Mary Nichols

Vice Chair, California-China Climate Institute

2015 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

Mary Nichols has devoted her entire career in public and nonprofit service to advocating for the environment and public health. At the California-China Climate Institute, she works with former California Governor Jerry Brown (who now leads the Institute) and others on initiatives focused on carbon neutrality, zero-emission vehicles, and other climate solutions.

Before joining the Institute, Nichols served as Chair of the California Air Resources Board (CARB), where she was responsible for implementing California’s landmark greenhouse gas emissions legislation, as well as setting air pollution standards for motor vehicles, fuels, and consumer products. She also served as California’s Secretary for Natural Resources, appointed by Governor Gray Davis. She led the Office of Air and Radiation at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where she was responsible for many regulatory breakthroughs, including the acid rain trading program and the first air quality standard for fine particles. Outside her work in the public sector, Nichols was a Professor of Law and the Director of the Institute of the Environment at the University of California, Los Angeles. She also practiced environmental law in Los Angeles, pursuing cases on behalf of environmental and public health organizations to enforce state and federal clean air legislation. She is a dedicated mentor and champion for women in the clean energy field. Nichols graduated from Cornell University and holds a JD from Yale Law School.