Tom Steinbach

Tom is chair of the Climate Lead board of directors. He is an expert in developing and implementing philanthropic strategies to address complex social and environmental challenges globally. With his extensive background in climate philanthropy, Tom has recently been appointed as the inaugural president of the Rainier Climate Group, a new initiative launched by the Ballmer family.

Prior to joining the Rainier Climate Group, Tom was the executive director of Tempest Advisors and the Sea Change Foundation, where he led a team of philanthropy experts dedicated to addressing climate change in the United States and internationally. Tom was also the environment program director at the Hewlett Foundation, where he led a team of grant makers deploying $140 million annually to address climate change, conserve the North American West, and solve environmental problems facing disadvantaged communities in the Bay Area.

Previously, Tom was executive director of Greenbelt Alliance, a land conservation and urban planning nonprofit, where he spearheaded conservation projects and worked to transform growth management policies. At Greenbelt Alliance, he broke the traditional mold for how an environmental organization operates by building productive working relationships with businesses, communities and governments.

In earlier positions, Tom led conservation policy efforts at the Appalachian Mountain Club, the oldest conservation and recreation organization in the U.S. His work focused on natural resource protection and sustainable community development. He has also worked on resource conservation in Nepal, hazardous waste issues for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy, and economic analysis for the Congressional Budget Office.

Tom is a recipient of the University of California’s Nonprofit Leadership Fellowship and currently serves on the board of directors of the Flora Family Foundation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Rochester and a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.