WASHINGTON, June 25, 2024 — The Center for International Environmental Law today announces that CIEL President and CEO Carroll Muffett will be stepping down from his role to become the new Executive Director of the Foundation for International Law for the Environment (FILE). Since joining CIEL in 2010, Carroll has led CIEL in greatly expanding its scope, its team, its profile, and its impact while retaining the core vision, mission, and values that have always defined CIEL and its work to protect the environment, promote human rights, and ensure a just and sustainable society.
“My last fourteen years leading CIEL have been the most challenging and rewarding of my entire career,” shared Carroll. “CIEL is graced with an extraordinary and committed family of Board, staff, and partners. It has been a profound privilege to work alongside them to lay the foundations for this next phase of my work. I am looking forward to our continued collaboration and partnership in my new role as the philanthropic, legal and civil society communities work together to leverage the lessons learned from global climate litigation to confront new dimensions and drivers of the planetary triple crisis.”
CIEL Board Chair Dianne Dillon-Ridgley remarked, “Working with Carroll for the second time as CIEL Board Chair has been one of the highlights of my career! Carroll’s departure is both a compliment to the work and importance of CIEL in its 35th year and a personal acknowledgment of Carroll’s deft skills and leadership at this critical time. Carroll brought to us a powerful vision, deep expertise, sense of humanity, and profound commitment to the mission and values for which CIEL was founded. Under his leadership, CIEL has not simply flourished; it has greatly expanded its impact and its value to the movements we support, while retaining its organizational heart. Carroll leaves CIEL stronger and more relevant than ever; and leaves it in the worthy hands of Acting President Amanda Kistler, an experienced leader, and a dedicated team of experts and professionals.”
CIEL’s Board of Directors and Leadership Team are working in close collaboration to ensure the transition is smooth and well-considered as CIEL enters its next phase. Koya Partners will lead the search for CIEL’s next executive.* Vice President Amanda Kistler, who has jointly led CIEL for many years, will become Acting President on August 1, 2024 to maintain consistent, knowledgeable, and stable leadership during the transition period. “While we are sad for Carroll to be leaving CIEL, we are excited to begin the organization’s next chapter,” shared Amanda. “Staff and board alike look forward to welcoming a seasoned leader who lives CIEL’s values, embodies the power of collaborative leadership, and brings a strong, positive vision for the world and CIEL’s role in it.”
Guided by a strategic plan for 2024-2027, CIEL is poised to deepen its work to accelerate fossil fuel phase-out and the wider transition away from a fossil-based economy to protect our climate, biodiversity, and health. To achieve this, CIEL will work to bolster the power and resources of partners in the Global South and on the frontlines, and increase accountability for state and corporate actors that violate human rights and exceed planetary boundaries. CIEL will continue its work to build new and more holistic legal frameworks that better reflect the equal rights and the interconnectedness of present and future generations and the natural systems of which we are all a part. And CIEL will continue to work to be more effective, more sustainable, and more just as an organization to better reflect and advance the wider vision it has for the world.
*To suggest a candidate for consideration, please contact Angie Sessoms at asessoms@koyapartners.com.