Press Release: Former Governor Bill Richardson Elected to NCSE Board of Directors
May 18 2011, Washington, DC - Hon. Bill Richardson, former Governor of New Mexico, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE).
“We are honored that Governor Richardson will lend his global vision and renowned stature to advancing NCSE's mission and initiatives” announced Executive Director, Peter Saundry. "We greatly look forward to his leadership and the environmental and energy expertise that he will provide.”
“I am excited to join NCSE's Board. It is the premiere organization working at the nexus of science and policy to address the critical environmental challenges facing our society” said Governor Richardson.
Governor Richardson has had an illustrious and wide-ranging career in public service, academia, and the private sector. Governor Richardson is currently the Chairman of APCO Worldwide’s Global Political Strategies division, and was appointed Special Envoy for the Organization of American States in January 2011.
He was elected Governor of New Mexico in 2002, and was re-elected in 2006. His bold governing style moved New Mexico forward in several important areas, requiring that utilities meet 20% of their electricity from renewable sources, co-founding the Western Climate Initiative regional cap-and-trade effort, creating a new commuter rail service, and investing more than $1 billion in public schools.
Governor Richardson served as Secretary of the US Department of Energy in the Clinton Administration and also served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (1997 – 1998). At the Department of Energy, he advanced the development of wind, solar and other renewable energy production, improved the disposal of nuclear waste, and oversaw the return of 90,000 acres of land to Native American tribes, one of the largest voluntary returns of Indian lands ever.
Governor Richardson served for 15 years as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in northern New Mexico representing the 3rd Congressional District.
Governor Richardson held an adjunct professorship at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and was a lecturer at the Armand Hammer United World College of the American West in 2001. Richardson also worked at Kissinger McLarty Associates, a strategic advisory firm co-founded by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
About NCSE
The National Council for Science and the Environment is non-profit organization dedicated to improving the scientific basis for environmental decision-making. NCSE specializes in programs that foster collaboration between the diverse institutions and individuals creating and using environmental knowledge, including the scientific, educational, environmental, and business communities as well as government agencies at all levels.
Visit www.NCSEonline.orgfor more information on NCSE initiatives.
Media Contact:
Lyle Birkey
202-207-0014
lbirkey@ncseonline.org
