Prior to retirement I served for seven years as commissioner of public works for the City of Rutland. For about five years prior to that I worked remotely as a consultant specializing in climate policy development with the Center for Climate Strategies in Washington, D.C.

I was appointed commissioner of Vermont’s Department of Environmental Conservation by Governor Jim Douglas in January, 2003 and served until September 2007. During my tenure I was Vermont’s lead negotiator for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) program.

I also oversaw the adoption of rules regulating GHG emissions from automobiles consistent with the California ‘Pavley’ standards, and participated in the first successful defense of those regulations in the U.S. District Court of Vermont.

Prior to serving as DEC commissioner, I served six terms as mayor of Rutland and managed the Rutland County solid waste management district. While serving as mayor I chaired the National League of Cities’ Policy Committee on Energy, Environment and Natural Resources. During the G.W. Bush, Obama and Trump administrations I chaired the Environmental Protection Agency’s Governmental Advisory Committee.

I was honored to receive the Vermont League of Cities and Towns ‘Municipal Person of the Year’ award in 1994 and the Environmental Merit Award from U.S. EPA, New England Region in 2007. I hold a Bachelors degree in Physics (1975) and a Masters in Management (1977) from Clarkson University.

Even in retirement I still dabble in consulting, but mostly seek to expand my fishing repertoire to include competence in fly fishing, which is a work in progress.