James Gustave Speth

James Gustave Speth is Dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Dean Speth comes to Yale's environment school from the United Nations, where he served from 1993 through 1999 as Administrator of the Development Program (UNDP), the principal arm of the UN for the funding and coordination of technical assistance and development. Prior to his tenure at the UN, he founded the World Resources Institute (WRI) in 1982 and served as its president until January 1993. Following his tenure at WRI he served as senior advisor to President-elect Clinton's transition team, heading the group on natural resources, energy and the environment.

Before founding WRI, Speth chaired President Carter's Council on Environmental Quality, and then went on to teach environmental and constitutional law for two years as a professor of Georgetown University. From 1970 to 1977 he was senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an organization he co-founded. Prior to NRDC, Speth was law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black.