Carter Strickland, Jr

Carter is the Chief Sustainability Officer and Executive Director of Climate Action at the State University of New York, which spans 64 campuses, including three teaching hospitals, and educates 1.3 million students. With over 30 years of experience across government, nonprofit, and private sectors, Carter has been a leader on developing strategic visions and implementing tangible solutions to environmental issues and is a recognized subject matter expert in water, air, energy, natural climate solutions, climate risk assessment, and green business development, with a proven track record of driving organizational change, creating partnerships and policies, and building infrastructure.

Previous posts include Mid-Atlantic Regional Vice President and New York State Director for the Trust for Public Land, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, advisor for Closed Loop Partner’s organics recycling business, policy advisor to NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a litigator and professor at the Rutgers Environmental Law Clinic, prosecutor with the Office of the New York Attorney General Environmental Protection Bureau, and a board member of the Land Trust Alliance (New York), Billion Oyster Project, Natural Areas Conservancy, and Regional Plan Association.

Carter teaches a graduate seminar on environmental infrastructure for sustainable cities at Columbia University.