President & CEO, Global Environment Fund; Treasurer, New America; Senior Fellow, Global Studies
Jeffrey Leonard was Treasurer of New America and Senior Fellow in Global Studies. Jeff was founder and managing partner of Global Environment Fund (GEF), a global alternative asset manager established in 1990 to invest in high-growth clean energy, energy and resource efficiency, environmental, and sustainable natural resource management industries throughout the world. GEF has financed innovative businesses in more than 25 countries across North and South America, Asia, Europe and Africa that promote lower energy use, renewable energy, reduced use of raw materials, improved environmental quality and more efficient use of natural resources.
Jeff was chairman emeritus of the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association (EMPEA), a global organization that promotes private equity and venture capital investment in emerging markets and a founding Board member of the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE). He was on the Board of Eniware, a provider of portable, power-independent medical instrument sterilization for surgical care in Africa and other developing countries. He previously served as co-chairman of the Clean Technology Venture Network in San Francisco, and Chairman of the Board of The Washington Monthly, CityYear Washington D.C., and on the Boards of Directors of more than 15 GEF portfolio companies around the world.
Jeff was a graduate of Princeton (Ph.D.), London School of Economics (M.S. Econ) and Harvard College (B.A., magna cum laude). He was the author of five books and numerous technical articles relating to global environmental issues, international trade, energy production and technology development. His writings on American small business, energy, environmental and global trade matters have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, The Washington Monthly, among others.