wendy abrams

Activist, Connector, Environmentalist, Idea generator, Marketer, Philanthropist

Wendy Abrams is an environmental activist and founder of Cool Globes, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of climate change. Cool Globes originated as a project stemming from the Clinton Global Initiative in 2006. Designed to utilize the venues of public art and education, the inaugural “Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet” premiered in Chicago in 2007 with more than 3 million visitors. The exhibition has since traveled to four continents and has been translated into nine languages. The exhibit is scheduled to open in Rio and Warsaw in 2016. Cool Globes launched a student campaign, KNOW TOMORROW, in June 2015 with the goal of amplifying the voices of Millennials speaking out on climate change. KNOW TOMORROW engaged tens of thousands of students to participate in a National Day of Action on October 2, 2015. In 2012, Wendy helped establish the Abrams Environmental Litigation Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School. In 2014, she established the Redmoon Apprenticeship program to help inner-city youth gain skills for a lifetime of employment. Ms. Abrams serves on the President's Advisory Council at University of Southern California, the Center for American Progress Action Fund board, the Natural Resources Defense Council c4, and is a Trustee for Waterkeeper Alliance. She serves on the RFK Human Rights Leadership Council and is a Board member for Chicago's Public Broadcasting Station, WTTW. Ms. Abrams is a principal shareholder of Medline Industries, Inc., the largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of health care supplies in the U.S. Wendy graduated from Brown University in 1987, and received an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management in 1990. She and her husband, Jim, live in a suburb of Chicago with their four children.

leaving the world a better place for the next generation

Advertising/marketing, Environmental policy