Ralph Cavanagh

Ralph Cavanagh is the Energy Co-Director of the Climate & Clean Energy Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

Since joining NRDC in 1979, Ralph Cavanagh has focused on removing barriers to cost-effective energy efficiency and on the role that electric and natural gas utilities can play in leading a clean energy transition. From 1993 to 2003, he served on the U.S. secretary of energy’s advisory board. He has taught energy law and policy at Harvard Law School, Stanford Law School, the UC Berkeley Law School, and the University of Idaho. Currently he is a board member of the Bipartisan Policy Center and vice chair of the Bonneville Environmental Foundation; he also chairs the advisory board for the UC Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute. Cavanagh has received many awards, including the Heinz Award for Public Policy, the Bonneville Power Administration’s Award for Exceptional Public Service, the University of Missouri’s Crystal Award, and the Alliance to Save Energy’s Charles H. Percy Award. He is a graduate of Yale University and Yale Law School.