Volgenau Climate Initiative
ROLE / SERVICES
Visionary
Team Builder and Manager
Project Start-Up Lead
Board Chair
VISIT
Building these networks is a priority in my work. Most recently, working closely with Dr. Ernst Volgenau and the Volgenau Foundation board of directors, I played the lead role in conceptualizing, launching and ultimately chairing The Volgenau Climate Initiative (VCI). VCI is a ten-year climate leadership program (generously funded by The Volgenau Foundation) designed to support and spark more innovation, determination, and breakthrough actions to address the rapidly worsening climate crisis, primarily in the United States. VCI convenes groups of diverse and talented leaders, from all sectors of society, dedicated to advancing a range of climate solutions that support mitigation, resilience, biodiversity, and equity. VCI organizes convenings that help leaders step back, assess strategic priorities, and form deep and trusted bonds to facilitate ongoing collaboration and action. Leaders come together to try out untested ideas, examine failures, assess risks, and build shared visions and action agendas. The ultimate measures of success are rooted in the concrete outcomes achieved by initiatives emerging from the retreats and by how these deeply bonded leaders work collaboratively over time to leverage meaningful change and solutions. The primary strategic focus on this initiative is advancing nature-based climate solutions in the coming decade.
The retreat brought together the right group of committed, thoughtful, action-oriented people to define agroforestry problems and to identify long term strategies and next steps to move the field forward. The retreat helped me develop deep relationships that will support me to be more effective in my own work and will allow us to move together towards next steps and solutions more effectively, and with more joy.
–Katherine MacFarland, USDA Agroforestry Center
“Betsy Taylor played a major role in helping The Volgenau Foundation conceptualize a bold new initiative to address the climate threat. With her strategic design, engagement of our trustees, and start-up leadership, I am proud to say that the Volgenau Climate Initiative has already led to measurable and significant outcomes for nature-based solutions to climate.”
–Andi Pearl, Executive Director, TVF
In this context, many groups and leaders feel overwhelmed. Yet they must act boldly, wisely and quickly to avoid catastrophic climate disruption. How do leaders access these capacities – for ambitious plans, exceptional strategies, and speed? And how do they do it with potential collaborators since it is improbable that a single group will shift systems?
When leaders are stressed and rushing, they often fail to step back and assess strategy or to form deep relationships with other critical collaborators. Too often, their interactions are transactional at best, yet studies show that strong bonds and relationships rooted in a shared vision are the bedrock of transformational action in the world. Leaders who take the time to build more trust with each other are able to solve problems more quickly and efficiently. Further, given the existential threats posed by climate change, leaders need the opportunity to try out untested ideas, to consider a shift in approach, to analyze setbacks without blame, and to get recharged. There’s a tendency to keep repeating the same types of policy, technological and public engagement approaches despite past failures. In the case of climate action, audacious and novel approaches are essential. Helping leaders stop to assess progress and explore new possibilities is vital.
“It is so rare in our busy lives to be invited to come together and dream about how we can collectively and without ego enact real change that will make our communities more resilient to climate change while advancing mitigation and equity through urban forestry and tree programs. I am so grateful to the Volgenau Climate Initiative for providing us this space and time together.”
–Lauren Marshall, Senior Manager for Program Innovation, Arbor Day Foundation
