Patricia Monahan

Patty is the managing director of global climate strategies at Climate Lead, where she manages the team that is responsible for delivering high-impact climate solutions for philanthropists. Patty has dedicated her career toward advancing clean energy technologies and cutting harmful pollution, with a strong focus on equity and transportation.  

Patty was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2019 to be one of the five commissioners on the California Energy Commission, where she served for 6 years. She was the lead commissioner on transportation, industrial decarbonization, hydrogen, and ports. Patty helped grow the Energy Commission’s annual budget for clean transportation from $100 million to several billion dollars, and she oversaw the state buildout of refueling infrastructure for zero-emission vehicles.

Before joining the Energy Commission, Patty was the transportation program director at the Energy Foundation, where she guided campaigns across the United States that advanced electric transportation, more efficient vehicles, and cleaner transportation fuels. She supported the Energy Foundation China office with fundraising and strategy development for their transportation portfolio. Patty worked for the Union of Concerned Scientists in several roles, including Director of the California office and Deputy Director of Clean Vehicles. She worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and two energy-related consulting firms.

Patty has received multiple awards, including the 2025 Transportation Electrification Power Player from the Smart Electric Power Alliance, the 2025 Blue Sky award from Calstart, the 2022 California Clean Air award from the Coalition for Clean Air, the 2019 Advocate award from Plug-In America, and the 2019 Public Sector Leadership award from Forth Mobility. She currently serves on the advisory boards of the U.C. Institute for Transportation Studies and the International Council on Clean Transportation.