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 in environmental policy, diplomacy, and state governance.

Prior to her appointment, Sanchez served as Senior Advisor for Climate to Governor Newsom, 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.

Sanchez previously served as Senior Advisor to the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate in the Biden-Harris Administration, as Deputy Secretary for Climate Policy and Intergovernmental Relations at the California Environmental Protection Agency, as International Policy Director at CARB, and as a Climate Negotiator at the U.S. Department of State.

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.