Ceres announces Steven M. Rothstein as Chief Program Officer

BOSTON - Steven M. Rothstein, Managing Director of the Ceres Accelerator for Sustainability Capital Markets, has been named Ceres' new Chief Program Officer, the Boston-based nonprofit organization announced today. In his new role, Rothstein will oversee all aspects of the organization’s programmatic work. He will be responsible for leading effective program strategies, initiatives, and campaigns that advance Ceres’ mission and impact in the U.S. and around the globe.  

As Ceres’ Managing Director of the organization’s center of excellence, Rothstein has led successful advocacy efforts to improve the practices and policies that govern capital markets. Through educating and engaging financial regulators, institutional investors, banks, and insurers on climate financial risks and opportunities, the Ceres Accelerator has had a big impact. Since launching in 2019, it has helped advance key regulations and push back against harmful policies at both the federal and state levels. Among them:  

• The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission adopted a critical rule requiring mandatory disclosure of climate risks from all publicly traded U.S. companies, following decades of Ceres’ and investor advocacy.  

• California released an annual analysis of insurance companies’ corporate climate disclosure surveys and created the first-ever consumer-oriented database of green insurance policies, in line with Ceres recommendations. The state also passed the Climate-Related Financial Risk Act — requiring thousands of companies to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and other financial risk information.  

• Through the Freedom to Invest initiative launched in 2023, Ceres and partners have helped defeat hundreds of legislative efforts that would ban investors and other financial institutions from considering climate risk in decision-making.   

Before Ceres, Rothstein had a distinguished career serving as the former Executive Director of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, former President of the Perkins School for the Blind, President of Environmental Futures, General Manager of Citizens Energy Corporation and New England Manager of Constellation NewEnergy.  

"Steven steps into this position with deep expertise and extraordinary knowledge of the organization, experience building enterprises, and a track record of running successful programs and media, communications, and fundraising campaigns,” said Mindy Lubber, Ceres CEO and President. “He has been a leader on all fronts since joining Ceres and has taken on some of the most challenging roles since the change in our political environment. Steven not only has decades of relevant experience, but he is a well-respected leader in sustainability and the Boston area, and we look forward to working with him in this role.”  

“I am humbled to have this opportunity to work with the smartest, most diligent people I know focused on advancing investor and business sustainability action,” added Steven Rothstein, Ceres Chief Program Officer. “I look forward to working together to accelerate the economic transition to a cleaner, more resilient future.”  

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About Ceres 

Ceres is a nonprofit advocacy organization working to accelerate the transition to a cleaner, more just, and resilient economy. With data-driven research and expert analysis, we inspire investors and companies to act on the world's sustainability challenges and advocate for market and policy solutions. Together, our efforts transform industries, unlock new business opportunities, and foster innovation and job growth – proving that sustainability is the bottom line.