Previously, Mr. Purvis directed U.S. environmental diplomacy, including most recently as deputy assistant secretary of state for oceans, environment and science. In that capacity, he oversaw U.S. foreign policy on climate change, biodiversity conservation, forests, international trade, toxic substances and ozone depletion. He was a senior international negotiator on climate change from 1998 to 2002.
 
From 2005-2007, Mr. Purvis served as vice president for policy and external affairs at The Nature Conservancy. From 2002-2005, he was a senior scholar in the foreign policy program of The Brookings Institution, where he directed the environment and development project. During this period, Mr. Purvis also was an international affairs fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. His essays and interviews on climate change, environmental diplomacy, international assistance and foreign affairs have appeared in leading news outlets and academic journals around the world.
 
Early in his career, Mr. Purvis worked as an international lawyer at the U.S. State Department, as a securities attorney at the law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell, and as a lecturer at Georgetown University. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School.