Former Democratic and Republican administration officials are teaming up on a new project that aims to encourage “fresh thinking” about conservation.
The effort, dubbed Ground Shift, launched Tuesday with a team that includes big names in the energy and environment world. They’re joining forces for what they’re billing as an “ideas hub” that creates a space for developing and debating new approaches on land and water conservation.
Matt Lee-Ashley, who served as chief of staff at the Council on Environmental Quality during the Biden administration, is executive director of the organization. Ground Shift’s managing director is Chase Huntley, a longtime leader at The Wilderness Society.
The group’s advisory board includes John Podesta, a former energy and climate adviser in the Biden White House; Theodore Roosevelt IV, an investment banker and the great-grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt; Shantha Ready Alonso, a former Biden Interior Department official; and Tracy Stone-Manning, president of The Wilderness Society who led the Bureau of Land Management at the Biden Interior Department.
