WASHINGTON, D.C. – Earthworks, an international organization that campaigns to protect communities from the negative impacts of resource extraction, announces the addition of two distinguished experts to its Board of Directors.
Robin Broad is a professor at the School of International Service at American University in Washington, D.C. She is the author or co-author of numerous articles and books on sustainable development and on natural resources including mining. Her most recent book is Development Redefined: How the Market Met its Match. She has done extensive research on mining and development in El Salvador and the Philippines, and works closely with civil society groups in those countries and in North America around mining bans and responsible mining policy. Dr. Broad has served as an international economist in the U.S. Treasury Department, with then-Congressman Charles Schumer, and at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She received her PhD and MPA from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School and her BA (in economics & ecology) from Williams College.
Jennifer McDowell is an enthusiastic advocate for environmental and social causes including for people with disabilities, western Pennsylvania environmental issues, shoreline naturalization, and universal access to clean water. She is co-chair of the Earth Circle of the Women Donors Network and has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for environmental causes. Ms. McDowell serves on the board of Water Engineers for the Americas, which provides volunteer services to communities in Central and South America whose water sources have been polluted by mining and agriculture. She has experienced firsthand how a small amount of money can make a huge difference in a community. Ms. McDowell has an MSEd, is a former special ed teacher, and proudly charges her Tesla Model S via the solar array on her Pittsburgh home.
“We welcome Dr. Broad and Ms. McDowell to the Earthworks board,” said Earthworks board chair Bill McNeill. “We are excited to have their expertise to assist with our effective campaigns to change the rules of the mining, oil and gas industries. Both of our new board members will strengthen our ability to protect communities and the environment from the negative impacts of resource extraction while promoting sustainable solutions.”
“I've always enjoyed mucking about in streams and lakes and the ocean– but what I could do so freely as a child is simply no longer possible in too many places,” said Jennifer McDowell. “Joining Earthworks feels like a natural fit as they work so hard to improve air quality and to save watersheds in the US and around the world.”
“I have been a long-time fan of Earthworks and am truly honored to be on this board,” said Robin Broad. “While most of my own work is related to Earthwork’s global campaigns, I hope that my tenure on the board will overlap with a revision of the US’s outrageously outdated 1872 mining law that facilitates rapacious mining on US lands. It’s time for the United States to become a leader in the fight for more sustainable mining and energy practices around the world.”