Fred Boltz

Dr. Fred Boltz is Head of Programming at the Global Environment Facility.  

In this role, Fred oversees programming of GEF grant resources to 150+ recipient countries to support their pursuit of environmental goals under commitments to six UN Conventions. 

His team of technical specialists supports these countries in portfolio planning and execution, provides technical guidance on biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, combating land degradation and desertification, the conservation of transboundary marine and freshwater systems, and the management of chemical pollutants and waste. The team also leads the GEF’s private sector engagement and blended finance initiatives, leads the majority of the GEF’s Integrated Programs, and is responsible for GEF country engagement, strengthening the ability of recipient countries and all stakeholders to pursue nature positive development for lasting global environmental benefit. 

Fred has over 35 years of global conservation experience, including nine years of fieldwork in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. He formerly served as Managing Director and member of the leadership team at The Rockefeller Foundation, where he led the environment program and key resilience initiatives. He earlier served in the leadership team at Conservation International, where he worked in the early 2000s as head of conservation strategy and practice, climate change lead, and head of international policy. At the start of his career, Fred was responsible for launching Conservation International's first major conservation project in Madagascar, the Zahamena project, which now serves as the northern anchor of a critical rainforest conservation landscape. 

Fred holds a Ph.D. in natural resource economics from the University of Florida and a B.A. in China studies from Duke University. A native English speaker, he is proficient in French and Spanish, and conversant in Portuguese, Malagasy and Mandarin Chinese.