In his role as President of the Pisces Foundation, David Beckman is responsible for the Foundation’s strategic direction, grantmaking, and overall management. Previously, David was director of the national water program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, one the nation’s largest environmental advocacy organizations, where he was also a senior attorney. David co-founded and managed the launch of the water program in 2008. Under his leadership the water program became one of NRDC’s six national strategic priorities; substantially expanded its staff; and tripled its financial support.
Over seventeen years at NRDC David litigated a number of precedent-setting water quality cases; drafted legislation that led to implementation of groundwater monitoring and water quality programs in California; and researched and wrote reports on a variety of environmental policy matters. For five years he served also as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at California State University, teaching environmental policy and law. David is a 1988 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and a 1991 graduate of Harvard Law School.