ICLEI USA has appointed new leadership to its Board of Directors. Ravi Bhalla, Assemblyman in the New Jersey General Assembly and Former Hoboken Mayor, will serve as Board Chair, and Brigid Shea, Commissioner of Travis County, Texas, will serve as Vice Chair, following her service as Board Chair.
During her tenure as Chair, Shea helped guide ICLEI USA through a period focused on strengthening member support and advancing local climate action. She will continue to play a key leadership role on the Board as Vice Chair.
As a leading network of local governments advancing sustainability and resilience, ICLEI USA supports communities in moving from planning to implementation, with a focus on investment and shovel-ready projects.
Assemblyman Bhalla brings experience advancing climate action, resilience, and equity at the local level. As former Mayor of Hoboken, he led efforts focused on flood resilience, clean energy, and community-based planning.
Commissioner Shea has led Travis County’s work on climate resilience, land conservation, and regional coordination, with a long-standing focus on sustainability and cross-jurisdictional collaboration.
“In Hoboken, we saw firsthand how flooding impacts daily life, from housing to small businesses to public safety,” said Assemblyman Bhalla. “That experience shapes how I approach this work. ICLEI USA gives local leaders a space to share what is working and to move solutions forward faster.”
“Climate challenges do not stop at city or county lines,” said Commissioner Shea. “In Central Texas, we see that every day with heat, drought, and extreme weather. ICLEI USA helps connect regional conversations, supporting more coordinated solutions and expanding their reach for greater impact.”
“Our members are not starting from scratch. They are building on years of work and now pushing into implementation,” said Saharnaz Mirzazad, CEO of ICLEI USA. “Assemblyman Bhalla and Commissioner Shea bring leadership that helps connect that experience and move it further.”
As ICLEI USA members continue advancing projects, this transition supports ongoing work to connect communities with the tools, partnerships, and investment needed to deliver results.