For Immediate Release
Contact: Stephanie Foster
(650) 917-7142

LOS ALTOS, California—The David and Lucile Packard Foundation announced today the hire of Dr. Walter V. Reid, consulting professor at the Stanford Institute for the Environment and creator and former director of Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, as the Foundation's new director of Conservation and Science. He will assume his role on April 1, 2006.

"Walt brings passion and a proven track record of commitment to deepening scientific understanding of earth's complex natural systems and applying that knowledge to address pressing conservation priorities," said Carol S. Larson, president and chief executive officer of the Foundation. "His experience and leadership will advance the goals of the Conservation and Science Program and contribute to the Foundation's broader effectiveness."

Prior to accepting the director position, Dr. Reid served as consulting professor at Stanford's Institute for the Environment. He joined the institute after creating and directing the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) from 1998 until 2005. A UN-sponsored four-year international assessment of the consequences of ecosystem change on human well-being, the MA released a comprehensive report on its findings in March 2005. From 1992 to 1998, Dr. Reid was vice president of the World Resources Institute (WRI) in Washington D.C., where he oversaw research programs in economics, climate, energy, pollution, biological resources, health, and the environment.

Dr. Reid received his Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Washington and his bachelor's degree in zoology from University of California at Berkeley. He is the author of 87 publications, including five books, on ecology, conservation, climate change, environmental policy, energy policy, and international development. In addition to his illustrious professional career, Dr. Reid is on the editorial board of three journals, Ecological Applications, Ecosystems, and PLoS Biology, and is a past member of the Board of the Society for Conservation Biology.
 
In accepting his appointment, Reid said, "It would be hard to think of an organization that can have a more significant impact on the set of environmental issues that I care deeply about than the Packard Foundation. Environmental challenges such as climate change, fisheries depletion, and coastal degradation are growing ever more urgent and the Foundation has a strong track record in supporting effective and innovative solutions."

The Conservation and Science Program is focused on the challenge of sustainability and finding paths for human progress that protect and restore the ecological systems upon which all life depends. The program's three priorities focus on oceans and coasts, atmosphere, and the development and support of university-based researchers through the Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering.

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The David and Lucile Packard Foundation is a private family foundation created in 1964 by David Packard (1912–1996), cofounder of the Hewlett-Packard Company, and Lucile Salter Packard (1914–1987). The Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations in the following program areas: Conservation and Science; Population; and Children, Families, and Communities. The Foundation makes national and international grants and also has a special focus on the Northern California Counties of San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Monterey. Foundation grantmaking includes support for a wide variety of activities including direct services, research and policy development, and public information and education. The Foundation does not make grants intended to influence legislation or support candidates for political office. Foundation assets were approximately $5.8 billion as of December 31, 2005. General program grant awards totaled approximately $200 million in 2005. The Foundation has a grantmaking budget of approximately $210 million in 2006.