EDF Promotes California-Based Directors

(San Francisco – December 22, 2010) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has promoted two of its senior California staff to help its national organization achieve its environmental advocacy goals.

Laura Harnish has assumed the newly created position of National Strategy Director for EDF’s Land, Water and Wildlife program and Wade Crowfoot has assumed the position of West Coast Regional Director.

“Environmental Defense Fund, in collaboration with a range of partners, has helped shape the environmental landscape on the West Coast, from clean air, energy and transportation to land, oceans and water conservation,” said David Festa, EDF’s vice president of West Coast operations. “These promotions leverage Laura and Wade’s policy and political expertise to achieve additional results as we tackle California’s and this country’s most pressing environmental issues.”

Ms. Harnish was formerly EDF’s West Coast Regional Director and Senior Director of Rivers and Deltas in EDF’s Land, Water and Wildlife program. In that role, she worked with environmental and agricultural allies to broker the landmark statewide water reform package of 2009 to protect and restore the San Francisco Bay Delta that provides water for 23 million Californians. She has also advanced a range of water conservation and “user-pays” policies in California. In her new position, Ms. Harnish will be responsible for facilitating the development of national strategy for the organization’s Land, Water and Wildlife program. She will work with scientists, economists and other experts across the country to develop innovative policies in this area.

Mr. Crowfoot, a former director of climate protection initiatives for the city and county of San Francisco, has served as EDF’s West Coast Political Director since joining the nonprofit group in July 2009. In that role, he worked with others leaders to direct the successful campaign to defeat last month’s Prop. 23 ballot initiative, which would have suspended California’s landmark clean energy and climate law (AB 32), which EDF cosponsored. He has also successfully worked with allies to advance policies for energy innovation and sustainable fishing.

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Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org), a leading national nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships. For more information, visit www.edf.org/california. Follow us on Twitter @EDF_CA and read our blog at http://blogs.edf.org/californiadream/.