Scott Lewis

Scott has been an obsessive outdoors person and ardent environmentalist from an early age, driven by a passion for the natural world, fear of what could happen if humanity doesn’t act decisively, and a blind optimism that when faced with its greatest challenges, our so-called civilization has done, and can do, remarkable things.  

After majoring in Political Economics at Colorado College, getting a JD at Stanford and traveling for a year in Asia, Scott went to work in the public policy sector, published two books about environmental subjects (Rainforests and Drinking Water), and joined his first non-profit board. He first served as a director, then board chair of Oregon Natural Resources Council. Following a series of startup and early-stage for-profit adventures, where Scott celebrated the old adage that failure is a great teacher, Scott founded Brightworks Sustainability, one of the leading sustainability consulting firms in the U.S.  With offices in Portland, the Bay Area, Santa Monica, and staff in New York and Seattle, Brightworks advises major corporations, public agencies, and university systems all over the world on sustainable master plan design, building practices, operations, and strategy.  During this time, Scott also served continually on a range of for-profit and NGO boards (including as founding chair of the national NGO EcoDistricts), and developed a fascination for helping values-driven organizations achieve outstanding performance. Scott sold Brightworks to his employees in 2015 and moved full-time to Idaho shortly thereafter, having spent time in the Wood River Valley every year since 1964. 

Scott currently serves on the Ketchum Sustainability Advisory Committee, the Blaine County Regional Climate and Sustainability leadership committee, and on the board of a private real estate development company active in Seattle and Denver.  When not volunteering to try and help sustainability-oriented NGOs, agencies or businesses set and achieve aspirational world-changing goals, Scott prefers to be in the mountains, on a river, mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, (true confession) hitting golf balls, and (best of all) car camping with his wife Laura.  Or reading, watching the Met opera and haunting art museums, cooking, or futilely trying to keep up with his three adult kids.