As executive director of Greenpeace USA, the world’s largest environmental action organization, John Passacantando is at the forefront of the fight for clean air, clean water and the survival of the planet. He has been instrumental in guiding a tremendous shift in public awareness and concern about the conditions of the planet.

A one-time political conservative and supply side economics disciple, he was converted to the environmental cause in 1987 when Mike Roselle, founder of Earth First! and the Ruckus Society, scaled Mt. Rushmore and hung a giant gas mask on George Washington—landing Roselle in prison and Passacantando in the ranks of the environmentalists.

Passacantando, who holds degrees in economics from Wake Forest and New York University, previously served as Executive Director of the Florence and John Schumann Foundation, awarding grants for campaign finance reform and environmental issues. He went on to found Ozone Action, an anti-Global Warming group before moving to Greenpeace in 2000.