Bethany Patten is the inaugural executive director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Climate Policy Center–MIT’s “front door” to provide evidence-based climate research for local, state, national, and international policymakers. In addition, she serves as the managing director of the Policy Mission of the MIT Climate Project.
Previous to this, she served as the Director of Policy and Engagement for the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative where she co-founded MIT Climate Pathways Project bringing together faculty, staff, and researchers to advance the adoption of evidence-based climate policy through top tier decision-makers.
As an MIT Sloan faculty member, Patten teaches Sustainable Business Lab and executive education courses. Beyond MIT, she serves as board member and treasurer for the Environmental League of Massachusetts and board member of the Climate Beacon Project. Patten holds an MBA from MIT Sloan, an MPA from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, and a BA from Boston College.