A pair of temporary leaders are currently helming Greenpeace USA, after its now-former executive director Ebony Twilley Martin recently departed the organization under circumstances that have yet to be made fully clear.
Twilley Martin, the first Black woman to lead Greenpeace USA or any national environmental organization and who operated in that role since April 2023, had been on leave from her executive director duties since June 13.
Greenpeace Fund Board Chair Liz Gilchrist and Greenpeace, Inc. Board Chair Jakada Imani said in a joint statement on July 19 that Twilley Martin had “transitioned from her role,” but provided no further clarification.
Her exit left a pair of interim leaders in temporary charge of the environmental group’s American operations, Greenpeace USA’s Campaign Director Rolf Skar and Deputy General Counsel Deepa Padmanabha.
The leadership shake-up comes squarely in the middle of a $300 million lawsuit brought in a North Dakota state court against Greenpeace USA by pipeline operator Energy Transfer, over claims that Greenpeace illegally conspired with Indigenous protesters to stop construction of the company’s Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock in 2016 and 2017.
On its website, Greenpeace has denied the veracity of any such claims and added, “A loss at trial could prove destructive to Greenpeace in the U.S. and have widespread impacts for the climate justice movement all around the world.”
A prior iteration of the case was dismissed from a North Dakota federal court in 2019.
An E&E article quoted former Greenpeace USA Chief Operating Officer Willem van Rijn as saying, “This case is a matter of survival for the organization. It’s not just another lawsuit.”
According to van Rijn, serious disagreements over how to resolve the lawsuit precipitated Twilley Martin’s departure from the group.
Twilley Martin, van Rijn explained, had advocated for settling the Energy Transfer suit for a smaller amount of money. Greenpeace USA’s board were said to have seen the situation very differently and removed Twilley Martin from providing any further input on the case.
Soon afterwards, Twilley Martin was placed on leave. Her biography page has been removed from Greenpeace USA’s website, further suggesting her departure is permanent.
An inquiry from Legal Newsline to a member of Greenpeace USA’s communications team regarding Twilley Martin’s departure was not returned.
From Legal Newsline: Reach Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nick.malfitano@therecordinc.com