Derek Brent Walker

Derek Walker is Chair of the Board of the Institute for Sustainable Communities and the Principal of Summit Strategy Group LLC. He is an experienced non-profit executive with a 25-year track record of building and leading teams; effectively developing and implementing organizational, programmatic, and fundraising strategies; and shaping policy and research programs in climate, clean energy, technological innovation, and equity and justice.

Prior to launching Summit, Derek served as the Executive Director of The Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society at Dartmouth College and spent 17 years in senior leadership positions at the global environmental non-profit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

At EDF, Walker led interdisciplinary teams comprising scientists, economists, lawyers, and policy experts to advance innovative climate and energy transition solutions. As vice president of global energy transition at EDF, he spearheaded efforts to deploy clean energy equitably across key regions.

Walker is an adjunct professor of international climate law at Vermont Law and Graduate School and is a member of the Conservation Law Foundation’s Vermont State Advisory Board. He was a member of the Aspen Institute/Capita “Early Years Climate Action Task Force” and a chair of the Steering Committee of the BlueGreen Alliance.

Walker holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary and has studied at University College, Oxford.