John Bennett

John Bennett, the Principal of Bennett & Associates, is an environmental specialist with more than 25 years experience in the U.S. and over 40 countries on five continents. His work has focused on project development and management, strategic planning, legislation/policy, communications, media relations, and outreach. He has advised the United Nations, governments, legislators, parliamentarians, private foundations, universities and businesses in virtually all areas of environment – climate change, disaster management, marine conservation, water, forests, waste, endangered species, data and information – from the senior political to community level. He is the President of the International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative – USA, the founder of Arctic Alliance, and a member of the Advisory Committee to the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists.

He is a former Executive Director of Rainforest Foundation-US and a past Director of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, where he led the City’s environmental communications, media relations, public outreach, environmental education, and legislative and regulatory affairs. He was a project manager and senior producer of the 2011 Eye on Earth Summit in Abu Dhabi and has managed communications for several large-scale environmental events.

A lawyer by training, Mr. Bennett has previously served as Chief Legislative Assistant to U.S. Representative George Miller (D-CA), the Issues Director in two United States Senate campaigns, Law Clerk to Justice Robert L. Clifford of the Supreme Court of New Jersey and as a corporate litigation attorney with the New York law firm, Battle Fowler (Paul Hastings). He has also worked for two weekly newspapers and written numerous articles and reports. Mr. Bennett holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Wesleyan University and a Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers Law School.