Michael Lesnick

Michael Lesnick is a Senior Fellow and Co-Founder of Meridian Institute. He currently leads projects related to international climate and forest policy, sustainable finance, and community resilience. He has provided strategic advice to one of the largest forest funders in the world, the Government of Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), for over half a decade. 

Michael got his start in dispute resolution and strategic planning working on contentious community relations as part of a mayoral commission in his hometown of Bridgeport, Connecticut. He has since worked on issues ranging from agriculture to disaster response. He has nearly four decades of experience designing and managing processes that enable decision-makers to develop innovative and sustainable solutions. Prior to co‐founding Meridian Institute, Michael served as Senior Vice President of the Keystone Center.

Michael is based in Nashville, Tennessee. He feels lucky to have a close immediate and extended family. When not hanging out with relatives, he enjoys swimming, practicing Tai Chi, and spending time outdoors.

Collaboration is about helping folks anticipate and solve critical issues that can be sustained over time.