BOSTON — Secretary Rebecca L. Tepper announced her leadership team at the Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs (EEA). T

 

The following individuals have joined the Office of the Secretary and will help shape the Commonwealth's clean energy economy, environmental protections, and public lands.

 

"We've assembled a team of visionary thinkers and dedicated public servants to lead the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs at this pivotal time," said Secretary Tepper. "Working with our departments, we are committed to guiding an equitable transition to clean energy, protecting our precious natural resources, and building healthy, resilient communities. I've charged our team to view their work through an environmental justice lens so that no community is left behind as the clean energy economy grows and the climate heats up."

 

Kathleen Glunz Skarin – Chief of Staff

 

Prior to joining the Healey-Driscoll Administration, Skarin spent 25 years in high-intensity political and professional working environments at all levels of government. Most recently, Skarin served as senior engagement officer at RIZE Massachusetts. Before joining RIZE, she was director of strategic partnerships at the New England Aquarium. As chief of staff at the Middlesex Sheriff's Office for nearly a decade, Skarin was a member of the sheriff's command staff and led on executing priority initiatives, including criminal justice reform efforts. She also served as staff director for the Joint Committee on Public Health and later the Joint Committee on Financial Services. During this time, she managed the daily operations of the committees and developed the policy agenda with the chairman and committee staff. Her career began in Washington, DC as a member of the legislative staff of Senator Edward M. Kennedy and later in Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's Washington office, where she spent seven years working with Congress and the executive branch on issues important to the city of Chicago, including expanding and improving the city's transit system. She holds a Bachelor's degree from Marquette University. She started on February 27.

 

As Chief of Staff, Skarin oversees the daily operations of the agency, handling the Secretary's agenda and schedule, facilitating inter-agency collaboration, and serving as a primary point of contact with the Governor's Office.

 

Paolo DiFabio – Deputy Chief of Staff

 

Paolo DiFabio comes to EEA from the British Consulate-General in Boston, where he served as Head of Politics, Press, and Public Affairs. In this role, he organized numerous UK business and political delegations, major events like bringing the Red Arrows to Boston, celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, and the 2022 Earthshot Prize visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Since COP26 DiFabio has been helping to lead the UK's efforts to tackle climate change and support green energy development in the region. Previously, he spent twelve years as a university administrator leading academic degree development and student recruitment for Boston University's College of Fine Arts, as well as other roles in political campaigns and business startups. He holds a Bachelor's from Ithaca College and a Master's of Fine Arts from Boston University. He starts on March 27.

 

DiFabio will work closely with Skarin and other members of EEA leadership to coordinate the daily operations of the agency and provide support to the Secretary.

 

Peter C. Mulcahy – General Counsel

 

Peter Mulcahy is an experienced energy and environmental law advocate in both the public and private sectors. Mulcahy previously served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Environmental Protection Division under then-Attorney General Healey, working on some of her Office's highest-profile environmental initiatives, including the investigations of Volkswagen's diesel emissions fraud and ExxonMobil's decades-long deception of the public regarding the role of fossil fuels in climate change. He defended key environmental regulations against challenges from the Trump Administration and won settlements against corporations and individuals who flouted laws protecting the environment and public health. He also co-led several policy initiatives, including novel drives to pull together stakeholders across the state government and non-profit sector to raise awareness, change policy, and increase enforcement to protect the public from toxic exposures to lead and asbestos. While at the Attorney General's Office, he also served as co-chair of the Environmental Litigation Committee of the Boston Bar Association. Prior to joining the Attorney General's Office, Mulcahy was a senior associate at Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, Hale & Dorr LLP in Boston, practicing in the firm's Investigations and Criminal Litigation group. Most recently, he was a senior associate in the White Collar and Investigations group at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., also in Boston. He grew up in Shrewsbury and holds a bachelor's degree in government and a law degree, both from Harvard. He rows on Lake Quinsigamond and lives in Shrewsbury with his daughter, Amalia, and his dog, Scout.

 

Mulcahy will advise the Secretary and EEA leadership on a variety of legal and policy issues, including legislation, regulations, and statutory authorities, and will advise and coordinate with department-level legal staff.

 

Katherine Antos – Undersecretary of Decarbonization & Resilience

 

Katherine Antos has served as the Deputy Executive Director for Planning & Sustainability at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) since 2022. At MAPC, she leads the Clean Energy, Environment, Land Use, Transportation and Arts & Culture Departments on plans, technical assistance and initiatives that advance a more resilient Greater Boston region. She partners with cities, towns, state agencies and organizations to promote sustainable development, advance equity, address climate change, and foster regional collaboration. Prior to joining MAPC, Antos worked at the Washington, D.C. Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) as the Senior Policy Advisor to the Director and the Chief of the Partnering and Environmental Conservation Branch. She oversaw the development and execution of priority initiatives to advance watershed restoration, environmental education, workforce development, community engagement, climate mitigation and resilience, and urban agriculture. Antos also served as the first Ambassador for the Anacostia River under the Urban Waters Federal Partnership and in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Program Office. She has received national and regional recognition for her work to reduce pollution, build partnerships, cultivate stewardship among diverse communities, and lead change at DOEE and the EPA. Antos grew up in Massachusetts and holds a Master's degree in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Brown University. She lives in Arlington, Massachusetts, with her husband and children. She starts on March 27.

