California Air Resources Board

Appointed September 2025 by Governor Gavin Newsom

Term ends December 31, 2026

Lauren Sanchez was appointed Chair of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) by Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2025. A seasoned climate policy expert, Sanchez brings experience at the intersection of environmental policy, diplomacy, and state governance.

Prior to her appointment, Sanchez served as Senior Advisor for Climate in the Office of Governor Newsom beginning in 2021, where she was widely recognized as a chief architect of California’s ambitious climate agenda including codifying the state’s carbon neutrality goal and extending the Cap-and-Invest program through mid-century. Her leadership also helped direct billions in climate and clean air investments, further solidifying positioned California as a global leader.

Sanchez’s career spans both state and federal service. In 2021, she was Senior Advisor to the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate in the Biden-Harris Administration, contributing to international climate diplomacy. From 2019 to 2021, she served as Deputy Secretary for Climate Policy and Intergovernmental Relations at the California Environmental Protection Agency. She also held the role of International Policy Director at CARB from 2018 to 2019 and was a Climate Negotiator at the U.S. Department of State from 2015 to 2017, where she played a role in shaping global climate agreements.

A Fulbright Scholar, Sanchez holds a Master of Science in Environmental Management from Yale University and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and Biology from Middlebury College.

She lives in Oakland with her husband and son. In her spare time, she enjoys trails, tacos and travelling.