Debra Knopman

Debra Knopman is Co-Chair of the Board of the Henry Luce Foundation, Vice Chair of the Council of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, and an adjunct engineer at the RAND Corporation.   

She previously served as a Vice President of RAND and Director of RAND Justice, Infrastructure, and Environment (2004-2014) and as a Principal Researcher (2014-2022). She was a member of the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (1997-2003) and the director of the Progressive Policy Institute’s Center for Innovation and the Environment (1995-2000). She served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science in the U.S. Department of the Interior (1993-1995) after nine years as a research hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Survey. She served as a legislative assistant for energy and environmental issues to Senator Daniel P. Moynihan (NY) and a professional staff member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. 

Knopman holds Ph.D. in geography and environmental engineering from the Johns Hopkins University, a master’s degree in civil engineering from MIT, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Wellesley College.