BACKGROUND

In 2021 Ernst Volgenau, Chair of the Volgenau Foundation, set out to establish a legacy initiative aimed at climate mitigation. In partnership with Betsy Taylor of Breakthrough Strategies and Solutions, VCI was incubated later that year. Betsy agreed to help launch the initiative and led the charge with three initial retreats that tested their theory of change; that in the world today leaders need time and space to step back, broaden their networks, invest in relationships, and work collaboratively to unleash solutions. Very quickly it became evident that not only was this approach highly impactful, but it also filled an important gap amongst climate mitigation efforts. With these critical proof points, the Volgenau Foundation committed funds for a 10-year legacy initiative with the support of a top notch team dedicated to carrying this vision into the future.