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DDOE's Brendan Shane to Serve as North American Regional Director of International Climate Change Organization, C40 Cities
WASHINGTON, DC, February 18, 2015 – Tommy Wells, acting director of the District Department of the Environment (DDOE), announced today that Brendan Shane, current Chief of the Office of Policy and Sustainability at DDOE, will serve as the new North American Regional Director for C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, an international climate change organization.
Shane will be responsible for supporting ground-breaking policy and programs among the 14 U.S. and Canadian C40 cities, promoting green building, energy efficiency and renewables, cleaner transportation and resilience in the face of a changing climate. Shane played a pivotal role in advancing environmental and urban sustainability goals in the District of Columbia, first at the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation and then at DDOE as part of the Mayor’s Sustainable DC initiative.
“This is a great opportunity and I’m proud one of our agency’s lead staff has been chosen for this prestigious position,” said Wells. “Brendan has made significant contributions as a public servant to the District of Columbia. It comes as no surprise that he has been selected to join the leading network of global cities committed to fighting climate change.”
C40 is a network of 70 global cities committed to implementing meaningful and sustainable actions locally to address climate change globally. C40 was created in 2005 by former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone; in 2006, a partnership was forged with the Cities Program of President Clinton’s Climate Initiative (CCI) to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency in large cities across the world. Since then, C40 has advanced numerous programs and partnerships that continue to draw international recognition for the role of cities as leaders in climate action. The District of Columbia joined C40 in late 2013 as a full participating member.
“This transition represents a unique opportunity for the Department to make further headway in sustainability and environmental policy. In the coming months, we will be looking for the industry’s brightest, most innovative minds to identify the best candidate to further Mayor Bowser’s vision that what’s good for the environment is good for the economy.”
Bill Updike, Green Building Lead at DDOE, will serve as Interim Deputy Director of DDOE’s newly forming Urban Sustainability Administration while the national search is conducted. “Bill is a great fit for this position. His innovative approach to environmental policy coupled with his experience within the Department makes him a natural choice,” said Wells. “I’m confident he will hit the ground running.”
