Power Shift: Keynote Conversation with Massachusetts Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer

Melissa Hoffer is Massachusetts’ first climate chief—the only state climate chief in the country. In this cabinet-level position, Hoffer is responsible for climate leadership across the whole of state government, leading the advancement of the commonwealth’s climate innovation, mitigation, adaptation, and resilience policies. A Day 1 political appointee in the Biden Administration, Hoffer served as acting general counsel and principal deputy general counsel of the Environmental Protection Agency. Previously, she was chief of the environmental Protection division and chief of the energy and environment bureau in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office. Hoffer has also worked for the Conservation Law Foundation and as a litigator and environmental lawyer at WilmerHale. She holds a JD from Northeastern University School of Law, a certificate in environmental management from Tufts University, an MEd from the University of Massachusetts, and a BA from Hampshire College.