Alex A. Beehler

Federal Relations, Public Policy, Governance & Sustainability

abeehler@sharedvaluegroup.com

Alex BeehlerAlex Beehler is a non-profit, for profit and federal international security and sustainability expert in various areas, including energy, water, environment and infrastructure. From 2004 to 2009, he held several key positions in the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), such as Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations & Environment, Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Environment, Safety & Occupational Health (ESOH) and Principal Deputy to the Deputy Under Secretary, with Top Secret Clearance.

Beehler’s worldwide areas of responsibility consisted of cleanup at active and closing bases, compliance with environmental laws, conservation of natural and cultural resources, pollution prevention, energy and environmental technology and solutions, fire protection, safety, unexploded ordnance management and explosives safety, pest management and disease control, international military agreements, programs pertaining to environmental security and humanitarian assistance, environmental restoration and implementation of environmental readiness initiatives in response to challenges of encroachment.

Beehler’s further accomplishments include:

  • Head of ESOH Policy Office with direct supervision of 30 personnel and a budget of $125 million;
  • First DoD Chief Sustainability Officer with responsibility for implementation of the President’s 2007 Executive Order 13423 on Energy, Environment & Transportation;
  • Launching of the Senior Executive Steering Committee focused on integration of military operations from design to disposal, thus reducing hazardous chemical use by 20 percent, increasing procurement of green products by 25 percent, integrating risk management into systems acquisition for improved life-cycle analysis and addressing security issues related to reliance on foreign oil, greenhouse gases, population growth and international competition for resources;
  • Worked with international host nations to resolve environmental concerns and partnered with states, other federal agencies and organizations to preserve watersheds and to ensure water quality;

By integrating sustainable practices into operations, acquisition of materials and systems, and use of resources, Beehler strengthened operational capacity, reduced operational costs and enhanced stakeholder well-being.

Beehler is a DoD facilitator and advocate of international dialogues on alternative perspectives and global concerns in international security and sustainability. He has hosted, sponsored, led or presented at numerous international events with high-level federal leaders, C-level industry participants and well-known academics from such diverse geographies as Iran and The Netherlands to such diverse stakeholders as the U.S. Marines and Conservation International.

Beehler is also a facilitator and advocate of K-12 sustainability education, cooperative conservation education and cultural resources education, as well as K-12 STEM education. To this end, he was part of a team that received a grant from the Office of Naval Research to develop STEM gamification education software. The group researched, designed and developed three prototype games on natural resources conservation, emergency medicine and maritime security.

Beehler came to DoD from the Fortune 100 equivalent, private multi-national corporation, Koch Industries, where he served as Director of Environmental and Regulatory Affairs, and from the Charles G. Koch Foundation, as Vice President for Environmental Projects. It was here that he honed his shared value philosophical and operational ideology, which he continues to use today.

Prior to this, his positions included: U.S. Department of Justice senior environmental enforcement litigator and special legal advisor, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency General Counsel, and legal counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Beehler’s most recent positions include senior advisor on environment, energy and sustainability at Faegre BD Consulting, as well as his current position as Visiting Scholar at George Washington University (GW), where he specializes in water, public/private partnerships and sustainability issues, among others. He co-leads the focal area on Water and is a member of the Advisory Board of the GW Environmental and Energy Management Institute (EEMI).

Beehler has a J.D./L.L.B. from the University of Virginia School of Law and an A.B. from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, where he was a Rhodes Scholar Semi-Finalist.

Publications

  • Co-author; “Defense-Funded Biofuels Program Can Spur Production and Lower Risks to U.S. Government;” National Defense (March 2012)
  • “Defense Energy Goals Require Collaboration with Sister Agencies;” National Defense (December 2009)
  • “Conservation and Compatible Land Use; livebetter (August 2008)
    Co-author; “A Worldwide Laboratory; Environmental Forum (November/December 2007)
  • Co-author; “Sea Change at Defense; Environmental Forum; (September/October 2005)
  • Co-author; “Contesting of CERCLA Recovery Costs: There is No Contest;” Environmental Law Reporter (December 1992)

Distinctions

Professional Associations:

  • Member of the Bar: District of Columbia, State of Maryland, and Commonwealth of Virginia

Federal Advisory Committees:

  • Member, U.S. Department of Commerce and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Industry Federal Advisory Committee on Customs Matters (1986 – 1990)
  • Member, U.S. Department of Interior, Federal Advisory Committee on Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Advisory Committee (2005-2007)

Private Sector Boards:

  • Advisory Board, TechLaw Holdings, Inc., Chantilly, Va., (2013 – present)
  • Public Sector Advisory Board, Constellation (Exelon), Baltimore, Md., (2013 – 2015)

Non-Profit Affiliations:

  • Member of the Board, Global Needs Institute, Charlottesville, Va., (2016 – present)
  • Chairman of the Board, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Annapolis, Md., (2013 – present); (board member since 2010)
  • Chairman Advisory Committee, National Center for Sustainable Development (2015 – present)
  • Advisory Board, Resources First Foundation, Yarmouth, Maine, (2013 – present)
  • Advisory Committee, New Course, Seattle, Wash., (2010 – present)
  • Member of the Board, Imagine Schools, Arlington, Va., (2010 – present)
  • Advisory Board, Woodrow Wilson House (National Trust Property), Washington, D.C. (1991 – present)

Honors:

  • U.S. Department of Defense — Medal for Exceptional Public Service, 2009

Faculty Positions:

  • George Washington University, National Law Center — “Superfund Settlements,” Public Law and Policy Course, 1993-1995