david ezekiel schlais headshot

Ezekiel Schlais

Ezekiel is a former Development Officer at Rocky Mountain Institute where he supports philanthropic individuals and foundations to connect with and make meaningful donations to RMI’s people, programs and initiatives.

Background

Ezekiel has a broad array of experience and knowledge in development, finance, environmental science, and non-profit management. Prior to RMI, he was the Executive Director of a non-profit land trust in Southern California, Mountains Restoration Trust, where he established a robust community of giving and engagement for land protection and restoration in the Santa Monica Mountains and led the successful merger with a larger community-driven non-profit, TreePeople. Prior to that, Ezekiel was the Head of Strategic Initiatives at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability where he helped grow the institute’s prominence and impact through new programs such as the Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award, partnerships such as the Waitt Foundation’s Blue Prosperity program and funding streams such as the Corporate Partners Program. The other half of Ezekiel’s career was spent in private equity with The Gores Group, developing relationships with corporate executives and investment banks in the industrial and technology sectors to source and qualify operationally challenged acquisition opportunities. Ezekiel also has a few field research excursions under his belt (Costa Rica, Santa Monica Mountains and The Great Basin) and a scientific publication on poison dart frogs.

Education

MBA, Graziadio Business School, Pepperdine University

BA in English/Writing Rhetoric, Pepperdine University

Location

California