Today, Evergreen Action announced that Liya Rechtman has joined the organization as Senior Transportation Policy Lead. In this role, Liya will lead Evergreen’s work to advance clean transportation policies at the federal and state levels, including reducing pollution, improving mobility, and driving climate-smart infrastructure investments.

“Liya brings an exceptional track record of leadership at the intersection of transportation and climate policy,” said Evergreen Senior Policy Director Rachel Patterson. “From shaping the U.S. Department of Transportation’s climate action plans to implementing key provisions of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, she has helped steer some of the most consequential transportation policy work of the last several years. Liya joins the team at a critical time as we double down on the clean transportation solutions needed to meet this moment.”

“I’m honored to join Evergreen and contribute to this crucial time for defending and advancing climate progress,” said Evergreen Senior Transportation Policy Lead Liya Rechtman. “Transportation is the largest source of climate pollution in the U.S., but it’s also a sector ripe for transformation. From electrifying vehicles to expanding public transit, we have the tools to deliver cleaner air, lower costs, and better mobility. I’m ready to get to work.”

Liya most recently advised on policy for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of the Secretary in the Biden-Harris Administration. She served as lead author of both Climate Strategies that Work and the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization Convenient Transportation Action Plan, and led the implementation of travel demand modeling requirements under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. For her contributions to climate policy, she received a Secretary’s Gold Medal, Secretary’s Medal, and Undersecretary’s Award.

Before her time at USDOT, Liya was a climate policy advisor for the California State Transportation Agency and a senior legislative specialist at the California Department of Transportation. She has also advised political campaigns nationally and across New York, Texas, Louisiana, and Massachusetts. Liya holds a master’s degree from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where she was a John F. Kennedy Fellow, and the Harvard Divinity School, where she was a Wexner Fellow and Davidson Scholar. She graduated summa cum laude from Amherst College.

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