Sherri Goodman

First Ever Pentagon Chief Environmental Officer, Sustainability & National Security Expert & Author

Sherri Goodman

First Ever Pentagon Chief Environmental Officer, Sustainability & National Security Expert & Author

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Biography

A pioneer in sustainability and national security, Sherri Goodman is among the most respected international voices on emerging global risks, including energy and climate security, environment and public health. The Pentagon’s first-ever Deputy Undersecretary of Defense (Environmental Security), Sherri led efforts to transform the Department of Defense into a leader in sustainability, climate resilience and advanced energy. Her book, Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership and the Fight for Global Security, gives readers an inside account, from the Pentagon to the battlefield, of today’s military on the front lines of a changing climate, the energy transition, technology upheavals and new health challenges.

Sherri is recognized for her ability to blend a compelling strategic vision with operational execution to strengthen national security and mission readiness. An experienced “change agent” for large institutions, including the U.S. Department of Defense, Sherri has founded, led or advised over a dozen public and private sector organizations for sustainable success.

Using her famous coinage “threat multiplier,” Sherri is credited with educating a generation of U.S. military and government officials about the nexus between climate change and national security, fundamentally shaping the field of climate and energy security. As the founder and first Executive Director of the CNA Military Advisory Board on Climate Change and National Security, she led the first efforts to assess the national security implications of climate change as a strategic imperative. This work led to more than a decade of bipartisan action on building energy and climate resilience in defense missions and protecting troops from growing biological and other health risks to protect resilience and troop health.

Today, Sherri serves as the Secretary General of the International Military Council on Climate & Security, the leading international organization for national security and military leaders on climate and energy security and as a Senior Fellow at the Wilson Center. Sherri advises governments and private firms on sustainability, energy, climate and technology opportunities.

Recognized by both military and environmental officials for her leadership in national security, energy and sustainability, Sherri has twice received the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Award, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Change Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Environmental Peacebuilding Association, as well as an Honorary Doctorate from Amherst College.

A sought-after speaker for domestic and international audiences, Sherri has appeared on CNN, PBS NewsHour, BBC, NPR and other major media. She is equally comfortable with keynotes and fireside chat formats. She has testified before many congressional committees as a leading authority on sustainability, energy, and climate security. She has taught and delivered lectures at numerous universities and has appeared in several films, including The Age of Consequences, Journey to Planet Earth, Carbon Nation and From Paris to Pittsburgh. Sherri has degrees from Harvard Law School, Harvard Kennedy School and Amherst College, where she was co-founder of the Women’s Ski Team.

Speaker Videos

Off the Record | Climate Change and the Fight for Global Security with Author, Sherri Goodman

Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership, and the Fight for Global Security

Speech Topics

National Security: A New Era of Global Threats

What happens when climate change and national security collide? In this powerful talk, Sherri Goodman—the Pentagon’s first Chief Environmental Officer—dives deep into the uncharted waters where environmental change is no longer a distant threat but a direct security concern.

Based on her book Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership, and the Fight for Global Security, Sherri explores:

Climate as a Catalyst for Chaos: How climate-induced instability—from terrorism to geopolitical tensions with Russia and China—magnifies global risks.
The Military's Energy Revolution: Discover how the U.S. military is evolving to confront climate, cyber and environmental threats and how that could reshape your organization's resilience strategy.
Turning the Threat into Opportunity: Why embracing climate change adaptation could lead to massive investment in infrastructure, innovation and global prosperity.

The Military's Clean Tech Leadership: A Boon for Business & National Defense

When the U.S. military becomes a clean energy innovator, the world takes notice. In this powerful presentation, Sherri Goodman outlines the extraordinary transformation of the military from environmental laggard to climate trailblazer and why the benefits of clean technology encompass so much more than sustainability. It plays a significant part in our national defense, the future of business and public health.

From solar-powered drones to carbon-neutral bases, Sherri’s insights include:

The Resilience Shift: How the U.S. military’s clean energy revolution could be the roadmap for businesses and governments to build a sustainable future.
Tech & National Security: How advancements in energy, cyber and AI are now inseparable from our nation’s defense—and what that means for future business leaders.
Lessons from the Frontlines: Practical takeaways from Sherri’s work at the Pentagon on adapting military readiness to an era of climate change, extreme weather and emerging technologies.

Protecting Ourselves in a Hotter World

What happens when health and security risks merge in a climate-challenged world? Sherri Goodman breaks down the intersection of climate change, public health and military readiness, revealing how shifting weather patterns, diseases and extreme events threaten global stability.

Key insights include:

Invisible Threats: The hidden public health risks—wildfires, diseases, extreme heat—that are putting military operations (and society) at risk.
Building Resilience: How the U.S. military is adapting to these threats—and what the private sector can learn from their approach to operational health and safety.
Climate’s Impact on Human Security: How military health strategies are evolving to protect our forces—and what that means for health systems globally.

Navigating Leadership as a Woman in Male-Dominated Fields

What does it take to break through as a woman in spaces where you’re often the only one? With 30 years in the trenches of national security, government and the private sector, Sherri Goodman shares her personal journey of navigating male-dominated environments—breaking barriers and building leadership.

In this inspiring talk, you will learn:

The Power of Being the Only One: How to thrive when you’re the only woman—or one of the few—at the table and turn that into a career-defining advantage.
Leading with Authority & Grace: Tips for presenting yourself with confidence, establishing your professional network and pushing past resistance.
The Path Forward for Future Female Leaders: Why women are more critical than ever in shaping the future of national security, business and technology.

Global Security in the Age of Strategic Risks: The New Geopolitical Map

The world is changing—and so are the risks. From cyberattacks to the rise of space as a commercial frontier, Sherri Goodman explores how shifting global dynamics are reshaping what it means to be secure in the 21st century. No matter if you’re a policy maker, business executive, investment manager or simply a member of a community group, it’s information that’s critical for your future. Sherri will help you understand, predict and manage the key strategic risks-- and rewards--of tomorrow’s world by providing valuable insights into the complex issues that will shape the global environment in the years ahead.

Sherri customizes her content for specific audiences, including:

Business: Enhance your strategic planning and operational resilience in a world where the only constant is change.
Healthcare: Get the knowledge and strategies needed to navigate complex issues, protect your patients and ensure the continuity of care in an increasingly interconnected and unpredictable world.
Investment & Financial Services: Get the knowledge to make informed investment decisions and secure long-term financial success.
Technology Innovators & Security Officials: Identify the next generation of security challenges and turn them into innovations.

The Arctic's New Cold War: Climate Change & Geopolitical Tensions at the Top of the World

The Arctic—once an isolated, peaceful region—is now a hotbed of global power struggles. Sherri Goodman takes you on an eye-opening journey to the high north, where melting ice caps have transformed the Arctic into a geostrategic battlefield.

Learn about:

The race for resources and influence, with countries like Russia, China and the U.S. jockeying for dominance over new trade routes, like the Northern Sea Route.
Sherri’s firsthand accounts from the 1990s working with the Russians on Arctic Military Environmental Cooperation and how modern tensions are shaping a new Cold War in the North.
How the melting Arctic doesn’t just threaten the environment—it’s altering global security, trade and economic opportunity in ways we’ve never seen before.