Rhea Suh

Rhea Suh served as president of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) from January 2015 until 2019. In this role, she led an organization comprised of nearly 500 scientists, attorneys, and policy experts. NRDC, backed by the support of more than two million members and activists, works to preserve clean air and water, open spaces, public lands, and healthy communities for all Americans, regardless of income, ethnic heritage, or race.

During Suh's tenure, NRDC played a significant role in high-level discussions that led to the historic global climate agreement in Paris. The organization also joined the citizens of Flint, Michigan, to address the city’s toxic drinking water crisis and stood united with a sea of social justice advocates as a presenting partner at the Women’s March on Washington, D.C. She also has a track record of establishing successful diversity, equity, and inclusion programs within large organizations, and achieving progressive policy and legal outcomes for indigenous and disadvantaged communities.

Before joining NRDC, Suh served as the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget at the U.S. Department of the Interior from 2009 to 2014. She led several cross-cutting initiatives at the department on federal land conservation, climate adaptation, international affairs, and youth programs. Suh was instrumental in launching a complex reorganization of the agency responsible for offshore oil and gas oversight in the midst of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Before her appointment to the Interior Department, Suh developed extensive experience in environmental conservation and clean energy during her tenure at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. At the Packard Foundation, she created and managed a program dedicated to environmental conservation and clean energy. She also coordinated the first-ever collaboration among nonprofits to manage conservation efforts across the Colorado River Basin. At the Hewlett Foundation, she led the effort to create the Great Bear Rainforest and spearheaded conservation and clean energy initiatives.

Suh has more than 25 years of experience in environmental and climate policy. She has substantive expertise in terrestrial conservation and natural resource management, international and domestic climate policy, environmental regulations and statutes, environmental justice, and indigenous rights and sovereignty. She is a seasoned leader in managing large, decentralized organizations and has significant expertise in creating strategic partnerships and collaborative opportunities with multiple foundations.

An experienced public speaker and communications strategist, Suh earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Barnard College and received a Fulbright Fellowship to research environmental movements in Seoul. She later obtained a master's degree in education, administration, planning, and social policy from Harvard University. As a media commentator, Suh frequently appears in the New York Times, Washington Post, MSNBC, NPR, and other outlets. She is currently a fellow at the Walton Family Foundation.