Joel Clement joined The Lemelson Foundation in 2023 and currently serves as Director of the Foundation’s Climate Action initiative. Clement is a former academic and federal executive with 20+ years experience in the climate arena, from climate and energy policy to resilience and climate philanthropy.
Clement has led international climate initiatives, provided advice and analysis for White House leadership and two Interior Secretaries, developed forest ecology research and conservation science programs in temperate and tropical ecosystems around the world, and established a leading conservation science program for a philanthropic foundation.
As a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, he led international efforts to address climate disruption in the rapidly warming Arctic. As a climate whistleblower in the federal government, Clement testified to Congress on multiple occasions and received awards for championing climate action in public service and promoting the role of science in public policy.
