Erin Crotty

Executive Director, Audubon New York and

Vice President, National Audubon Society

Erin was Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation from 2001-2005, and the first woman to lead this agency of over 3,300 professional staff and a nearly $1 billion annual budget. During her tenure, Erin led the first in the nation eleven state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), to develop a cap and trade program for power plant carbon dioxide emissions, which is now a national model and oversaw the largest land conservation agreement to protect more than 260,000 acres of former International Paper property in the Adirondacks. Erin also led the negotiations of the historic New York City Watershed Agreement, and helped develop the toughest in the nation regulations on power plant emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide – precursors to acid rain.

She has served as the Director of State and Community Relations for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) acting as the University’s primary liaison to State and local government, businesses and non-profits. Erin has been recognized for her conservation leadership, including the New York State Bar Association’s Environmental Law Section award, Audubon’s Long Island Sound Guardian Award, the Adirondack Council’s Conservationist of the Year. She was profiled in the National Journal’s May 2004 Special Report for her work to combat climate change.

Erin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Russell Sage College and a Master of Science in Urban and Environmental Studies from RPI.