Kathleen McGinty
Encyclopedia
Kathleen Alana McGinty is an American environmentalist and government official. A protege of Vice President
Al Gore
, she became a key environmental adviser to President
Bill Clinton
. Later, she served as Secretary of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
in the Cabinet of Governor Ed Rendell
. Prior to the nomination of Lisa P. Jackson
, she was mentioned as a possible United States Environmental Protection Agency Administrator under President Barack Obama
, and as a possible candidate to succeed Ed Rendell
as Governor
of Pennsylvania
, but was not a candidate in the 2010 election.
with a law degree.
. She went on to become the founding director of the White House Office on Environmental Policy, coordinating policymaking across environmental agencies.
She left the Clinton Administration and visited India for a year-long Senior Visiting Fellowship with the Tata Energy Research Institute in 1999. She then returned to service with Vice President Al Gore as a counselor during the presidential campaign and joined the Democratic National Committee as a senior policy adviser.
In the private sector, McGinty became vice president for asset management at financial firm Natsource LLC, which specializes in energy transactions. She was named a director of Proton Energy Systems Inc, which develops fuel cell infrastructure, and advised a European venture capital firm in the area of clean energy.
Governor Rendell appointed McGinty to head the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), a 2,000-employee agency, in 2003.
She has drawn praise from environmentalists for major efforts to reduce pollution and lure non-polluting businesses. Among her achievements was winning limitations on mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants and reducing toxic emissions from cars sold in the state. On the other hand, some in the business community have criticized her for a lack of realism in the regulation process. Her resignation was announced on July 11, 2008.
McGinty currently serves on the Board of Trustees of St. Joseph’s University. She is the founding partner of Peregrine Technology Partners LLC, a firm focused on the commercialization of clean technologies, a Director at NRG Energy, Inc., a leading wholesale power company, and an Operating Partners at Element Partners, a cleantech private equity firm.
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
, she became a key environmental adviser to President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. Later, she served as Secretary of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection was established on July 1, 1995, is the agency in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania responsible for protecting and preserving the land, air, water, and energy resources through enforcement of the State's environmental laws...
in the Cabinet of Governor Ed Rendell
Ed Rendell
Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003...
. Prior to the nomination of Lisa P. Jackson
Lisa P. Jackson
Lisa Perez Jackson is an American chemical engineer currently serving as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency . Previously, she worked at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for 6 years, first as an assistant commissioner and later as commissioner...
, she was mentioned as a possible United States Environmental Protection Agency Administrator under President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, and as a possible candidate to succeed Ed Rendell
Ed Rendell
Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003...
as Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, but was not a candidate in the 2010 election.
Early life and education
The ninth of ten children of a retired police officer and a hostess, McGinty was born in Philadelphia. She graduated High School from St. Hubert Catholic High School for Girls, in Northeast Philadelphia. She graduated from Saint Joseph’s University with a chemistry degree and from Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
with a law degree.
Career
McGinty was an aide to Gore while he was in the Senate. She accompanied him to the White House, where she became the first woman to chair the White House Council on Environmental QualityCouncil on Environmental Quality
The Council on Environmental Quality is a division of the Executive Office of the President that coordinates federal environmental efforts in the United States and works closely with agencies and other White House offices in the development of environmental and energy policies and initiatives...
. She went on to become the founding director of the White House Office on Environmental Policy, coordinating policymaking across environmental agencies.
She left the Clinton Administration and visited India for a year-long Senior Visiting Fellowship with the Tata Energy Research Institute in 1999. She then returned to service with Vice President Al Gore as a counselor during the presidential campaign and joined the Democratic National Committee as a senior policy adviser.
In the private sector, McGinty became vice president for asset management at financial firm Natsource LLC, which specializes in energy transactions. She was named a director of Proton Energy Systems Inc, which develops fuel cell infrastructure, and advised a European venture capital firm in the area of clean energy.
Governor Rendell appointed McGinty to head the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), a 2,000-employee agency, in 2003.
She has drawn praise from environmentalists for major efforts to reduce pollution and lure non-polluting businesses. Among her achievements was winning limitations on mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants and reducing toxic emissions from cars sold in the state. On the other hand, some in the business community have criticized her for a lack of realism in the regulation process. Her resignation was announced on July 11, 2008.
McGinty currently serves on the Board of Trustees of St. Joseph’s University. She is the founding partner of Peregrine Technology Partners LLC, a firm focused on the commercialization of clean technologies, a Director at NRG Energy, Inc., a leading wholesale power company, and an Operating Partners at Element Partners, a cleantech private equity firm.