The Biden-Harris administration today (Feb. 9) named Austin Brown as senior director for transportation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Brown has been the executive director of the University of California, Davis, since 2017. His leadership has positioned the institute as a respected authority on clean energy and sustainable transportation, and as a broker of strong connections between the research and policy communities at the local, state and national levels.
Brown is also an assistant adjunct professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis. He recently supported the Biden-Harris transition as a member of the Department of Transportation鈥檚 Agency Review Team.
鈥淚鈥檓 honored to be asked to serve at this critical time,鈥 Brown said. 鈥淚 share the values held by the administration and their leadership team, including centering equity, valuing diversity, and restoring science to tackle the climate crisis. The team that President Biden and Vice President Harris have put together is a once-in-a-generation group, and I am committed to do my utmost to contribute.鈥
The White House Council on Environmental Quality develops policies and helps to advise the president on issues of environmental justice, federal sustainability, public lands, oceans and wildlife conservation, among others. In his new role, Brown will be a member of the new White House climate team, focused on implementing the transportation aspects of the Biden-Harris administration鈥檚 鈥渨hole of government鈥 approach to fighting climate change.
鈥Austin has partnered with our Institute of Transportation Studies and other centers to increase the impact of 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis research and elevate the profile of the Policy Institute,鈥 said Dan Sperling, founding director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis, or ITS-Davis. 鈥淗is performance and effectiveness in bringing science to policy was extraordinary. Now President Biden, Gina McCarthy [who leads the newly formed Office of Domestic Climate Policy] and the entire nation will benefit from his passion and extreme competence.鈥
With his appointment, Brown returns to the nation鈥檚 capital where he worked for nearly a decade before joining 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis. He held positions at the Department of Energy and in the National Renewable Energy Laboratory before being appointed assistant director for clean energy and transportation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy under President Obama.
With Brown鈥檚 transition back to federal service, ITS-Davis Director Sperling will assume responsibilities as acting executive director of the Policy Institute.
Other 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis affiliates serve
In addition to Brown鈥檚 appointment, several other ITS-Davis affiliates have earned positions in the new administration:
- Steve Cliff, a 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis doctoral graduate formerly affiliated with ITS-Davis, was appointed deputy administrator at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- Tatjana Kunz, a recent 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis graduate and Policy Institute intern, was appointed special assistant for policy at the Department of Transportation.
- Vicki Arroyo of Georgetown University, who serves on the ITS-Davis Board of Advisors, was appointed associate administrator for policy at the Environmental Protection Agency.
Media Resources
Kat Kerlin, 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis News and Media Relations, 530-750-9195, kekerlin@ucdavis.edu
Samuel Chiu, 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Policy Institute, 530-752-2039, sachiu@ucdavis.edu