Elaine French (Ketchum, ID)

After a career in educational policy research and development, Elaine pursued a volunteer career in conservation. She served as board member and chair of the Idaho Conservation League and the Idaho chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Elaine served on the boards of the Andrus Center for Public Policy and the National Council of the Land Trust Alliance and is now on the board of the League of Conservation Voters.

Her activism has also encompassed other areas. She was a member of the board of Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, the Stanford Center for Research on Women and Gender, the San Jose Museum of Art, the Peninsula Bridge program, and the Cleo Eulau Center.

Elaine is president of her family foundation, which funds environmental, reproductive rights, and educational efforts. A graduate of Wellesley College, she holds graduate degrees from Harvard, San Jose State, and Stanford.

As residents of Ketchum and Picabo, Idaho, Elaine and her husband John are deeply involved in the protection of Silver Creek and its watershed. They donated a conservation easement on their Picabo ranch and have worked on riparian restoration as well as regenerative agriculture. They sponsor several scholarships and a fellowship in environmental studies at Harvard.