The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) recently appointed Meri-Margaret Deoudes as its next president and CEO. She joins NEEF from EarthShare, an advisory and programmatic partnering organization that aids corporations in making progress in the areas of sustainability and environmental protection. Deoudes served as EarthShare’s president and CEO for a little over two years, leading the nonprofit and coordinating with its network of 600 environment groups. Previous to that position, she was the vice president of strategic relations, corporate relations and cause marketing for March of Dimes. This was not her first stint at March of Dimes, however. After graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in history, sociology and psychology from George Washington University she got hired as director of development for March of Dimes, working there from 1997 to 2002. From there she continued health-centric philanthropic work by moving to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, taking up a leadership position as its senior national director of corporate development.
It was after this position that Deoudes first moved into the environmental sector. From 2009 to 2016 she worked at the National Wildlife Federation, first as a national director and then as vice president of strategic alliances and special events. Now she takes the lead at NEEF as its previous president and CEO, Diane W. Wood, announced her retirement after 12 years leading the organization. “Meri-Margaret is a proven and dynamic leader, with a track record of bringing people together and engaging communities with compelling and creative strategies. We are confident she is the right person to build on the impressive accomplishments the NEEF team started under Diane’s leadership, and bring our impact to scale,” said NEEF Vice Chair Megan Reilly Cayten in a press release. Meri-Margaret Deoudes assumes her position as president and CEO of the National Environmental Education Foundation effective Apr. 16, 2018.
