Dr. Beraneck received his B.S. in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin and Ph.D. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology. IN 1975, following a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship at Duke University Medical Center, he began a career at the interface between science and public policy by serving as program officer on an international project for the National Academy of Science. Since the late seventies, he has helped to develop and plan the implementation of many key environmental policies for Indiana and Indianapolis, through his work at the Holcomb Research Institte, the Indianapolis Center for Advanced Research and as Director of the Office of Regulatory and Policy analysis at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

The Indiana Environmental Institute is a nonprofit environmental organization that seeks to bring people together from diverse perspectives to seek common ground and mutual understanding on contentious environmental issues. Founded in 1990, the Institute has earned the trust and respect of many in Indiana's environmental, business and government communities.