team & careers

Susan Hamsher is General Counsel at Climate Imperative. Prior to joining Climate Imperative, Susan spent five years in private practice at boutique law firms in Washington, DC, where she advised tax-exempt organizations. She served as trusted advisor and counsel to a wide range of 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) clients on securing federal tax-exempt status, governance, fundraising compliance, and legal frameworks governing public interest work, policy advocacy, and political activity.

Previously, Susan served for more than eight years as a senior in-house attorney at The Nature Conservancy. There, she oversaw various risk management functions, including lobbying compliance, corporate marketing partnerships, and certain fundraising initiatives. In her final years at the Conservancy, Susan was the lead attorney for the India program, working closely with local counsel to support its rapid growth in areas including corporate formation and governance, anti-corruption compliance, fundraising, employment, and contract and grant review.

Earlier in her career, Susan held a range of roles in government and public interest organizations. She was an operations manager at charity: water, and served as a law clerk at the U.S. Department of State and the United Nations Environment Programme.

Susan holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Virgina and a law degree from American University. Susan lives in Washington, DC with her husband and two children where she enjoys kayaking, cooking, and jigsaw puzzles.