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Martin J. Walsh was first elected Mayor of Boston in 2013 and reelected in 2017.  Among his many priorities for the city, he has made climate action one of the highest. In doing so, he has made Boston a national and global leader among major cities addressing issues in climate and environment. Each year of his tenure, Boston has been ranked the #1 city in the country for energy efficiency by the American Council on an Energy-Efficient Economy.  Mayor Walsh was named North American Co-Chair of the C40 Climate Cities steering committee, a nationwide network.  At the Paris climate conference in 2015, Boston won the C40 award for Smart Cities and Smart Community Engagement.  In 2017, Boston led cities nationwide in upholding our nation’s commitments to the Paris Climate Agreement.  Mayor Walsh recently accelerated the original carbon reduction goals of Boston’s Climate Action Plan, to become carbon neutral by 2050–the most aggressive energy efficiency goal of any city Boston’s size.  Through energy performance contracting. Mayor Walsh will implement the Renew Boston Trust, a program to manage energy retrofits of large public buildings that are self-financed by future savings.  In 2018, Mayor Walsh announced the “Resilient Boston Harbor” initiative to protect Boston’s 47- mile shoreline from flooding due to extreme weather and sea-level rise.Carl Spector was appointed Commissioner of the Environment Department in 2015. As Environment Commissioner, he oversees programs related to climate mitigation and adaptation, environmental protection, historic preservation, and other aspects of sustainability. Among related programs, the Environment Department includes the Air Pollution and Control Commission, the Conservation Commission, and the Boston Landmarks Commission.Spector and his colleagues in the Environment Department are responsible for steering the City of Boston toward the goals outlined in Boston’s Climate Action Plan Update, which outlines strategies to reduce carbon emissions and prepare for the impacts of climate change. The most significant and recent initiatives led by his team include Climate Ready Boston and Carbon Free Boston. Carl Spector will lead as the speaker in the event Martin J. Walsh is unable to attend. For more information, please contact Jennifer Henderson at Jennifer.Henderson-1@colorado.edu & Robert Brammer at rfbtech@comcast.net