Washington, DC: After more than 18 years as the President of the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) and the LCV Education Fund, and a prior dozen years on the Boards, Gene Karpinski announced today he plans to step down next year after a replacement is hired.

In a letter to staff today (below), Karpinski highlighted accomplishments including passing the Inflation Reduction Act–the biggest investment in solving the climate crisis ever, working with state LCV partners to pass an unprecedented number of climate and democracy laws, historic and successful investments in elections up and down the ballot–including this year’s largest-ever $120 million investment, and building a stronger, larger, more diverse organization, board and movement of state partners.

“You couldn’t have a better warrior, a better leader, or a better friend to work with than Gene Karpinski,” said Carol Browner, Former EPA Administrator and Chair of LCV and LCVEF’s Board. “I have had the fortune of working with Gene for more than 30 years, and during that time he worked every day to protect people, to hold adversaries accountable and to build winning coalitions that effected real, measurable change. Gene built LCV into a political powerhouse. We thank you for everything you did to make our movement stronger, smarter and better.”

“In this critical era for climate action, Gene’s visionary leadership has been indispensable. He built LCV into a powerful force that transformed the political landscape and made historic progress on climate possible,” said Roger Kim, Vice Chair of LCV. “Gene made sure our movement is bigger, broader, and more inclusive – organizing deeper alliances with LCV’s 30+ state affiliates and closer partnerships with unions, environmental justice leaders, key allies in the White House and on the Hill. Our movement is the most powerful it has ever been and we are deeply grateful for Gene’s leadership.”

“I am deeply appreciative of the support of all of you who have helped make this journey so much fun, so rewarding, and so successful – from the Boards, to the staff, state LCV partners, allies, elected officials, supporters, and everyone else,” said Karpinski in his letter to staff.  “I am proud of all that we have accomplished together, but keenly aware that we also have so much more to do – over the next 49 days until November 5th – and then for decades more to come.”

LCV & LCVEF’s Board of Directors has hired Korn Ferry to begin the search process for a new President, which will begin soon.

Background: Gene Karpinski became President of LCV in 2006, after serving on LCV’s board of directors and political committee for a dozen years.  Under his leadership, LCV’s family of entities have been a driving force behind the election of environmental champions up and down the ballot and the passage of clean energy and climate policies at the state and federal levels.

During President Obama’s presidency, Gene’s leadership helped win historic progress for climate and the environment. Following the 2016 election of Donald Trump, Karpinski oversaw the development of a nationwide campaign with our state affiliates in the broader Conservation Voters Movement  to move the U.S. to a 100% clean energy future through state policies. Since then the U.S. has moved from 1% to 40% of people in this country living in a state on the path to 100% clean energy. While continuing to make progress in the states, Gene oversaw historic electoral victories in 2018 and 2020, laying the critical groundwork needed to then wage LCV’s  biggest climate campaign ever to pass the bill that would eventually become the Inflation Reduction Act. Under Gene, LCV & LCVEF grew from a staff of 30 to close to 175, and with growth in combined budgets of our various entities from $12 million in 2006 to nearly $200 million in 2024.

Prior to helming LCV, Gene worked for 21 years as the Executive Director of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG), the national lobbying office for state PIRGs across the country, where he led many national environmental issue campaigns.  He has served on a number of national boards and steering committees, including America Votes, Blue Green Alliance, Strategic Victory Fund, the Equitable and Just National Climate Platform, the Beldon Fund, and the National Association for Public Interest Law.  Gene is a graduate of Brown University and Georgetown University Law Center.

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Dear Friends:

After more than 18 years as the president of the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) and the LCV Education Fund, and another dozen years on the Boards before that, I plan to step down next year, after a replacement is hired.  I have notified the Boards of Directors, and they will begin a formal candidate search very soon.

I am very proud of all that LCV and LCVEF have accomplished, but of course there is much more work to be done to secure our democracy and protect our planet.

In 2022 we helped pass the biggest investment in history to help solve the climate crisis. Over the years we have helped our state LCV partners pass an unprecedented number of climate and democracy laws. This year, the Biden – Harris Administration, in particular the EPA and the Interior Department, finalized a record-setting number of executive actions to cut pollution and protect public lands.

These policy successes were preceded by historic investments by various LCV and state LCV-related entities in elections at the national, state and local level, particularly over the last eight years.  Earlier this year we announced that we plan to invest at least $120 million in elections this cycle, our largest investment ever, and I am now confident that we will significantly exceed that number in this very critical election year.

From an institutional perspective, we have built the strongest and most diverse Boards and staff we have ever had. We have expanded the national staff from 30 to close to 200, and we have grown the combined budgets of our various entities from $12 million in 2006 to nearly $200 million in 2024.

From a movement building perspective, we have helped build a much more powerful Conservation Voter Movement, in partnership with over 30 state LCVs across the country.  We have also built much stronger partnerships with many labor, environmental justice, and electoral allies during my tenure.

I am deeply appreciative of the support of all of you who have helped make this journey so much fun, so rewarding, and so successful – from the Boards, to the staff, state LCV partners, allies, elected officials, supporters, and everyone else.  I am proud of all that we have accomplished together, but keenly aware that we also have so much more to do – over the next 49 days until November 5^th – and then for decades more to come.

I have no specific plans for my future after LCV, but I know I will remain in the fight to protect our planet and our democracy.  In the meantime, let’s all keep our eyes on the very important short-term prize, and do all we can to win big in November.  The stakes have never been higher.

Cheers and onward.

Gene