James Leape

James Leape is the William and Eva Price Senior Fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and Professor (by courtesy) of Oceans. He serves as Co-Director of the Center for Ocean Solutions. With four decades of conservation experience, he focuses on systemic shifts to sustainability, particularly private sector leadership. His roles include former WWF International Director General and leadership in the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Education:

• A.B. with honors from Harvard College
• J.D. with honors from Harvard Law School

Research Interests: Leape’s work spans climate change, marine conservation, forest protection, water resources management, and sustainable commodity markets. He emphasizes cross-sector collaboration with governments, businesses, and NGOs to achieve global sustainability goals.

Publications: His recent work addresses ocean governance frameworks, scaling sustainability solutions, and ocean data systems critical to climate adaptation. These publications reflect a focus on actionable policy and systemic change.

Awards & Roles:

• Distinguished Fellow at ClimateWorks Foundation
• Board member of the Marine Stewardship Council, Mission 2020, and Luc Hoffmann Institute
• Former member of China Council for International Cooperation in Environment and Development

Advising & Collaboration: Advises master’s and doctoral students on sustainability challenges. Engages in global initiatives like the World Economic Forum’s Environmental Stewards Board. His grants and collaborations include philanthropic and governmental partnerships.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Center for Ocean Solutions, a hub for interdisciplinary ocean research and policy innovation.