A talk co-sponsored between the Institute of Arctic Studies, the Dartmouth Climate Futures Initiative,
and the Dartmouth Department of Environmental Studies
The Institute of Arctic Studies in the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, in co-sponsorship with the Dartmouth Climate Futures Initiative, is honored to host White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, for a conversation with Dr. Melody Brown Burkins on the future of US climate action.
Ali Zaidi, White House Climate Advisor
Tiernan Sittenfeld ('96), Senior VP of Government Affiars, League of Conservation Voters
Melody Brown Burkins, Director, Institute of Arctic Studies (moderator)
Sponsored by the Institute of Arctic Studies in the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, the Dartmouth Climate Futures Initiative, and the Dartmouth Department of Environmental Studies.
White House Climate Advisor & Assistant to the President of the United States of America
Ali Zaidi serves as Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor. In this role, he leads the White House Climate Policy Office, which coordinates policy development and President Biden’s all-of-government approach to tackle the climate crisis, create good-paying union jobs, and advance environmental justice. Zaidi is a longtime advisor to President Biden, having provided counsel and leadership on climate policy development, legislation, and executive action from day one of the Administration and on the Biden presidential transition and campaign. Zaidi helped design and negotiate the President’s historic climate and clean energy investment agenda – including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.
Before his current role, Zaidi served as Deputy National Climate Advisor. He joined the Biden-Harris Administration after serving as the state of New York’s Deputy Secretary for Energy and Environment and Chairman of Climate Policy and Finance, where he led the state's efforts on climate change. Zaidi also taught graduate courses on technology policy and studied the fiscal and financial impacts of climate change as an adjunct professor at Stanford University. During that time, Zaidi co-founded Lawyers for a Sustainable Economy, a Stanford-coordinated initiative that equips sustainability-focused startups with pro bono legal services.
In the Obama-Biden Administration, Zaidi served as Associate Director for Natural Resources, Energy, and Science for the Office of Management and Budget and as Deputy Director of Energy Policy for the Domestic Policy Council — helping to design and implement a wide range of domestic and international policies. Zaidi has advised non-profits, including as a Trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council, and counseled the private sector, as an attorney who helped launch a sustainable investment practice.
Zaidi immigrated from Pakistan and grew up outside Erie, Pennsylvania. He received an A.B. from Harvard University and J.D. from Georgetown University.
Senior Vice President for Governmental Affairs - League of Conservation Voters
Tiernan Sittenfeld is the Senior Vice President for Government Affairs at the League of Conservation Voters. She directs LCV's policy and lobbying efforts with Congress and the executive branch on a range of issues, including climate change, energy, public lands, water, and chemical policy reform. She works on LCV’s legislative accountability campaigns and oversees the National Environmental Scorecard. She also leads the LCV Action Fund Coordinated Team, overseeing all candidate endorsements and endorsement communications, direct contributions, and coordinated field programs. Before joining LCV in 2005, she worked for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) as the Preservation Advocate, specializing in public lands and oceans issues. Prior to that, she worked for OSPIRG and CALPIRG. Ms. Sittenfeld is a graduate of Dartmouth College. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband and two sons.
Director, Institute of Arctic Studies
Sr Assoc Director, John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding
UArctic Chair in Science Diplomacy and Inclusion
Governing Board Member & Fellow, International Science Council (ISC)
Melody Brown Burkins, PhD, is the Director of the Institute of Arctic Studies, Senior Associate Director in the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, and Adjunct Professor of Environmental Studies at Dartmouth. In January 2022, she was also named the UArctic Chair in Science Diplomacy and Inclusion. With over 30 years of experience as a polar scientist working in academia and governance, she is an advocate for policy-engaged scholarship, experiential education, and the support of science policy and diplomacy initiatives advancing sustainability, inclusion, and gender equality in the Arctic and around the world.