SCOTT PETERSON
Co-Founder, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions
After 15 years on Wall Street, Scott joined a handful of other like-minded souls to launch the nonprofit Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (FACS) in 2013. Starting in the basement of a congregation in Oakton, Virginia, FACS has grown into a network of 70 congregations in Virginia’s largest jurisdiction — Fairfax County — that represent a wide spectrum of voters, including Jewish, Muslim, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and other faith traditions. Through its programs, FACS helps congregations organize their own members into green teams while participating in campaigns of direct advocacy (visits with government representatives and staff, public testimony) and earned media (press events, letters to the editor, and op-eds). FACS has earned tremendous credibility and influence to move local elected officials.
Scott also serves as executive director of the investigative watchdog blog Checks and Balances Project, where he focuses on issues relating to climate change, government ethics and good government. His previous work as managing director of communications at New York Stock Exchange Regulation and director of communications at the Nasdaq Stock Market provides a valuable foundation for his current activities.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema and a Certificate in Financial Planning from Georgetown University.