International Climate Expert Tapped to Lead The New York Climate Exchange on Governors Island

Stephen Hammer brings 30 years of local and global experience to the new role

An architectural rendering of the entire Governors Island adapted from a satellite photo taken directly overhead.
An aerial view of the island, which sits adjacent to Brooklyn. In this rendering, the Climate Exchange is the curving building next to the dock at the center of the island. (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill/Miysis)

, a leading global climate policy expert and top climate advisor at the World Bank, has been named to lead as its founding CEO. 

In April, Duke became one of more than 40 partners who joined The Exchange to be part of a first-of-its-kind model for developing solutions to the global climate crisis through education, research, workforce training and community programs. 

鈥淭he New York Climate Exchange embodies an audaciously bold vision for how global stakeholders can work together to find the solutions direly needed to equitably address the climate change challenges our communities face,鈥 said Jerome Lynch, Vinik Dean of Engineering at Duke. 

Hammer鈥檚 experience perfectly embodies The Exchange鈥檚 goals to convene diverse organizations 鈥 from academia, business, government, and more 鈥 and implement new policy solutions to fight climate change. 

Stephen Hammer, CEO of The New York Climate Exchange

鈥淚鈥檓 excited The Exchange has selected Stephen to be our inaugural CEO, given the resonance between his own bold vision and that of The Exchange,鈥 Lynch said. 鈥淗is leadership will be a driving force behind the acceleration of The Exchange鈥檚 pursuit of interdisciplinary solutions to the vexing climate problems facing our communities.鈥 

Partners from 14 academic and corporate organizations and more than 30 community entities from environmental justice, research and government have begun to work together to advance climate education, research, job training, public programs and commercialization to prepare communities to respond to climate challenges. The Climate Exchange campus on Governors Island in New York Harbor is being designed for an expected 2025 groundbreaking.