After eight years of leadership, Ben Packard will step down from his role as EarthLab’s inaugural Harriet Bullitt Endowed Executive Director, effective August 1, 2025. Phil Levin, a professor of practice at the UW College of the Environment and the director of the United by Nature initiative, will serve as the interim executive director until a comprehensive national search is conducted for a permanent successor.
EarthLab’s established management team, María Anguiano, Anastasia Ramey, and Constance McBarron, will provide continuity and support during this transition alongside EarthLab’s three advisory bodies, ensuring that ongoing programs and partnerships continue their strong momentum.
“I’m grateful to Ben for his steadfast leadership over the past eight years, helping to build EarthLab from an idea to what it is today: a bridge between the UW and community, and between science and action,” said Sally Jewell, the former U.S. Secretary of the Interior and current chair of the EarthLab Advisory Council. “I have every confidence in Phil Levin, and the entire EarthLab team, to continue to deliver the high impact programs that address real-world environmental challenges for long-term, positive change.”
The idea of EarthLab was born in the founding documents of the College of the Environment by the UW Board of Regents, who envisioned an institute at UW that could turn UW environmental science into solutions and action. Since its formal launch in 2017, EarthLab has grown into a dynamic hub that connects UW faculty, staff, and students working on environmental and climate issues from different disciplines with each other and with external community partners, to build solutions together.
Working alongside dedicated staff, faculty, and community partners, Packard has helped guide EarthLab’s evolution from a collection of affiliated centers to an integrated network focused on environmental and climate research, training, and resilience. This collaborative effort has yielded significant milestones, including the Innovation Grants Program’s investment of nearly $2 million in 29 community-engaged environmental research projects and the establishment of a wildly popular paid Summer Internship Program that continues to attract hundreds of UW students passionate about work at the intersection of climate change and social justice.
“The growth and impact we’ve achieved together reflects the incredible dedication of our entire EarthLab community—staff, faculty, students, and partners,” said Packard. “EarthLab illustrates the reality that truly enduring solutions emerge when we come together across sectors and disciplines. It’s been an honor to serve in the name of Harriet Bullitt’s legacy and to help launch this experiment called EarthLab. While I’m stepping down now, I remain a passionate supporter of the EarthLab mission and team who are absolutely committed to helping UW to take action on climate change, for the region and the world.”
“Ben has been an exemplary inaugural executive director, and firmly established EarthLab as a leading organization focusing on just and equitable solutions to environmental issues broadly, and climate in particular,” shared Maya Tolstoy, Maggie Walker Dean of the College of the Environment. “His ability to take on and deftly support complex environmental topics with compassion and optimism are traits I deeply admire. He has positioned EarthLab well for its next leader to take the baton, and while we will miss him greatly, we look forward to engaging with him in new capacities as EarthLab begins its next chapter.”
Amidst this transition, EarthLab remains firmly committed to its mission of developing innovative, just, and equitable solutions to climate challenges. The organization’s four core action areas continue to guide its work connecting different disciplines and communities in pursuit of climate resilience.
“I’ve admired EarthLab from the beginning, and have been continually inspired by the impact it has made over the past eight years under Ben’s leadership,” said Levin. “I’m honored to be selected to steward the organization during this transition, during a time when this work is needed more than ever.”
Stay tuned for more information about Phil Levin when he officially begins his role this summer.
About EarthLab
EarthLab is a visionary institute at the University of Washington taking equitable action on climate change. At its core, EarthLab is a dynamic hub of programs, organizations, event spaces, and collaborative activities that are grounded within the UW College of the Environment. EarthLab develops programs that connect the incredible resources at the UW — including the passion and talent of UW students — as well as partners in community, public agencies, and industry to create new knowledge and take collective action. The institute also provides collaborative resources and capacity building services to six research centers (called Member Organizations) within UW, in addition to grantees, students and external community partners