 

As the Undersecretary of Decarbonization & Resilience, Antos will integrate EEA's climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts in response to the climate crisis. She will oversee the implementation of the Clean Energy and Climate Plan, the Commonwealth's roadmap to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and efforts to prepare for and increase resilience to climate change impacts. As part of the Healey-Driscoll Administration's agenda, Antos will focus on reducing impacts to communities disproportionately burdened by flooding and extreme heat and creating opportunities in the clean energy economy.

 

Stephanie Cooper – Undersecretary for the Environment

 

Stephanie Cooper joins EEA as Undersecretary for Environment after serving in a range of roles throughout the Secretariat. Most recently, Cooper was the Deputy Commissioner for Policy & Planning for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). In this role, she led agency regulatory development efforts and managed priority initiatives related to air quality, climate change, hazardous waste clean-up, solid waste and recycling, and water resources. She previously served as Chief of Staff for DEP. For eight months in 2021 and 2022, she took a leave from DEP to serve as Acting Commissioner for the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), where she oversaw a successful agency-wide strategic evaluation process. Previously, as Assistant Secretary at EEA, she guided the state's policies and investments relative to land protection, forestry, and urban parks. Prior to that, as Chief of Staff for DCR, she helped manage DCR's diverse responsibilities across a 450,000-acre forest and parks system. Before coming to Massachusetts, Stephanie served the City of New York in a variety of roles, including Chief of Staff for Operations at the NYC Department of Transportation, and in the Mayor's Office, where she was a liaison to transportation, environmental protection, and capital construction agencies. Her other prior experience includes environmental consulting, community organizing, and non-profit work. She holds a Bachelor's in political science from Middlebury College and a Master's in public administration from Syracuse University's Maxwell School. She lives in Brookline with her daughter. She started on March 6.

 

As Undersecretary for Environment, Cooper will oversee and partner with the environmental agencies – the Departments of Environmental Protection, Fish and Game, Agricultural Resources, and Conservation and Recreation – to protect, preserve, and enhance the Commonwealth's environmental resources while ensuring a clean energy future for all. She will serve as a key advisor on environmental issues and coordinate specific programs, including land conservation, park investments, toxics use reduction, and coastal zone management.

 

Michael Judge – Undersecretary of Energy

 

Michael Judge joins EEA as Undersecretary for Energy from the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA), where he has served as the Vice President for Policy since September 2021. In this role, Judge managed CCSA's Policy Team, leading its policy advocacy at both the federal level and across the more than 20 states in which the organization's members are active. Prior to his time at CCSA, he spent over 12 years in various roles in Massachusetts state government, including over two years as Director of Electric Power, Regional, and Federal Affairs at the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU), in which he managed the DPU's Electric Power Division and its oversight of the Commonwealth's investor-owned electric distribution companies and licensed competitive retail electricity suppliers and brokers. He also advised the Commission on matters pertaining to electric power supply, reliability, electric vehicles, energy efficiency, grid modernization, interconnection, renewable energy, and storm and emergency planning. Prior to his time at the DPU, he spent over nine years at the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER), including four years as Director of its Renewable and Alternative Energy Division. During his time at DOER, he was responsible for the administration of the Commonwealth's Renewable and Alternative Portfolio Standards and oversaw the development and implementation of other programs supporting clean energy and energy storage, such as the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Energy Target (SMART) Program. He holds two Bachelor's degrees from UMass Amherst and lives in Boston. He starts on March 27. 

 

As the Undersecretary for Energy, Judge will coordinate the execution of energy policy for EEA. He will work directly with DOER, the DPU, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and other agencies on the development of policy priorities and the implementation of Massachusetts energy laws and regulations.

 

Previously, Secretary Tepper appointed María Belén Power as the first-ever Undersecretary of Environmental Justice & Equity, who will lead the newly established Office of Environmental Justice. Jason Marshall will serve as Deputy Secretary and Special Counsel for Federal and Regional Energy Affairs, and Mary Louise "Weezie" Nuara will join as Assistant Secretary for Federal and Regional Energy Affairs. Tepper also named Maria Hardiman as Director of Communications. Olivia McCaffrey will remain Chief Financial Officer, Faye Boardman to continue as Chief Operations Officer, and Johannes Buchannan will stay on as Assistant Secretary for Government Affairs. Tori Kim continues as Assistant Secretary and Director of the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office, and Lisa Berry Engler remains Director of the Office of Coastal Zone Management. Danielle Burney continues as Deputy Director of Communications.