Penn Washington named environmental policy leader Elizabeth Klein as its inaugural director of domestic policy programs.
Klein — who has over 25 years of experience in sustainable energy — most recently served as the director of the bureau of ocean energy management for the United States Department of the Interior. Her new role at Penn Washington involves research, policy, and applied learning.
“We are excited to have Liz join our Penn Washington leadership team as the first domestic policy programs director,” Celeste Wallander, Penn Washington’s executive director, wrote in the announcement. “Liz brings a wealth of experience in the legal, environmental, policy, and academic worlds, and is uniquely suited to lead as we demonstrate Penn’s excellence in research and scholarship across a wide range of domestic issues facing policy makers here in Washington.”
Klein has served in the Interior Department during a total of three presidential administrations and worked under Presidents Clinton, Obama, and Biden on renewable energy development, public lands policy, and climate adaptation. As an attorney, she specialized in energy and environmental law issues, helping to support state attorneys defend clean energy initiatives against legal battles at the New York University School of Law.
In a post shared to LinkedIn, Klein expressed her excitement to assume the new role:
“One of the guiding Penn principles comes from the words of its founder Benjamin Franklin: “draw down the lightning” to pursue the power of knowledge for the benefit of humanity.”
She added that she is “excited and humbled to join amazingly bright and energetic experts who are crafting pragmatic solutions for the great challenges of our time.”
Penn Washington was launched in 2024 with the main intention of connecting Penn students, researchers, and faculty to policy makers. Penn Washington domestic programs include The Franklin Initiative, which seeks to enhance U.S. policy in solving issues facing the nation.
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Prior to her role in the Interior Department, Klein served as the senior counselor to Secretary Haaland — focusing on water policy and resilience against climate change — and was the chair of the Indian Water Rights Working Group.
