Terry Tamminen

In the summer of 2003, Terry Tamminen helped Arnold Schwarzenegger win the historic recall election and become Governor of California. He became Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency in November 2003 and was promoted to Cabinet Secretary, Chief Policy Advisor to the Governor, in December 2004. During his tenure with Governor Schwarzenegger, Tamminen helped launch some of the most progressive, successful, and laudable sustainable energy initiatives in the country. The environmental changes he implemented have left California a cleaner, healthier state with a cutting edge reputation for policies that work for the good of the land and its citizens. In August 2006, Tamminen left the Schwarzenegger administration to focus on Lives Per Gallon.

In 1993, Tamminen founded the Santa Monica BayKeeper and served as its Executive Director for six years. He co-founded Waterkeeper programs in San Diego, Orange County, Ventura, and Santa Barbara. He also served for five years as Executive Director of the Environment Now Foundation in Santa Monica, CA.

From his youth in Australia to career experiences in Europe, Africa, and all parts of the United States, Terry Tamminen has developed expertise in business, farming, education, non-profit, the environment, the arts, and government. He has studied conch depletion in the Bahamas, manatee populations in Florida coastal waters, and mariculture in the Gulf States with Texas A&M University. On land, Tamminen managed the largest sheep ranch east of the Mississippi, assisting the University of Minnesota in developing new methods of livestock disease control. He also managed a multi-million dollar real estate company, owned and operated a successful recreational services business, and assisted the west African nation of Nigeria with the creation of their first solid waste recycling program.

Tamminen has authored numerous technical papers and several theatrical works on the life of William Shakespeare. He is a United States Coast Guard-licensed ship captain and an avid airplane and helicopter pilot.

He has also served on numerous civic and charitable Boards and Commissions, including as Chair of the Public Advisory Committee to the Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project and on the U.S. Navy Pt. Mugu Naval Air Station Restoration Advisory Board, the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Safety Committee and on the Board of the Wishtoyo Foundation, a group that preserves natural resources through Chumash Indian traditional teachings.

He lives in Santa Monica, California.