The David and Lucile Packard Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Sally M. Benson to its Board of Trustees.
Dr. Benson is a distinguished scientist, educator, and policy leader whose career spans more than four decades at the forefront of energy innovation and climate solutions. Her expertise bridges the worlds of science, technology, and policy, with a focus on advancing clean energy, carbon management, and equitable access to sustainable resources.
“Sally brings a remarkable depth of experience and insight in energy systems and climate innovation, as well as a strong commitment to public service. Her leadership and global perspective will be invaluable as we pursue a more just and sustainable future.”
Dr. Benson is currently the Precourt Family Professor of Energy Science and Engineering at Stanford University where she focuses on practical ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including safely storing carbon dioxide deep underground and analyzing how we can build energy systems that support a low-carbon future.
She currently serves at the Co-Director of the Stanford Center for Carbon Storage. Previously she served as the Director of the Global Climate and Energy Project as well as the Director and Co-Director of the Precourt Institute for Energy. From 2021 to 2023, she took a leave from Stanford to serve as the Energy Division Director and Chief Strategist for the Energy Transition at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Dr. Benson’s career began at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory where she spent 30 years, advancing to senior leadership roles including Deputy Director for Operations, Associate Laboratory Director for Energy Sciences, and Director of the Earth Sciences Division. Her prolific academic work includes more than 170 peer-reviewed articles and major contributions to landmark reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Global Energy Assessment and several National Research Council reports.
Among her many honors, Dr. Benson was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, is a Foreign Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Al Attiyah Foundation for her work educating the next generation of energy leaders.
She currently serves on the Board of the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute and is a member of the Innovation Council at Breakthrough Energy. In addition, Dr. Benson is an active member of the Scientific Review Committee for the Earth and Environmental Sciences Area at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She is also on the Editorial Board of Energy and Environmental Science, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, and is a member of the Energy and Environmental Science Directorate Advisory Board at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. A dedicated advocate for gender equity in clean energy, she is an ambassador for the Clean Energy, Education, and Empowerment Initiative (C3E), where she also co-hosts the annual symposium on advancing women’s leadership in clean energy.
“I am honored to join the Packard Foundation’s Board of Trustees. The Foundation’s long-standing commitment to the well-being of people and nature, and its focus on climate solutions, science, and social justice aligns deeply with my own values and lifelong work. I look forward to contributing to its vital mission.”
Dr. Benson holds a B.A. in Geology from Barnard College at Columbia University, and both an M.S. and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Mineral Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Her graduate research focused on subsurface flow and transport, laying the foundation for her lifelong work at the intersection of earth sciences, engineering, and energy systems.
Dr. Benson lived in Pakistan as a child and regularly returns to support educational programs. She also serves on the Advisory Board for the School of Science and Engineering at the Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan.
With this appointment, Dr. Benson joins a distinguished group of leaders guiding the Foundation’s efforts to invest in children and families, protect and restore our natural world, and create just and inclusive societies.
