Tia Nelson

Tia Nelson
Personal details
Born (1956-06-21) June 21, 1956
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Residence Maple Bluff, Wisconsin, U.S.
Education University of Wisconsin-Madison (BS)

Tia Lee Nelson (born 1956) is an American academic, environmental activist, and politician from the state of Wisconsin. A Democrat, she served as Executive Secretary of the Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands. Nelson is the daughter of former United States Senator and governor Gaylord Nelson.

Early life and career

Nelson was born in June 21, 1956 in the Crestwood neighborhood of Madison, Wisconsin. She was two years old when her father was elected Governor of Wisconsin. She lived in the Executive Residence (Governor's Mansion) in Maple Bluff, Wisconsin until the age of six, when her father was elected to United States Senate. She spent her upbringing in Washington, D.C. until graduating from high school and returning to Wisconsin to attend college.[1] Nelson often accompanied her father during campaign stops throughout his political career.

After graduating from UW–Madison’s school of wildlife ecology and clerking for the Wisconsin Assembly committee on natural resources, Nelson joined The Nature Conservancy. She spent 17 years with The Nature Conservancy as a policy advisor for Latin America and then, the first director of the Global Climate Change Initiative. Nelson traveled to 25 countries during her time as head of the climate change initiative, and she was in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 when President George H.W. Bush’s presence signaled the U.S. commitment to help fight global warming. Nelson received the Climate Protection Award in 2000 from the Environmental Protection Agency for her advocacy and influence.[2][3]

In 2004, Nelson returned home to Wisconsin to serve as Executive Secretary to the Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands (BCPL), which included an appointment in 2007 as co‐chair of Wisconsin’s Task Force on Global Warming. In July 2005, Nelson spoke at her father's memorial service which was held at the Wisconsin Capitol Building.[4] Nelson introduced Michelle Obama during a rally before the 2008 presidential primary in Wisconsin.[5] In 2009, Nelson testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee regarding the American Clean Energy and Security Act.[6] The legislation would have cut carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by 20 percent by 2020 and by 83 percent by mid-century.

While serving as Executive Secretary to the BCPL, Nelson was ordered to never discuss climate change on state time by two of the three board members--the Attorney General and the State Treasurer.[7] The Attorney General later changed his position on the "gag" order and went on to express strong support for Nelson's job performance in a letter released to the press.[8] Nelson left her post at the state in 2015 and is currently the Managing Director of the Climate program at the Outrider Foundation.[9][10] Nelson introduced Bernie Sanders at an October 2016 Madison rally for Hillary Clinton. Nelson voiced her support for Clinton and Russ Feingold based on their advocacy for clean energy policies.[11]

Other roles

Awards

References

  1. ↑ Moe, Doug (11 February 2017). "Tia Nelson:The climate change champion". Madison Magazine. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 "The Nelson Institute". nelson.wisc.edu. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  3. 1 2 "Document Display | NEPIS | US EPA". Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  4. ↑ "Senator Gaylord Nelson Memorial Service". C-SPAN.org. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  5. ↑ "Obama Campaign Event". C-SPAN.org. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  6. ↑ "Climate Change Legislation, Panel 4". C-SPAN.org. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  7. ↑ Verburg, Steven (22 July 2015). "Tia Nelson hired by Outrider Foundation to direct national effort". The Chippewa Herald. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  8. ↑ Schimel, Brad (July 21, 2015). "Brad Schimel's Annual Review of Tia Nelson" (PDF). Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Our Team". Outrider. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  10. ↑ Opoien, Jessie (21 July 2015). "Tia Nelson steps down from public lands board that banned climate change discussion". The Cap Times. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  11. ↑ "Sanders/Feingold Rally for Clinton in Madison | WSUM 91.7 FM Madison Student Radio". wsum.org. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  12. ↑ "Gathering Waters Conservancy | 2010 Annual Report" (PDF). Gathering Waters Conservancy. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Board of Directors | cool choices". blog.coolchoices.com. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  14. ↑ "Friends of The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore | 2017 Annual Report" (PDF). Friends of The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. December 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  15. ↑ "The Nelson Institute". nelson.wisc.edu. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  16. ↑ "Past Award Winners". www.waee.org. Retrieved 2018-08-01.

Official

Articles

Interviews, speeches, and statements

Media Coverage

Other

  • The Fall of Wisconsin by Dan Kaufman
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