Dr. Michael Shank is the Director of Programs at the Albert Einstein Institution and an advisor to local governments leading on sustainability and climate action, including the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, Southeast Sustainability Directors Network, and more. Michael’s professional career includes leading policy and/or press shops at Beyond Plastics, Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Climate Nexus (clients included the United Nations, Vatican City, The White House, and Fortune 500 Companies), U.S. Congress, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Institute for Economics and Peace, Biodiversity Northwest, Puget Soundkeeper Alliance and more.
Michael’s academic career includes a Ph.D. from George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution and is focused on climate conflict. Michael is adjunct faculty at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs, where he teaches graduate courses on Sustainable Development, Power and Politics and Climate and Security.
Michael also serves as adjunct faculty at George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, where he teaches graduate courses on Writing for Policy and Practice and Communicating Conflict, and is a Visiting Scholar at the Carter School’s Program on Urban Peacebuilding.
Michael is a former opinion columnist for the Washington Post and US News & World Report and a contributor to USA Today, CNN, FOX News, The Guardian, TIME, Fast Company, Newsweek and more. Michael is currently co-authoring a university textbook on energy and climate governance in the U.S. for Cognella Academic Publishing and a book for Island Press on environmental justice leadership in America.
Michael lives in Washington DC, where he serves on the advisory boards of the Faith For Our Planet, New Standard Institute, Global Environment Media, and the Physician and Scientist Network Addressing Plastics and Health.