Sunday, May 14, 2023

Water institute's prez dies at 44

BATON ROUGE, La. – The Water Institute (TWI) is mourning the passing of Justin R. Ehrenwerth on May 13. He led the non-profit as President/CEO for the past seven years. Justin’s passion, vision and leadership at The Water Institute was inspiring, according to TWI's website.

[Ehrenwerth, widely renowned as an expert in coastal policy, died May 13 at the age of 44. He had struggled with mental illness and died by suicide, his family said in a statement. Ehrenwerth is survived by his wife, Dana Dupré, and two sons, Louis, 3, and Charles, 5. (NOLA.com 05/14/23)] 

“Justin had a tireless approach to working for a better Louisiana, a more resilient Gulf Coast, and bringing those lessons to communities around the country,” said Kevin Reilly, chairman of The Water Institute board of directors. 

TWI is an independent, non-profit applied research organization that works across disciplines to advance science and develop integrated methods used to solve complex environmental and societal challenges. 

Ehrenwerth was appointed the second President/CEO of TWI of the Gulf in January 2017. 

Prior to joining, he served as the inaugural Executive Director of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, which was created in the aftermath of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill to restore the Gulf Coast’s economy and environment. 

He previously served as Chief of Staff to the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce assisting in overseeing policy issues, budgeting and strategic planning. 

Earlier, he served as Assistant Counsel to President Barrack Obama taking the lead on Deepwater Horizon litigation for the White House. 

Before joining the White House, Ehrenwerth served in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of General Counsel where he provided support to NOAA leadership on sensitive regulatory and political matters. 

Ehrenwerth was a summa cum laude graduate of Colby College, held an M.A. in philosophy, politics and economics from the University of Oxford, and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. 

The Water Institute Board of Directors has appointed former Chief of Staff and General Counsel Beaux Jones as Interim CEO. (TWI 05/13/23) The Water Institute team mourns the passing of Justin Ehrenwerth, President and CEO - The Water Institute

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