Dear John,
 I am privileged to announce the inaugural Ryan Martel Fellowship
in honor of Ceres’ esteemed colleague who passed away on March 4, 2022 after a two-year battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Ryan was a brilliant policy leader and Capitol Hill champion who devoted his professional life to the pursuit of effective federal climate action. In Ryan’s honor, Ceres is offering a rising star the opportunity to join Ceres for a year of impact and first-hand experience in climate policy and environmental justice advocacy as we work to build a sustainable global economy. |
Ryan joined Ceres in the summer of 2015 and our policy work was forever changed. Fresh off Capitol Hill, Ryan was fluent in the legislative process and had a deep understanding of the climate clean energy policy landscape. As the beloved Senior Director of the Ceres Federal Policy Team, Ryan’s political acumen and analytical skills combined with his gracious demeanor won him allies on both sides of the aisle.
In 2019, Ryan spearheaded the first-ever Lawmaker Education and Advocacy Day (LEAD) on Carbon Pricing, which was at the time the largest ever corporate call for climate action on Capitol Hill, with more than 75 companies participating in-person. Today, LEAD on Climate
mobilizes hundreds of businesses and investors and remains the largest annual gathering of financial leaders committed to robust climate legislation. Ryan also developed and published Ceres’ carbon pricing principles, clarifying the organization’s public position on the issue for the first time. And he led our bench of business leader advocates to support a range of other initiatives, from phasing down hydrofluorocarbons, to climate-smart agriculture, to mandatory climate risk disclosure. Ryan always sought to bring all sides together for maximum, strategic impact.
We are grateful for the funders who honor Ryan's career and contributions by supporting this Fellowship. If you would like to support the fellowship, please visit this page or contact my colleague Barbara Seymour, Development Director, 617-247-0700 x152.
My deep thanks to you and the Ceres community for everything you do to build a more just and sustainable world. The window for climate action is rapidly shrinking and fostering the next generation of leaders has never been more important. |
May we all do justice to Ryan’s memory.
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