Position Specification
Resources for the Future
President
Position Specification
Ref: President
Resources for the Future
Our Client
Overview
Resources for the Future (RFF) is an independent, nonpartisan organization that conducts rigorous
economic research and analysis to help leaders make better decisions and craft smarter policies about
natural resources and the environment. It envisions a world where environmental and economic decisions
in the public and private sectors are made with a full understanding of the potential implications for
present and future generations and the world in which they live.
RFF was the first think tank devoted exclusively to natural resource and environmental issues and helped
create the field of environmental and natural resource economics. Since 1952, it has provided decisionmakers with the tools to improve the way policy choices are made, strengthening both the environment
and the economy. While RFF is located in Washington, DC, its research scope comprises programs in
nations around the world.
RFF operates according to four core values:
1. Environmental economics: RFF experts provide economic approaches to environmental, energy,
and natural resource policy issues.
2. Research excellence and integrity: Research and analysis at RFF are based on intellectual expertise
and academic rigor.
3. Independent analysis: RFF is a nonpartisan organization that helps leaders make informed
decisions.
4. Practical solutions: Research by RFF experts addresses real issues that are critical to the future.
RFF brings together the world’s largest community of PhD economists and leading experts focused on
environmental, natural resource, and energy issues to develop smart solutions that balance the need for
both economic growth and environmental stewardship. RFF researchers share the results of their work
with policymakers in government at all levels, environmental and business organizations, academicians,
the media, and the interested public. RFF neither lobbies nor takes institutional positions on specific
legislative or regulatory proposals, although individual researchers—speaking for themselves and not for
RFF—can formulate specific policy recommendations based on the findings in their work.
As part of RFF's diverse research portfolio, RFF's centers and programs, such as RFF’s Center for Energy
and Climate Economics (CECE) and RFF’s Center for Management of Ecological Wealth (CMEW) help focus
on work in topical key areas.
Organization
RFF was founded in 1952 at the recommendation of William Paley, then head of the Columbia
Broadcasting System, who had chaired a presidential commission that examined whether the United
States was becoming overly dependent on foreign sources of important natural resources and
commodities. RFF became the first think tank devoted exclusively to natural resource and environmental
issues.
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Position Specification
Ref: President
Resources for the Future
Based in Washington, DC, with an annual operating budget of about $13 million, RFF’s staff encompasses
77 researchers and staff. Most RFF researchers hold a doctorate in economics, but others have advanced
degrees in engineering, law, ecology, city and regional planning, government, and public policy and
management, among other disciplines. Former government officials often serve as visiting experts at RFF
to provide insight into the policy process. RFF’s network of connections within the policy and academic
worlds allows it to be a preeminent convener and source of cutting-edge, policy-relevant ideas. RFF’s
Board of Directors includes industry and environmental leaders as well as former state and federal
policymakers and preeminent scholars.
As a 501(c)(3) organization, RFF is supported by donors who understand the role that rigorous, objective
research plays in formulating sound public policies. In fiscal year 2015, RFF’s operating revenue was $13
million, 65 percent of which came from individual contributions, foundation grants, corporate
contributions, and government grants. RFF augments its income by an annual withdrawal from its reserve
fund to support operations. At the end of fiscal year 2015 the reserve fund was valued at $54 million.
Opportunity
RFF is seeking a visionary chief executive to nurture its exceptional suite of current programs and to realize
its full potential. From its earned reputation for conducting independent, nonpartisan policy analysis and
research of the highest quality, RFF exists to improve environmental and natural resource policymaking
worldwide through objective social science research of the highest caliber.
As former Congressman Philip Sharp steps down after a decade of leadership, RFF seeks a President in
pursuit of this mission. Furthermore, as it approaches its seventieth year in 2022, RFF is seeking new
leadership that is eager to help craft and drive a strategic vision for the organization across the next
generation of influence and impact. A strategic review has recently been initiated by the Board and
officers to help inform the new leader in understanding the organization’s strengths, opportunities,
fundraising environment, and competition for financial resources, ideas and policy leadership. With a key
role in finalizing and implementing the strategic plan, the new leader will have the opportunity to shape
the future of RFF.
To learn more about Resources for the Future, please visit:
 Homepage: http://www.rff.org/
 Annual report (2014):
http://www.rff.org/files/sharepoint/About_RFF/Documents/RFF_2014_AR_Final.pdf
The Role
Based in Washington, DC, and reporting to the Board of Directors, the President has responsibility and is
accountable for managing the strategic, programmatic, and financial operations of the organization.
The President will:
 Serve as a partner to the Board of Directors and lead RFF in further defining a strategic plan to
address the vision and mission of the organization, setting a strategy for its implementation and
communicating the mission to a broad constituent base, including academia, policy leaders,
government decision-makers and the general public;
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Resources for the Future
 Provide leadership to the staff around prioritizing, implementing and enhancing its research, and
program resources in order to increase the influence of the organization across a broad
constituency;
 Bring leadership and a sophisticated understanding of fundraising with a variety of donors;
 Enable the organization to attract, develop, and retain outstanding staff;
 Demonstrate strong intellectual leadership and foster an entrepreneurial environment of creativity
and innovation;
 Convene leaders from across the fields of economics, research, and policy in natural and
environmental resources to exchange best practices and areas for impact above the partisan
debate;
 Maintain and continue to increase the visibility of RFF and the critical need to address resource
policy issues with a range of constituencies including government, academia, business and civic
leadership, the media, and the general public;
 Continue to position RFF on the international stage, bringing together research and policy leaders
and sharing the work being driven by the organization;
 Maximize the potential of an empowered organization with its highly capable staff and Board; and,
 Ensure that all activities and programs meet the highest standards of ethics and transparency.
