MEDIA CONTACTS: Kate Stanton (EOM) 202-727-2823, Sherry Schwechten (DDOE) 202-727-2823
WASHINGTON, DC – Mayor Adrian M. Fenty today named Christophe A.G. Tulou as Director of the District Department of the Environment (DDOE). He has overseen the development and implementation of many projects aimed at reducing negative effects on the environment and protecting natural resources for the benefit of American communities.
Prior to his post as DDOE Director, Mr. Tulou served as principal of Christophe Tulou Associates, an environmental and natural resource policy consulting firm.
“Christophe Tulou has proven his commitment to environmentalism and public service,” said Mayor Fenty. “With his extensive experience, I am confident that the DC Department of the Environment is well-positioned to make the District one of the nation’s greenest cities.”
"I thank Mayor Fenty for trusting me to continue the good work of DDOE and lead the environmental agenda for the city on climate change, water quality and energy conservation,” Mr. Tulou said. “We are all proud of Washington, DC as the Nation's Capital. I look forward to working with the Mayor and the people of this city, so we can all be equally proud of the District as a world-class livable, healthy and green home."
Christophe A. G. Tulou
Director of District Department of the Environment
As the new Director of DDOE, Mr. Tulou will promote the Mayor’s Green DC agenda and carry out the goal of making the District a global model for urban sustainability. He hopes to improve the quality of life for all residents, building on his expertise in the fields of science, policy and law.
Christophe established Christophe Tulou Associates in 1998. As its principal, he co-directed the Heinz Center/Ceres Resilient Coasts Initiative, a national program bringing together business, academic and governmental leaders to strategize on the Resilient Coasts Blueprint, a unique plan to help coastal communities withstand the hazards of climate change.
Through Christophe Tulou Associates, Mr. Tulou worked as an advisor on the Clinton Climate Initiative’s Carbon and Poverty Reduction (CCI-CPR) project, guiding the management of carbon accounting systems for tropical countries. He also co-directed the National Forum on Children and Nature, with the goal of helping children reconnect with nature by working on national projects.
While on hiatus from Christophe Tulou Associates from 2001 to 2004, Mr. Tulou served as Executive Director of the Pew Oceans Commission. His leadership there culminated in the publication of America’s Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Change, a $6 million initiative that provided a policy rubric for the restoration and protection of American marine life.
He also founded and was president of the nonprofit Center for SeaChange, an effort to dramatically reform national policy on ocean wildlife restoration and the preservation of ocean ecosystems. With a reputation for objective and credible analysis on ocean policy, SeaChange provided support to members of Congress in developing the ground-breaking OCEANS 21 Act in 2004.
He also has over 10 years experience in Congress including his position as Cabinet Secretary for the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. He was also Staff Director to a subcommittee of the US House Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs and a Congressional Fellow on the National Sea Grant College Program in the House of Representatives and as a Legislative Director to Congressman Thomas R. Carper.
Christophe was born in Geneva, Switzerland and is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and Georgetown University Law Center. He has also received two master’s degrees, in Zoology and Marine Affairs, from the University of Rhode Island. He is a member of both the Virginia and District Columbia Bars. He is the Director of the Board of the Environment Research Institute of the States, affiliate of the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) and a member of The Sustainable Oceans, Coasts and Waterways Advisory Committee of The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment.