For more than 20 years, Jeffrey Conrad Wuorinen has focused on bridging divides and convening partnerships to take on intractable social, economic, governance, and environmental problems. Through his work in 100 countries, he has helped to mobilize more than $8 billion in capital and capacity investment into economic, social, and environmental infrastructure across the global south. Wuorinen has worked at the grassroots level with some of the world’s most underserved and overburdened communities and he has advised at the highest levels of governments and international organizations.
In leading Abt’s international climate and energy justice practice, Wuorinen leverages his experience from 180 research, advisory, technical assistance, and capacity building programs across the built and natural environment. He leads teams of experts in the design, delivery, and evaluation of activities and initiatives to reduce environmental degradation and global climate change, protect and restore natural systems, invest in blue and green infrastructure, and accelerate equitable low carbon development and energy transitions.
Wuorinen comes to Abt from Chemonics UK, a company he founded and led as executive director in London. In less than five years, the company was a top-ranked provider of international development programming across areas such as environmental finance, early childhood development, and research and policy support. Prior to his time in the United Kingdom, Wuorinen held multiple leadership positions at Chemonics International, including as Senior Vice President for Water, Energy, and Sustainable Cities, infrastructure and environment program director, and long-term team leader for multiple water and environment programs in the Middle East.
Previously, he led the global Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) practice at architecture-engineering firm Tetra Tech, convening interdisciplinary teams to help governments, communities, and charitable organizations structure and implement PPP programs and the enabling environments to sustain them.
Wuorinen began his career at the groundbreaking Washington think tank, Institute for Public-Private Partnerships where he supported partnerships with and amongst international financial institutions, the UN System, corporations, and governments, which resulted in the broad-based adoption of PPP approaches for economic, social, and environmental initiatives in low resource settings.
Expertise:
- Climate
- Environment
- Infrastructure and public services
- Equity
- Public Private Partnerships
Education
- BA, Political Science and International Studies, Saint Louis University