The Garrison Institute is pleased to welcome Stephen Posner as the new Director of Pathways to Planetary Health.  

Stephen joins the Institute from the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont, where he served as their Director of Policy and Partnerships. In this role, Stephen developed and executed strategy, built policy, private, and NGO partnerships, and provided trusted science advice to state and federal policy leaders. He also served on the Diversity Committee, where he helped create a new Equity and Justice research focus.

Prior to his work at the Gund Institute, Stephen was the Assistant Director of Policy Engagement at COMPASS. Stephen supported COMPASS by guiding scientists to engage with policy to shape public dialogue on important environmental issues, as well as developing a strong global network of policymakers and scientists. Stephen has a Ph.D. and M.S. in Natural Resources from the University of Vermont, , and a B.S. in Physics and Astronomy from Haverford College.

In his new position as Director of Pathways to Planetary Health, Stephen will create and manage programs in furtherance of planetary health through four pathways: biodiversity stewardship; ecological civilization; regenerative economics, and the common good. Stephen will build relationships and create a network of thought leaders to support the Institute’s work, while also supporting fundraising and event efforts, especially as it relates to the Institute’s Symposium for the Common Good.

As member of the Senior Leadership Team, Stephen will contribute to Institute strategy and direction, and will also work closely with Institute co-founder and Board Chair, Jonathan F.P. Rose. Stephen begins his new role on February 13, 2023.

About The Garrison Institute

The Garrison Institute’s mission is to apply the skills and wisdom cultivated through contemplative practice, together with the insights emerging from science, to today’s urgent social and environmental challenges, leveraging transformational change and helping build a more compassionate, resilient future. The Institute envisions a future in which contemplation is widely recognized and practiced as a pathway to social and environmental transformation. Contemplation infuses our actions with the awareness that we live in a relational world, where everyone and everything is connected and interdependent. Together with insights from science and ethics, this awareness will increasingly be cultivated and applied to changing behaviors and mindsets, shifting the current paradigm towards a holistic, interconnected one. To learn more, please visit www.garrisoninstitute.org