Eileen Rockefeller Growald is a venture philanthropist, author, and mother of two sons. She has spent her life convening people and ideas for a better world. A serial entrepreneur, Eileen initiated five not-for-profits in fields before their time, including mind/body health in the 1980s; social and emotional learning in the 1990s; and viewshed preservation, global philanthropic advising, and carbon reduction in the 2000s.

From her role as founding board chair of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Eileen broadened her passion for convening, collaboration, and generosity on the global stage to reduce carbon emissions through partnerships in funding, programs, and activism. In 2007, she and her husband Paul founded the Growald Climate Fund.

As president of GCF, Eileen says, “This is the most long-standing and gratifying work of my life. It connects me to family, friends and the future, by helping protect nature and humanity.”

Eileen holds a bachelor’s degree in geography from Middlebury College and a master’s in early childhood education from Lesley College. In her free time, she organizes personal growth retreats, rides and drives her Morgan horses, needlepoints, spends time with family and friends in her garden and nature, and writes poetry and fairy tales. Her memoir, “Being a Rockefeller, Becoming Myself” was published in 2013 by Blue Rider Penguin Press.