Mary D. Nichols
Mary Nichols | |
|---|---|
| Chair of the California Air Resources Board | |
| In office 2007–2020 | |
| Governor | Arnold Schwarzenegger Jerry Brown Gavin Newsom |
| Preceded by | Robert Sawyer |
| Succeeded by | Liane Randolph |
| In office 1979–1983 | |
| Governor | Jerry Brown |
| Preceded by | Thomas Quinn |
| Succeeded by | Gordon W. Duffy |
| Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency | |
| In office 1999–2003 | |
| Governor | Gray Davis |
| Preceded by | Douglas Wheeler |
| Succeeded by | Mike Chrisman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mary Dolores Nichols April 1945 (age 80) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Relatives | Benjamin Nichols (father) |
| Education | Cornell University (BA) Yale University (JD) |
Mary Dolores Nichols (born 1945) is an American attorney and government official who was the chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) from 2007 to 2020. She also held that post between 1979 and 1983. From 1999 to 2003, she served as secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency in the cabinet of then-Governor Gray Davis. Due to her efforts to combat global warming, she has been dubbed "the Queen of Green", and described as "the most influential environmental regulator in history."
In November 2020, she was named a possible candidate for administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. In December 2020, it was announced that Michael S. Regan would serve in the role.