Lee Bodner is an innovator with more than 15 years experience in harnessing market forces and developing creative partnerships to foster sustainability while driving business opportunity.  He played a central role in two of the most successful environmental partnership programs to date, the ENERGY STAR product labeling program, and the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. Mr. Bodner is an expert in understanding American public opinion on environmental issues and how to connect more effectively.

From 2006 to 2009, Mr. Bodner served as the founding Executive Director of ecoAmerica, an environmental nonprofit that uses consumer research, leveraged partnerships, and engagement marketing to shift the personal and civic choices of mainstream Americans.  He led the development of the organization’s groundbreaking psychographic research and engagement marketing campaigns, building strategic partnerships with companies including Monster.com and the Princeton Review, and nonprofits including the William J. Clinton Foundation, and The Nature Conservancy.  During his tenure, Mr. Bodner raised more than $4 million in philanthropic support from individuals, foundations and corporations. Mr. Bodner also served as media spokesperson for ecoAmerica and its programs, quoted in New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, and the Chronicle of Higher Education.

From 1997-2003, Mr. Bodner led a project team at D&R International which worked with the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish ENERGY STAR as an internationally recognized brand name for energy efficient consumer products.  During that period, he grew his team from two to forty staff and in revenue from $600,000 to $6,000,000.  In support of both agency clients, the D&R team convinced national retailers including Sears, Lowe’s, The Home Depot, Best Buy, and Wal-Mart, all major appliance and light bulb manufacturers, and utilities serving over 100 million residential customers, to use the ENERGY STAR brand to promote energy efficient products. In support of the Department of Energy, Mr. Bodner’s team coordinated the development of the first ENERGY STAR specifications for compact fluorescent light bulbs and residential windows and doors.    

Mr. Bodner currently serves as a national at-large trustee for EarthShare, a nonprofit which raises over $8 million annually for environmental groups through workplace giving campaigns. Mr. Bodner is a graduate of Georgetown University’s International Executive MBA program.