David Beckman is President of the Pisces Foundation and is its founding staff member. An environmental lawyer, strategist, and philanthropic leader, he has dedicated his career to advancing collaborative solutions that protect the environment and strengthen communities.

Since joining the Foundation in 2012, David has worked closely with the Foundation’s trustees to build Pisces from the ground up, shaping its strategy, programs, grantmaking, and organizational approach. Under his leadership, the Foundation has expanded its philanthropic partnerships, strengthened its grantmaking, and established itself as a trusted partner advancing environmental and community solutions.

Earlier in his career, David founded and directed the national water program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, where he helped make water one of the organization’s strategic priorities. During his 17 years at NRDC, he litigated precedent-setting water quality cases, helped develop legislation that strengthened groundwater monitoring and water quality protections, and authored influential reports on environmental policy.

David has written opinion pieces for publications including the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and the Stanford Social Innovation Review and has frequently been quoted in national print and broadcast media. He also served for five years as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at California State University, teaching environmental policy and law. His work has been recognized with numerous honors, including California Lawyer magazine’s Attorney of the Year award for environmental law.

David earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and his J.D. from Harvard Law School.