The Colorado School of Public Health is honored to announce Gina McCarthy, public health champion and former head of the Environmental Protection Agency, will serve as the keynote speaker for the 2025 ColoradoSPH Convocation, to be held on Monday, May 19, at 10:00 AM. In recognition of this role, McCarthy will also receive the distinction of the A.J. Kauvar Visiting Professorship, an honor bestowed upon distinguished leaders in public health and the school’s annual convocation.
“Gina McCarthy is a highly regarded, national public health leader and the Colorado School of Public Health is honored that she will deliver this year’s convocation address,” said Cathy Bradley, dean of the Colorado School of Public Health.
A respected national leader in climate change, the environment, and public health, McCarthy was the first White House National Climate Advisor and a former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator. As head of the White House Climate Policy Office under President Biden, she led historic initiatives to accelerate clean energy investments, create new jobs, and position the United States as a global leader in climate action. Her leadership, alongside major climate provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, set the stage for achieving the nation’s ambitious goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
With a career spanning several administrations, McCarthy has built a reputation for bipartisan problem-solving, working with states, businesses, labor leaders, and communities—particularly those in environmental justice areas—to address environmental challenges while fostering economic growth and public health improvements.
“As our graduates embark upon the next phase of their professional journeys in public health, they will turn to other public health leaders for guidance and inspiration; Gina McCarthy’s visit to campus in May will serve as an inspiration to graduates and their guests alike,” said Madiha Abdel-Maksoud, associate dean for Academic & Student Affairs.
McCarthy currently serves as a Senior Advisor at Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Managing Co-Chair of the America Is All In Coalition, and a Senior Fellow at The Fletcher School’s Climate Policy Lab at Tufts University. She has also held roles as President and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and as a professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she directed climate and public health initiatives.
Prior to her federal roles, McCarthy served as the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, where she led the state’s Climate Action Plan and helped launch the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the nation’s first cap-and-trade program for reducing power plant emissions. She has also held senior environmental policy roles in Massachusetts across five gubernatorial administrations.
Her extensive experience in public service includes serving as EPA Administrator (2013–2017) under President Obama, where she championed key environmental policies such as stronger clean air standards, new water protections, and the first national regulations on greenhouse gas emissions for power plants. She also played a pivotal role in advancing U.S. leadership on global climate agreements, including the Paris Climate Agreement and the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
McCarthy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts Boston and a Master of Science in Environmental Health Engineering, Planning, and Policy from Tufts University.
Colorado School of Public Health looks forward to celebrating the achievements of our graduates with an inspiring address from one of the nation’s foremost public health and climate leaders.