Joseph E. Robertson, III, has worked in sustainability-related policy analysis and advocacy for more than 20 years. He helped build a global network of local climate advocates, contributed to substance of Paris Agreement negotiations and Sustainable Development Goals, as a civil society representative of stakeholders around the world, assists institutions in developing cutting-edge climate action approaches, and provides climate diplomacy training to participants in UNFCCC negotiations.

Experience

Executive Director, Climate Civics International

• 2021 – Present
• Chief executive for all operations and head of delegation for engagement with UNFCCC and other international processes;
• led establishment as Citizens’ Climate International, diversification of programs, and launch of key initiatives like Earth Diplomacy Leadership and the Climate Value Exchange;
• partnered with EAT Foundation on development of the Good Food Finance Network;
• steered CCI through comprehensive rebranding to Climate Civics.

INterim Director, Food System Economics Commission

• 2020 (temporary role, to manage start-up phase)
• Served as Interim Director for the start-up phase of the Food System Economics Commission.

Global Strategy Director, Citizens’ Climate Education

• 2014 – 2021
• coordinated rapid growth of volunteer network to six continents;
• led UNFCCC delegation, developed unique approach to allow team members to operate effectively from first days in UNFCCC environment;
• organized early discussions about links between climate destabilization and national security and built coalitions to address climate-related macrofiscal resilience.

Professor, Villanova University

• 2009-2013
• Full-time member of faculty in Romance Languages and Humanities;
• instructor for multidisciplinary Augustine and Culture Seminar;
• served on the University’s Sustainability Committee, helped to found the Villanova Center for Energy and Environment Education, and developed an interdisciplinary sustainability curriculum.

Editor-in-chief, Casavaria

• 2002 – 2009
• developed and managed digital publications, focused on sustainability and climate-related policy and innovation;
• partnered with publisher in Barcelona, Spain, to bring 250 classics back into print;
• helped introduce digital print-on-demand to Spanish market.

Instructor, Villanova University

• 2000 – 2002
• instructor in the Department of Romance Languages and Humanities;
• instructor for multidisciplinary Augustine and Culture Seminar.

Translator, Earth Policy Institute

• 2000 – 2013
• Volunteer role, providing technical translations into Spanish of Eco-Economy and Plan B Updates for the Earth Policy Institute.

Education

• Villanova University – Master of Arts, Spanish Language & Literature (1997 – 2000)
• Villanova University – Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy & Spanish Language (1993 – 1997)
• Universitat de Barcelona – Philosophy, Spanish Literature, Cultural Psychology (1995 – 1996)
• Universidad de Cádiz – Spanish Language & Literature (1995)

Languages

• English – Native speaker
• Spanish – Native-level fluency
• Catalán – Professional reading proficiency
• French – Professional reading proficiency
• Italian – Casual reading proficiency
• Portuguese – Casual reading proficiency

Publications

• The Navigator – newsletter on climate, democracy, and the polycrisis
• The Climate Value Exchange
• The Good Food Finance Newsroom
• Blueprint for Good Food Finance Data Systems Integration
• Roadmap for Scaling Impact Investment in Urban Food Systems – A Food Trails publication
• The Principles for Reinventing Prosperity
  • 2022: Capital to Communities
  • 2023: The Right to Resilience
  • 2024: Beyond the Horizon – Priorities for a Livable Future
  • 2025: Localizing Financial Innovation – A Capital to Communities update
• Resilience Intel – outlining the future of climate-smart finance
• Whole-Earth Active Value Economics (WEAVE) knowledge graph
• “The New Age of Climate Exploration“. Co-written with David Thoreson. Published Feb 12, 2016, in The Guardian.
• “The Moral Truth: We must act on climate – A review of God, Creation and Climate Change: A Catholic Response to the Environmental Crisis, edited by Richard W. Miller”, Journal for Peace and Justice Studies, Volume 22, Number 2, 2012, published by Villanova University’s Center for Peace and Justice Education.
• “In the Marketplace of Illusion: The public intellectual in a landscape of mediated humanness”, opening chapter of Global Academe: Engaging Intellectual Discourse.
• Monograph: Building a Green Economy: On the Economics of Carbon Pricing and the Transition to Clean, Renewable Fuels (2010)
• Technical translations into Spanish of “Eco-Economy” and “Plan B” reports for the Earth Policy Institute (from 2000 through 2013)