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Announcing Jessica Bede as ACR’s New Managing Director
May 15, 2023 – We are thrilled to announce that Jessica Bede has been appointed as Managing Director of the American Carbon Registry (ACR).
Jessica will be well known to many of our stakeholders from her role as ACR’s Director of Registry Operations, where she was responsible for the operation and client services of our critical registry infrastructure. Jessica joined ACR in 2019, and her deep understanding of our systems and processes, our stakeholders’ needs and perspectives, and the markets in which we operate make her the ideal candidate for the role. In her new position, Jessica will be responsible for providing leadership and coordination for the full suite of ACR’s technical and strategic work to drive climate action, ensure the integrity of carbon credits, and promote market innovation.
Jessica’s previous work has involved a variety of climate financing mechanisms and multiple project types, giving her a wide range of knowledge across the transportation, energy, building, natural resources, and waste sectors. Jessica joined ACR after seven years at the California Air Resources Board (CARB), where she first worked on compliance offset protocol development and credit issuance under the State’s Cap-and-Trade program and then the use of auction proceeds for California Climate Investments to further the State’s climate goals and benefit disadvantaged communities.
Prior to CARB, she worked on the technical design of Carbon Tanzania’s first REDD project, which included establishing and strengthening the land rights of Indigenous populations and delivering payments for ecosystem services to communities for development and livelihood needs.
Jessica holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and a Master’s in International Development from Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management.
Speaking on her new role, Jessica says, “What drew me to ACR and keeps me excited about my promotion is the opportunity to work with my colleagues – leading experts across a wide variety of sectors – to increase our climate and environmental impact. I am grateful to be surrounded by such smart and dedicated professionals with diverse expertise. Our people have created the strong foundation that exists today, upon which we will continue to build.”
We also want to recognize the incredible contribution of Lauren Nichols, our outgoing Managing Director, who joined ACR in 2008. In her 15 years of service, Lauren directly contributed to all aspects of ACR’s organizational development through progressively advanced technical, operational and management positions. She played a critical role in building ACR’s brand and global reputation including growing our team and our suite of methodologies to scale our climate impact, securing a leading role in the California compliance market and in the ICAO CORSIA, and developing and implementing three generations of ACR’s registry platform. We’re very pleased that Lauren will be staying within the ACR family in an advisory capacity as she begins her next chapter in a leadership role of a family foundation.
We’re also pleased that we have filled Jessica’s position as Director of Registry Operations and will be announcing that new appointment in the coming week.
In the meantime, please join me in congratulating Jessica on her new role, as well as thanking Lauren for her immense contribution to ACR’s ongoing work to deliver innovation and impact over the years.
Mary Grady
Executive Director, American Carbon Registry