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Beth Comstock and Lyndon Rive Elected to National Geographic Society Board of Trustees

The National Geographic Society today announced the election of two new members to its Board of Trustees: business and marketing leader Beth Comstock and solar energy pioneer and entrepreneur Lyndon Rive. The announcement was made by Jean Case, chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Gary E. Knell, the Society’s president and chief executive officer. Comstock and Rive...

The National Geographic Society today announced the election of two new members to its Board of Trustees: business and marketing leader Beth Comstock and solar energy pioneer and entrepreneur Lyndon Rive. The announcement was made by Jean Case, chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Gary E. Knell, the Society’s president and chief executive officer. Comstock and Rive join the 17-member Board and will each serve an initial four-year term.

Comstock was most recently Vice Chair of General Electric Co., where she led efforts to accelerate new growth and innovation. Over two decades at GE, Comstock initiated the company’s digital and clean-energy transformations, developed new businesses, increased GE’s brand value and partnered to enhance its inventive culture. She also led the creation of Current, an intelligent environments business; GE Ventures & Licensing; FastWorks; Ecomagination and Healthymagination businesses; and oversaw GE Lighting. In addition, she was responsible for the sales, marketing and communications functions and was the company’s first Chief Marketing Officer in 20 years.

Her first book, “Imagine It Forward,” offers life lessons in change and transformation within organizations. It will be published in September 2018 by Currency, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Comstock is also a director at Nike. She graduated from the College of William & Mary with a degree in biology.

Rive was most recently President, Global Sales and Service at Tesla for Energy. He co-founded and was CEO of SolarCity, which was acquired by Tesla in 2016. Under his leadership, SolarCity became the No. 1 solar company in the world to consumers and businesses and one of the most recognizable brands in clean energy. SolarCity completed more than 300,000 solar installations in the United States — representing approximately one out of every four solar electricity installations in American history — and created funds to finance more than $10 billion in renewable energy projects.

Prior to SolarCity, Rive cofounded Everdream, an industry leader in software and services for large-scale, distributed computer management. Rive negotiated the company’s partnership with Dell Inc., which acquired Everdream in 2007.

Rive also serves on the boards of GivePower, World Spine Care and Off Grid Electric.

About National Geographic Society

The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. Since 1888, National Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more than 15,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching 3 million students each year through education offerings, and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences, stories and content. To learn more, visit www.nationalgeographic.org or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.