Carter Harms is a Master of Environmental Management candidate at the Yale School of the Environment, where he is researching policies that can build bipartisan coalitions to advance pragmatic, politically durable climate solutions. He graduated from Wheaton College (IL) with a degree in Political Science and Urban Studies, where he earned department honors and received the Doug Beers scholarship for his thesis on growing urbanization and economic development.

Prior to Yale, Carter spent nearly a decade in public service, working at the intersection of public interest advocacy and state legislatures. He served as Chief of Staff to an Illinois state representative, secured an expansion to employment protections at the Illinois Department of Human Rights, and advised the Governor of Illinois on legislative affairs, playing a key role supporting the passage of the landmark Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. He also volunteered his time during the COVID-19 pandemic to help Illinois build and scale the country's third largest testing program in response to the public health emergency. Most recently, Carter led successful state-level campaigns at The Pew Charitable Trusts to modernize electric grids and expand clean energy production in Utah, Indiana, and Ohio. His work focuses on building broad, cross-ideological coalitions and translating technical policy into politically viable action.

Carter’s mission is to close the gap between what is technically possible and what is politically achievable on climate, with a focus on communities that are critical to expanding the climate movement’s political reach. He believes this work requires both deeper technical expertise and trusted relationships across sectors, and he came to Yale to pursue both.

Carter grew up in a conservative, evangelical community in suburban Dallas-Fort Worth. His work and life have taken him through both progressive and conservative political environments, shaping his belief that understanding and respecting different perspectives is essential to building trust and translating solutions across political divides. Outside of work and school, Carter enjoys hiking, finding deals on Facebook Marketplace, hosting dinner parties, and discovering new podcasts.