Lizzie Marsters

Lizzie Marsters is a Cities4Forests USA Manager and an Environmental Finance Manager with the Natural Infrastructure Initiative, where she works to advance the pace and scale of natural infrastructure projects by unlocking access to capital. She works with municipalities, utilities, impact investors, infrastructure operators, non-profit institutions, businesses, and civil society to identify green infrastructure investment opportunities to build stronger, more resilient communities and ecosystems.

Lizzie brings a unique perspective to natural resource management as she has worked on these issues from both the private and public sectors. Prior to joining WRI, Lizzie worked as the Program Director for Forests and Ecosystem Services at a Pacific Northwest non-profit focused on market differentiation for sustainable timber. She helped develop the Forest Bank concept for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, a framework for paying individuals to enroll in the tribal forestry management plan to optimize ecosystem and community health. Lizzie also has worked as a portfolio manager for a timberland private equity firm, where she focused on the markets and operations of fast-growing tropical hardwoods in South America. Prior to moving West, she served as the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary at the Department of the Interior, where she focused on the economic, environmental, and social challenges of managing public lands and evaluating the federal trust relationship with First Americans.

Lizzie earned a Master of Business Administration and Master of Forestry from Yale’s School of Management and School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, respectively. She graduated from Carleton College with a major in International Relations and a minor in French and Francophone Studies.