Daniel Hornett

Daniel Hornett is a professional civil engineer and project manager with a background in construction management, international development, communications, and planning. He has extensive experience working with public and private infrastructure developers to apply engineering standards and environmental conservation policies throughout the project development cycle, from land-use permitting to environmental impact review to construction. As senior program officer for the WWF-US Sustainable Infrastructure initiative, Daniel organizes and coordinates the team’s strategic and operational planning and implementation. In addition, he contributes to the technical development of projects around the world.

Before joining WWF, Daniel worked for the Napa County Planning, Building, and Environmental Services department in California, where he served as an assistant engineer, a safety assessment evaluator, and a floodplain manager. He led efforts to implement new groundwater management policies and development standards in forested and hillside landscapes. He also assessed post-wildfire structural damage and environmental hazards and helped the community rebuild resilient infrastructure. This role required Daniel to effectively communicate the environmental threats and risks and changes in standards to policymakers, private developers, and local civil society organizations.

Daniel has also led teams in assessing, designing, and monitoring community-driven international development projects in Northern Thailand. In addition, he founded a film production company that produced over two dozen documentaries and microdocumentaries on humanitarian topics. He is a native English speaker and holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with a Minor in Ethics, Public Policy, Science and Technology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Education

• Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with a Minor in Ethics, Public Policy, Science and Technology, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Areas of Expertise

• Sustainable infrastructure development
• Civil engineering (water resources, environmental, geotechnical, transportation)
• Land-use planning
• Construction management
• Resilient infrastructure