Nancy Sutley
Encyclopedia
Nancy Helen Sutley leads the White House Council on Environmental Quality
. She was confirmed by the United States Senate
through unanimous consent January 22, 2009. In her role as chair, she serves as the principal environmental policy advisor to the president. The Council on Environmental Quality coordinates federal environmental efforts and works with agencies other than White House
offices in the development of environmental policies and initiatives.
Prior to being confirmed by the Senate to lead the CEQ, Sutley served as deputy mayor for Energy and Environment in Los Angeles, California
, and as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
's appointment to the board of directors for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
. Mayor Villaraigosa turned to her to achieve his goal of transforming L.A. into one of the greenest big cities in America. As a result, Sutley retrofitted 500 of the city's oldest buildings to make them more energy efficient and imposed environmental standards on new large communities.
Sutley has committed more than 20 years to protecting public health and the environment and to energy and climate change issues. She has also devoted much of her career to public service.
, and was later raised in Queens, New York
. Her parents came to the United States in search of a better life, and who ultimately shaped her values of hard work and the importance to giving back to the community. She holds a master of public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government
at Harvard University
, and an undergraduate B.A. degree in government from Cornell University
. During the Clinton Administration, she was an Environmental Protection Agency official, and served as special assistant to the EPA administrator in Washington, D.C. Sutley was the first prominent gay
person named to a senior role in the Obama administration
.
. She furthered her environmental career as a member of the California State Water Resources Control Board and as the top energy advisor to former Governor Gray Davis
.
, which include installing low-flush toilets, adding sensors that automatically turn off lights in unused areas, and introducing the use of recycling bins. The CEQ chair defines her mission as translating Obama's green agenda across government agencies, preserving natural heritage sites such as the Chesapeake Bay
, the Everglades
, and the Great Lakes
, and putting science at the heart of decision-making. As part of the Department of Energy's demonstration project showing that American solar technologies are available, she has led plans to install solar panels and a solar hot water heater on the roof of the White House
.
Council 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 was confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
through unanimous consent January 22, 2009. In her role as chair, she serves as the principal environmental policy advisor to the president. The Council on Environmental Quality coordinates federal environmental efforts and works with agencies other than White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
offices in the development of environmental policies and initiatives.
Prior to being confirmed by the Senate to lead the CEQ, Sutley served as deputy mayor for Energy and Environment in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, and as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Antonio Villaraigosa
Antonio Ramón Villaraigosa , born Antonio Ramón Villar, Jr., is the 41st and current Mayor of Los Angeles, California, the third Mexican American to have ever held office in the city of Los Angeles and the first in over 130 years. He is also the current president of the United States Conference of...
's appointment to the board of directors for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is the largest supplier of treated water in the US. The name is usually shortened to the "Metropolitan Water District" or simply "MWD". It is a cooperative of 14 cities and 12 municipal water districts that indirectly provides water to 18...
. Mayor Villaraigosa turned to her to achieve his goal of transforming L.A. into one of the greenest big cities in America. As a result, Sutley retrofitted 500 of the city's oldest buildings to make them more energy efficient and imposed environmental standards on new large communities.
Sutley has committed more than 20 years to protecting public health and the environment and to energy and climate change issues. She has also devoted much of her career to public service.
Education and early career
Sutley was born April 20, 1962 in ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, and was later raised in Queens, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Her parents came to the United States in search of a better life, and who ultimately shaped her values of hard work and the importance to giving back to the community. She holds a master of public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, and an undergraduate B.A. degree in government from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. During the Clinton Administration, she was an Environmental Protection Agency official, and served as special assistant to the EPA administrator in Washington, D.C. Sutley was the first prominent gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
person named to a senior role in the Obama administration
Presidency of Barack Obama
The Presidency of Barack Obama began at noon EST on January 20, 2009 when he became the 44th President of the United States. Obama was a United States Senator from Illinois at the time of his victory over Arizona Senator John McCain in the 2008 presidential election...
.
Previous work
Sutley served as a member of Hillary Clinton's Southern California Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender steering committee. She was also a prominent supporter of Senator Clinton's primary campaign. In addition, she supported a requirement for Los Angeles to produce 20 percent of its power from renewable sources. From 1999 to 2003, she worked as deputy secretary for policy and intergovernmental relations at the California Environmental Protection AgencyCalifornia Environmental Protection Agency
The California Environmental Protection Agency is a state cabinet-level agency within the government of California. Cal/EPA is composed of six departments, boards and offices responsible for environmental research, regulating and administering the state's environmental protection programs, and...
. She furthered her environmental career as a member of the California State Water Resources Control Board and as the top energy advisor to former Governor Gray Davis
Gray Davis
Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis, Jr. is an American Democratic politician who served as California's 37th Governor from 1999 until being recalled in 2003...
.
Major accomplishments
Sutley is a member of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Water District board of directors. She has promoted measures to conserve energy in the White HouseWhite House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, which include installing low-flush toilets, adding sensors that automatically turn off lights in unused areas, and introducing the use of recycling bins. The CEQ chair defines her mission as translating Obama's green agenda across government agencies, preserving natural heritage sites such as the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
, the Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
, and the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
, and putting science at the heart of decision-making. As part of the Department of Energy's demonstration project showing that American solar technologies are available, she has led plans to install solar panels and a solar hot water heater on the roof of the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
.
External links
- Biography on White House website
- Nancy Sutley, brief bio, Deputy Mayor for Energy and Environment, City of Los Angeles