President of Pew Center on Global Climate Change to Speak at 2006 Nicholas School Recognition Ceremony

Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006/DURHAM, N.C. – Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, will speak to 2006 graduates of Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at the school’s annual Recognition Ceremony, at 9 a.m., Saturday, May 13.

Claussen’s address to this year’s Master of Environmental Management, Master of Forestry and doctoral degree candidates and their families will begin at about 9:15 a.m. and will last about 20 minutes.

The ceremony, which is not open to the public, will be held in the courtyard of the Levine Science Research Center on Research Drive.

The Pew Center on Global Climate Change was established in 1998 as a non-profit, non-partisan organization to provide credible information and innovative solutions for global climate change.

Prior to serving as the center’s president, Claussen was U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. In that capacity, she was responsible for developing and implementing U.S. policy on major international issues such as climate change; ozone depletion; natural resource management; and sustainable development.

Before her tenure as assistant secretary of state, she was a Special Assistant to the President and senior director for Global Environmental Affairs at the National Security Council, and as the director of atmospheric programs at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In addition to her duties as president of the Pew Center, Claussen also serves as president of Strategies for the Global Environment, the Pew Center’s umbrella organization, and as the executive editor of Climate Change: Science, Strategies and Solutions.

She is the recipient of the Department of State's Career Achievement Award and the Fitzhugh Green Award for Outstanding Contributions to International Environmental Protection, among other professional honors. At the conclusion of her government career, she served as the Timothy Atkeson Scholar in Residence at Yale University.

The Nicholas School is one of the world’s top graduate research and professional schools for the interdisciplinary study of the environment, biological, physical and social sciences.

Masters and doctoral degree candidates will officially receive their degrees at Duke University’s graduation ceremonies on May 14.