Speakers Biographies

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. serves as the President for the Waterkeeper Alliance, a grassroots activist group whose primary goal is to defend local waterways from polluters. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has even been named one of Time Magazine’s Heroes for the Planet, due to his success in helping Riverkeeper (a branch of Waterkeeper) lead the fight to restore the Hudson River. With much success, more than 150 Waterkeeper organizations exist across the world.

Mr. Kennedy is a graduate of Harvard University, and has studied at the London School of Economics and received his law degree from the University of Virginia Law School. He then attended Pace University School of Law, where he received a Masters Degree in Environmental Law.

Robert F. Kennedy currently serves as Senior Attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, Chief Prosecuting Attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper and President of Waterkeeper Alliance, as well as a Clinical Professor/Supervising Attorney at Pace University School of Law’s Environmental Litigation Clinic. He is also a co-host of ‘Ring of Fire’, on Air America Radio. In the past, Mr. Kennedy has served as Assistant District Attorney in New York and has worked on different political campaigns such as, Edward M. Kennedy (1980), Al Gore (2000), and John Kerry (2004). He has also published many New York Times’ bestsellers such as, Crimes Against Nature (2004) and The RIverkeepers (1997), as well as award winning articles featured in America’s Best Crime Writing, Political Writing and Best Science Writing.

He has worked on many environmental issues across the Americas and has assisted tribes in Latin America and Canada in developing treaties to protect their traditional homelands. He is also credited with heading the fight to protect New York City’s precious water supply, among many other groundbreaking environmental accomplishments.

Ramaswamy R. Iyer

Ramaswamy R. Iyer has always been actively involved with large-dam projects. In fact, in the 80’s he served as the Secretary of Water Resources for the Govt. of India. During this time, Mr. Iyer worked to improve policy issues. He was in fact, the initiator and principal draftsman for India’s first National Water Policy in 1987.

Mr. Iyer also worked as a consultant to the World Commission on Dams (WCD) from 1998-2000, and as World Bank consultant for the review of India’s Water Sector Strategy during 2000-2005. He also serves as Honorary Research Professor for India’s Centre for Policy Research, where he continually educates people on water resource matters, and to benefit the knowledge of the public, policy-makers, media, etc., on water-related issues.