Melissa Shackleton Dann

Melissa Shackleton Dann

TRUSTEE

Melissa Shackleton Dann has over twenty years experience in international environmental policy and program strategy. She currently works with foundations, NGOs and the private sector, delivering a range of services from improving organizational effectiveness and revenue streams to devising program strategies that can help achieve transformative and effective change. For over twelve years she was in private philanthropy with the Wallace Global Fund, serving as its Executive Director for three of those years. During her tenure, she led a comprehensive revision of the foundation’s core program areas that resulted in a more cohesive and strategic portfolio of programs. She developed all aspects of the Fund’s environmental portfolio, including early engagement on climate change, commodity certification and reform of international financial and trade institutions. She spearheaded the Fund’s first program related investment, raising the profile of using capital markets to drive environmental and social change and subsequently managed an extensive transition of the Fund’s investment strategies. Ms. Dann began her environmental career at the World Wildlife Fund and later directed programs for the US-Asia Environmental Partnership, a Presidential initiative. In addition to RARE, she currently chairs the board of Fauna and Flora International (US office) and is on Winrock’s board. She serves on a number of advisory councils including the World Wildlife Fund-US National Council, Island Press, Calvert Foundation Green Initiative Advisory Council and the Global Fairness Initiative. Ms. Dann is a Fellow with the Royal Geographic Society. She holds a master’s in political economy from Columbia University where she was an international fellow.