Ashok Gupta

Ashok Gupta is the Director of Programs at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a non-profit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment with 1.2 million members, where he works with his colleagues on global warming policies, electric utility regulation, energy efficiency, renewables, sustainable building design and reducing petroleum dependence. Mr. Gupta is NRDC’s representative on Mayor Bloomberg’s Sustainability Advisory Board and Energy Policy Task Force. He also serves on Governor David Paterson’s Renewable Energy Task Force, the MTA Commission on Sustainability and the Kansas Energy and Environmental Policy Advisory Group. He received the US Green Building Council’s 2007 Leadership Award for Advocacy, the Environmental Steward Award from Solar One in 2006, the Environmental Professional of the Year Award from the Association of Energy Engineers in 2003, and the Environmental Advocates’ 2001 Advocate Award for leadership in support of clean air and energy. Mr. Gupta also serves on the Boards of Directors of the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies, U.S. Green Building Council - New York, Clean Air-Cool Planet, Alliance for Clean Energy New York, Citizen’s Union Foundation, Riverside South Planning Corporation, Renewable Energy Long Island, and the Low Impact Hydropower Institute. He previously served on the Boards of the Hudson River Foundation, the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships and Earth Pledge. Mr. Gupta has a bachelor's degree in physics and math from Georgetown University and a master's degree in economics from American University.