Susan Ruffo

Susan Ruffo is managing director of international initiatives at Ocean Conservancy, where she is focused on stopping the flow of plastics into the ocean. Previously, Susan led the Vibrant Oceans portfolio for Bloomberg Philanthropies, supporting simultaneous reform of local and industrial-scale fisheries and development of financial strategies to ease the transition to sustainable fishing. From 2011 to 2015, Susan served as Associate Director for Climate Preparedness at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. There she led the implementation of the climate preparedness pillar of President Barack Obama’s Climate Action Plan and worked with state, local, and tribal leaders to better prepare the United States for the impacts of climate change. Susan has also worked at the Nature Conservancy and as a foreign service officer with the U.S. Department of State, serving in China, Argentina and Nigeria and in Washington, D.C. Susan has degrees in economics and political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.