Julie Tighe
President
New York League of Conservation Voters and New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
Julie Tighe was named President of NYLCV and NYLCVEF in 2018. As President, she oversees the organizations’ policy, political, development, programmatic, and communications teams. Due in part to the League’s and her advocacy, the State enacted the Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act – the nation’s most progressive climate law, congestion pricing, the $3 Billion Restore Mother Nature Bond Act, the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth & Community Benefit Act, and several other pieces of legislation to reduce emissions from the transportation and buildings sectors. She also helped secure increased State funding for water infrastructure and New York City funding for parks and open spaces.
Previously, she served for more than eleven years at the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation in various roles, having been elevated to Chief of Staff following her role as Assistant Commissioner of Intergovernmental and Legislative Affairs. As DEC’s Chief of Staff, she was instrumental in advancing the agency’s legislative priorities including reform of the State’s Brownfield Cleanup Program and a ten-year, $1 billion Superfund authorization. Ms. Tighe was a primary negotiator for the landmark $2.5 billion Clean Water Infrastructure Act, the incorporation of the Climate Change program into New York’s historic $300 million Environmental Protection Fund, three successful Constitutional Amendments, and the most comprehensive electronics recycling law in the country. She oversaw DEC’s policy development, helped run the nearly 3,000 employee agency, and served as a key member of the organization’s leadership team.