Thomas D. Peterson is serving his first term on City Council.
Peterson, who has lived in the city since 2002, served as chair of Fairfax City’s Environmental Sustainability Committee from 2022-24.
He is founder, president, and CEO of the Center for Climate Strategies, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that coordinates worldwide to develop and implement shared solutions to climate change, economic development, social equity, and sustainability.
He is an adjunct professor and lecturer at the Johns Hopkins University Energy Policy and Climate program and an adjunct professor at the George Mason University Department of Environmental Science and Policy.
Peterson has held numerous positions in the government and private sector, including as White House senior advisor at the Council of Economic Advisors and Council of Environmental Quality; Brookings Legislative Fellow to Sen. Joe Lieberman; economist at the EPA; vice president of DSL Capital; and adjunct professor at the Penn State Dickinson School of Law and the George Mason University School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution.
He was awarded the U.S. EPA Gold Medal for Exceptional Service and was featured in Michael Fraidenburg’s Intelligent Courage: Natural Resource Careers that Make a Difference.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the College of William and Mary, an M.S. M.E.M. in natural resource economics and policy from Duke University, and an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.
He is a member of the Maryland Clean Energy Center Advisory Council and the Johns Hopkins University Energy Policy and Climate Advisory Committee.
He and his wife Melissa have one daughter and share their home with rescue dogs and cats.
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