Candidate Profile
Resources for the Future is seeking a visionary leader with unquestioned intellectual breadth,
demonstrated operational skill and management savvy, broad consensus-building, and significant
practical experience with natural and environmental resource policy issues within the academic,
government, and private sectors. The leader will have the capacity to foster constructive dialogue and
collaboration across organizational structures, while honoring the history of, and respecting and
promoting the culture and values of RFF. The leader will understand and appreciate the role of rigorous
research in informing public policy.
The ideal candidate will have the capacity to manage accomplished staff. The candidate will also have
experience working closely with a Board, staff, and other constituents to achieve ambitious goals in a
fiscally responsible manner. The candidate will be an outstanding communicator, both in writing and
verbally, and possess the ability to represent RFF effectively in dealing with a diversity of audiences. The
candidate must also be an effective fundraiser, working closely with the organization’s Board,
development office and staff to identify and successfully attract financial support. The candidate will serve
as a distinguished external face for RFF and ideally bring a record of published academic research and/or
demonstrated capacity to understand, appreciate, and externally represent such research and its
importance to stakeholders, thereby enabling him/her to be viewed as a thought leader and partner with
policy practitioners, research leaders, and the general public.
As such, the candidate will bring a sophisticated understanding of a range of natural resource and
environmental issues, and demonstrate the ability and willingness to quickly gain an understanding of
those areas where the candidate does not currently have expertise or a strong working knowledge. The
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ideal candidate will possess a demonstrated track record of creative leadership, and will have successfully
driven new program development in his/her prior roles.
Specific competencies include:
Setting Strategy: The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated record of setting priorities and successful
leadership. The candidate will be a strategic thinker who will work with the Board and with RFF’s senior
leadership team to develop plans and methods to realize the organization’s goals. The candidate will have
the strength of leadership, creativity, open-mindedness, and vision to help craft, execute, and realize a
well-articulated vision for the organization – and be able to manage innovation and positive change in a
small, but complex setting.
Academic Champion: Given RFF’s reputation as a leader in research on natural resource and
environmental policy issues, this candidate must possess a keen intellect and familiarity with, and respect
for academia, as well as the ability to interface credibly with leading researchers. The candidate must
have unwavering commitment to academic excellence and integrity given the organization’s purpose in
creating and disseminating new knowledge and policy research of the highest caliber, and must appreciate
and be able to articulate the importance of original research to policy development.
Leadership Style: The ideal candidate will demonstrate the “partner-like” leadership necessary to be
effective in an organization of highly motivated professionals with a diverse set of skills and perspectives.
The candidate will foster a culture of accountability, engagement, and empowerment, convening and
leading diverse constituencies to achieve excellence. The candidate will be decisive, with the ability to set
priorities, delegate, assure accountability, and allocate resources to ensure results. The candidate will
demonstrate a commitment to transparency, openness, and mutual respect.
Above the Partisan Debate: The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience in the
application and advancement of research to help design and evaluate public policy, without advocacy or
political persuasion and with the highest respect for the organization’s longstanding and worldwide
reputation for independence.
Fundraising: The candidate will give priority to and bring the capacity to successfully maintain and grow a
supportive and exciting intellectual environment, working closely with the Board, development staff, and
research staff to raise the resources to invest in intellectual capital and innovative programming. The
candidate will be able to lead the organization to maintain current and develop new successful fundraising
strategies across various potential sources, including government agencies, private foundations,
individuals and international organizations. The candidate will be able and willing to meet regularly with
donors and prospects and be willing to “make the ask.”
Communications: The candidate will be a strong communicator, before larger audiences and in private
settings. The candidate will possess the ability to convey a sense of excitement and purpose to the
institution. Demonstrated “political savvy” is also desirable. The candidate will be able to position the
organization to be effective externally, including bridging diverse perspectives and constituencies and
championing the role of academic quality and policy-relevant research. The candidate must have the
capacity to be an effective advocate to generate external enthusiasm and energy for the organization’s
mission and outputs.
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Interpersonal Skills: The successful candidate will have the interpersonal skills, desire, and intellect
needed to recruit, retain, motivate, and inspire professional staff, volunteers, and partners. The candidate
will be an active listener, demonstrate respect for others, and, in turn, work to gain their respect. The
candidate will be able to develop positive and productive relationships, effectively build working coalitions
and consensus, and engage people and institutions towards achieving RFF’s goals. The candidate will have
a strong sense of self and inherent intellectual curiosity to ask the probing and difficult questions, but
demonstrate a balanced perspective to encourage others, whether they be staff or Board, to seek the
appropriate answers.
Passion and Shared Values: The candidate will have the capacity, intellectual curiosity, and inclination to
exemplify RFF’s core mission to inform decision making through education, research, policy evaluation,
and the dissemination of information. Ideal candidates will possess a PhD in economics or other relevant
field, or equivalent work experience in a research and policy oriented environment.
Research experience: The candidate will understand and appreciate the value of rigorous research in
shaping and improving public policy, possibly demonstrated by work and leadership experience in a
research and policy oriented environment. Personal experience as a published academic researcher,
including a PhD in economics or other relevant field, is helpful but not necessary.
Contact
For nominations or to express interest in this position, please contact Russell Reynolds Associates at
RFF@russellreynolds.com
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