Next Economy Now highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, equitable, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good.
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Tom Steyer is an active citizen, business leader and philanthropist working to ensure that everyone shares the benefits of economic opportunity, education, and a healthy climate.
Tom’s dedication to public service is greatly inspired by his wife, Kat, the co-CEO of Beneficial State Bank in Oakland. They founded the nonprofit community bank in 2007 to provide loans to the underserved in California and along the West Coast.
In 2010, Tom and Kat pledged to contribute most of their wealth to charitable causes during their lifetimes. That same year, Tom worked to defeat Proposition 23, an attempt by the oil industry to roll back California’s historic plan to reduce pollution and address climate change. Later, in 2012, Tom led a campaign to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in California schools annually by closing a corporate tax loophole.
Before retiring from the private sector, Tom founded and was the Senior Managing Member of Farallon Capital Management. Currently, Tom Steyer serves as the President of NextGen America, an organization he founded to prevent climate disaster and promote prosperity for all Americans. Tom also serves as co-chair of Save Lives California, the coalition to prevent teen smoking and fund cancer research.
Some of the things we discuss in our interview include:
Why he has made climate change his #1 priority
His excitement over the new book “Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming”
How he is ready to spend “whatever it takes” to stop Donald Trump’s agenda
And finally, we discuss which leaders inspire him as he looks to who is helping grow the next economy.
To learn more about Tom, check out his official Facebook page and his bio at NextGen America.
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Ryan Honeyman is a Partner at LIFT Economy and author of The B Corp Handbook: How to Use Business as a Force for Good (Berrett-Koehler Publishers). LIFT Economy is an impact consulting firm whose mission is to create, model, and share a locally self-reliant economy that works for the benefit of all life. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @honeymanconsult or email him ryan@lifteconomy.com.