As the former executive director and chairman of the Sierra Club, Carl Pope was at the helm of the nation's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. During Pope's 18 year tenure, Sierra Club led the charge in helping to block more than 125 proposed new coal fired power plants, achieving a 40 percent improvement in the pollution and fuel efficiency of America's passenger vehicles, and launching the Club's Climate Recovery Partnership. Pope came to the role with a distinguished record of progressive activism and leadership. He is now the principal advisor at Inside Straight Strategies, looking for the underlying economics that link sustainability and economic development, and serves as a senior advisor to former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Pope has served on the Boards of the California League of Conservation Voters, Public Voice, National Clean Air Coalition, California Common Cause, Public Interest Economics Inc, and Zero Population Growth. Carl Pope is the co-author of Climate of Hope: How Cities, Businesses, and Citizens Can Save the Planet.