Yale Blue Green: In Conversation with Fred Krupp ’75

Fred Krupp has guided the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) for three decades, overseeing its growth from a small nonprofit with a budget of $3 million to one of the world’s most influential environmental organization, with an annual budget of more than $250 million and 1000 employees--EDF works across the globe, including in the United States, China, India, Mexico, and Europe. Krupp serves as an alumni fellow of Yale University’s board of trustees. He appears frequently in the media and was named one of America’s Best Leaders by U.S. News and World Report. He is a recipient of the 2015 William K. Reilly Environmental Leadership Award from the Center for Environmental Policy at American University.

Saleem Ali is Chair of the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences and the Blue & Gold Distinguished Professor of Energy and the Environment at the University of Delaware. He is also a member of the United Nations International Resource Panel. Before embarking on an academic career, Ali worked as an environmental health and safety professional at General Electric Corporation. His laurels include being a National Geographic Explorer, with field experience in more than 160 countries and all continents; being selected as a “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum; and serving on the boards of several nonprofit charitable organizations.

Lauren E. Graham is the outgoing chair of Yale Blue Green, the environmental alumni shared interest group that she has led since 2014. She is the Chief of Staff at Hunger Free America, a national anti-hunger advocacy and direct service nonprofit working to end domestic hunger, as well as the founder of Velvet Frame, a social impact strategy and communications consultancy. She is also an adjunct professor teaching undergraduate and graduate courses on nonprofit management, entrepreneurship, and leadership in sustainability at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice, Baruch College-Zicklin School of Business at CUNY, the Fashion Institute of Technology, and Bard College MBA in Sustainability.