CEA Staff

Kirk is the Founder of CEA and has been at the helm as a Principal since 1984. His deep experience in energy and environmental regulation provides the foundation for CEA's work with a variety of private and public sector clients. Prior to establishing CEA in 1984, Kirk was the Under Secretary of California's Natural Resources Agency and served as the Director of the Office of Appropriate Technology. He also held various positions at the U.S. Department of the Interior. At California's Natural Resources Agency, Kirk was responsible for managing budget and policy initiatives of the agency's nine departments. He resolved policy conflicts among departments, cabinet officers, legislators, companies, and private citizens. Later, he worked as a consultant with the Environmental Defense Fund to help implement programs in energy, water, and hazardous materials.

Kirk has led large-scale regulatory reform and strategic planning projects for major manufacturing and transportation companies as well as for trade associations and nonprofits. He has represented individual clients and trade associations before legislative and regulatory agencies in California and Washington, D.C. In July 1999, Governor Davis appointed Kirk as a public member of the California Board of Forestry, where he served as the Vice-Chair of the Board until 2007. Kirk currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and on the Boards of the Pacific Forest Trust, the Blue Mountain Center and the Point Reyes National Seashore Association.

Kirk has a master's degree in Natural Resources Policy and Management from the University of Michigan and a bachelor's degree from Trinity College. While Kirk has a passion for travel to places far and near, many of his fondest times are spent enjoying the wonders of the Tomales Bay region, by foot, sail or oar.