John Ehrmann

John Ehrmann is a Senior Fellow and co-founder of Meridian Institute. He leads a wide range of projects, including those focusing on agriculture, land use, tropical forests, climate change, energy, and oceans. A highlight of his tenure at Meridian is leading the first Secretariat of the Tropical Forest Alliance, a global public-private partnership that works to reduce tropical deforestation associated with palm oil, pulp, soy, and beef. In addition to his international credentials, he also has extensive experience advancing U.S. environmental policy, including launching the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative (JOCI) and mediating the development of an agreement to reduce mercury emissions associated with the automobile industry.

John has over 35 years of experience advising senior leaders across diverse sectors about improving organizational effectiveness, strategy development, and using collaborative approaches to resolve complex challenges. John is a pioneer in the field of collaborative decision-making, and has lectured and published extensively on the topic. Prior to founding Meridian Institute, he served as Executive Vice President of the Keystone Center.

John lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife Karen. When he isn’t working or traveling, John is enjoying his children and grandkids, hosting friends, and playing an active role in his church community.