Sally Jewell served as U.S. Secretary of the Interior from 2013-17 following over 40 years in business, including eight years as CEO of outdoor retail co-op REI. In government, she advocated for balanced protection of public lands and waters, including working closely with President Obama and his team on long-term conservation of our nation’s most vulnerable and irreplaceable natural, cultural, and historical treasures, protecting more lands and waters than any other U.S. president in history. She leveraged science to shape a landscape-level understanding of our resources, nurtured a respectful government to government relationship with our nation’s Indigenous leaders, facilitated development of renewable energy on public lands and waters, and engaged youth in opportunities to experience and care for the natural world from our nation’s vast national public lands to local community parks.
Jewell’s extensive experience in environmental, educational, social service, and business organizations has given her an appreciation of the inner workings of our democracy and civil society, earning her multiple national and regional awards. She currently serves on the boards of The Nature Conservancy, Costco Wholesale, Symetra Financial, Green Diamond Resources, plus multiple advisory boards and councils that focus on addressing solutions to climate change, effective government, Native youth empowerment, and public engagement. She completed fellowships at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, the University of Washington College of the Environment, and its Foster School of Business, and is a frequent contributor to multiple universities through guest lectures, mentoring, and helping students and faculty work across disciplines, and in partnership with communities, understand how their diverse skills and life experiences are essential to shaping a future that is equitable, economically successful, and environmentally sustainable for all.
