Michel Gelobter

Dr. Michel Gelobter is the inaugural Executive Director of the Yale Center for Environmental Justice. Until recently he was Senior Advisor at Google X, and prior, the CEO of Cooler.dev and Managing Director of Reflective Earth (reflectiveearth.org). He’s had a diverse career in the private, public, government and non-profit sector with a core focus on innovation, climate change, energy, and social justice. Michel co-founded a number of environmental justice, water, and oceans organizations, founded the first consumer-facing climate software company, and his government service has included a stint as a Congressional Black Caucus Fellow, staffing the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee and serving as Director of Environmental Quality for the City of New York and as Assistant Commissioner for its $2 billion-a-year water utility and environmental agency.

 

Michel helped originate and design the world’s first, economy-wide climate legislation (California’s AB32) and was the founding director of the Program on Environmental Policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He wrote the first dissertation and taught the first classes on environmental justice, and his most recent book is Lean Startups for Social Change: The Revolutionary Path to Big Impact. Michel earned his MS & Ph.D. at UC Berkeley’s Energy & Resources Group and presently serves as a Board member of New Energy Nexus and co-founded the Green Leadership Trust. He is an avid father and backpacker.