Biography
Kathleen Theoharides has served as Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs since May 2019, overseeing Massachusetts’ energy and environmental agencies tasked with protecting, preserving, and enhancing the Commonwealth’s environmental resources while ensuring a clean energy future for the state.
Upon joining the Baker-Polito Administration in 2016, Theoharides led the development of the State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan, and created the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program. Since her appointment as Secretary, Theoharides has spearheaded key initiatives to advance the Administration’s climate, clean energy, and environmental agenda, including establishing a nation-leading target of Net Zero by 2050 and supporting the development of offshore wind in Massachusetts. Theoharides also led negotiations that resulted in nation-leading climate legislation signed by Governor Baker in March 2021.
Theoharides received a B.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Dartmouth College and Masters of Science in Ecology and Environmental Biology from University of Massachusetts-Boston.