Chris Davis’s connection to the environment began early, sparked by the first Earth Day and books like Silent Spring and Walden. After a brief stint in environmental engineering, he went to law school, believing he'd have more impact influencing decisions than implementing them. He spent 30 years practicing environmental law at Goodwin Procter LLP in Boston, working on Superfund cleanups and corporate real estate deals.
By the mid-2000s, Chris had become convinced climate change was the defining environmental issue of our time. He left the firm to pursue nonprofit work, landing at Ceres after a colleague their convinced him to apply. Over the next decade Chris called it the most impactful job of his career, building the Global Investor Coalition on Climate Change, contributing to the Paris Climate Agreement, and launching Climate Action 100+, while making the case to skeptical giants like BlackRock that climate change was a material investment risk. He retired in 2020 but has stayed closely connected to Ceres ever since.
What draws Chris to Ceres is its theory of change. "I believe in Ceres' strategy of working with the private sector rather than attacking or suing it," he says. He sees Ceres as unique in making the business case for doing well by doing good, following the money to convince powerful institutions to be part of the solution. That conviction is what keeps him engaged, and why he's proud to support Ceres' work for the long term.