special envoy for climate change, as its new president Wednesday.

“Andrew is a dynamic and gifted leader, with a deep knowledge of sustainability issues and on-the-ground experience in the world’s most rapidly developing economies. As these issues become more urgent, Andrew is ideally suited to lead WRI in achieving its mission,” James Harmon, chairman of the environmental tank’s board of directors, said in a statement. 

“A passionate and eloquent communicator, Andrew will champion the organization’s evidence-based and results-focused approach to build a healthier and more sustainable planet.”

In addition to his position at the World Bank, Steer serves on a sustainable energy panel formed by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. He previously served as the director general for policy and research at the Department for International Development in the United Kingdom.

WRI works on environmental and development issues in more than 40 countries.

The think tank’s longtime president, Jonathan Lash, stepped down last July to become president of Hampshire College, a liberal-arts school in Amherst, Mass.