Melissa Hoffer

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American environmental lawyer and Massachusetts Climate Chief

title: "Melissa Hoffer" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["guantanamo-bay-attorneys", "living-people", "hampshire-college-alumni", "northeastern-university-school-of-law-alumni", "wilmer-cutler-pickering-hale-and-dorr-partners", "year-of-birth-missing-(living-people)", "21st-century-american-women-lawyers", "21st-century-american-lawyers", "state-cabinet-secretaries-of-massachusetts", "university-of-massachusetts-alumni", "lawyers-from-boston", "conservationists", "american-women-environmentalists", "american-climate-activists", "american-environmental-lawyers", "people-of-the-united-states-environmental-protection-agency", "biden-administration-personnel"] description: "American environmental lawyer and Massachusetts Climate Chief" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissa_Hoffer" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American environmental lawyer and Massachusetts Climate Chief ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

FieldValue
nameMelissa Hoffer
imageMelissa Hoffer, Massachusetts Climate Chief.png
captionOfficial portrait, 2023
office1First Climate Chief of Massachusetts
term_start1April 2023
governor1Maura Healey
office2Principal Deputy General Counsel of the Environmental Protection Agency
term_start2January 20, 2021
term_end2April 2022
president2Joe Biden
office3Acting General Counsel of the Environmental Protection Agency
term_start3January 20, 2021
term_end3November 2021
president3Joe Biden
office4First Chief of the Massachusetts Energy and Environment Bureau
term_start42015
term_end42021
office5Head of the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Division
term_start52012
term_end52015
office6Vice President of the Conservation Law Foundation
term_start62007
term_end62012
birth_placePennsylvania, USA
educationHampshire College (BA)
University of Massachusetts (M.Ed)
Northeastern University (JD)
occupationEnvironmental lawyer
::

| name = Melissa Hoffer | image = Melissa Hoffer, Massachusetts Climate Chief.png | alt = | caption = Official portrait, 2023 | office1 = First Climate Chief of Massachusetts | term_start1 = April 2023 | term_end1 = | governor1 = Maura Healey | office2 = Principal Deputy General Counsel of the Environmental Protection Agency | term_start2 = January 20, 2021 | term_end2 = April 2022 | president2 = Joe Biden | office3 = Acting General Counsel of the Environmental Protection Agency | term_start3 = January 20, 2021 | term_end3 = November 2021 | president3 = Joe Biden | office4 = First Chief of the Massachusetts Energy and Environment Bureau | term_start4 = 2015 | term_end4 = 2021 | office5 = Head of the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Division | term_start5 = 2012 | term_end5 = 2015 | office6 = Vice President of the Conservation Law Foundation | term_start6 = 2007 | term_end6 = 2012 | birth_date = | birth_place = Pennsylvania, USA | death_date = | death_place = | education = Hampshire College (BA) University of Massachusetts (M.Ed) Northeastern University (JD) | occupation = Environmental lawyer | spouse = | children = Melissa A. Hoffer is an American environmental lawyer currently serving as the Climate Chief of Massachusetts, the first to hold a seat of this kind in the country. As a lawyer, she headed cases including Boumediene v. Bush (related to the Algerian Six) She believes in a "whole-of-government approach" to climate change and that environmental issues should not be isolated to a single government department.

Early life and education

A native of southeastern Pennsylvania, Hoffer holds a BA from Hampshire College, an M.Ed from University of Massachusetts, a JD from Northeastern University School of Law (1998), and a certificate in environmental management from Tufts University.

Career

Hoffer taught high school social studies in San Francisco before going into environmental law. She and her team travelled to Guantanamo to interview their clients and she was one of several contributors to a book about Guantanamo attorneys, wherein she discussed the torture endured by one of her clients. In October 2008, in Boumediene v. Bush, the US Supreme Court ruled that habeas and other protections of the US Constitution applied to detainees at Guantanamo and other foreign nationals. The judge ruled that five of the Algerian Six were being held illegally and ordered their release. The sixth prisoner, Bensayah Belkacem, later had his case appealed and was freed in 2010.

After leaving WilmerHale in 2007, Hoffer worked as the Vice President of the Conservation Law Foundation, where she became the director of the Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice program, as well as the CLF New Hampshire Advocacy Center. She also started the Sustainable Farm & Food System and the Transportation for Massachusetts initiatives and raised awareness about the pollution caused by coal-fired power plants

Hoffer was a law clerk for Magistrate Joyce London Alexander in Boston. In this role, she led the litigation against ExxonMobil for not adequately informing investors and residents in Massachusetts of the true impact of fossil fuels on the climate.

Hoffer was tapped by governor-elect Maura Healey to become Massachusetts' Climate Chief, the first role of its kind in the United States, and moved into the role in April 2023. The same month, she launched the Youth Climate Council, a group of high school students who she would meet with on a regular basis to discuss environmental issues. One of her first actions as Chief was to establish the Massachusetts Community Climate Bank, the United States' first green bank "dedicated to affordable housing."

In October, she published a report with 39 recommendations for what the state can do to lower its environmental footprint and to be better equipped to fulfill the goals of the existing Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2050, which aims to have the state be fully net zero. Among her more specific recommendations are Massport reducing the number of short haul flights; decarbonizing new public school construction; developing a Climate Service Corp to train "young people for jobs in clean energy and climate resilience;" and introducing a Comprehensive Coastal Resilience Plan to follow as climate change increasingly impacts coastal areas. Additionally, she calls for a restructuring of the Mass Save program, a utilities program currently overseen by utilities providers. She recommends adding additional administrators to the project to support cost savings rather than to entirely replace the providers.

Personal life

In her spare time, Hoffer raises Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats on her farm in Barre.

Awards and honors

References

References

  1. "GM and Chrysler lose third straight lawsuit against state emissions guidelines". [[New Hampshire Advocacy Center]].
  2. (2007-02-01). "Melissa Hoffer Joins CLF As New Hampshire Advocacy Center Director: Seasoned Environmental Lawyer Brings Private Sector Experience to Non-Profit Post". [[Conservation Law Foundation]].
  3. Melissa Hoffer. (2008-06-23). "Melissa Hoffer: Mass transit should link New Hampshire's cities". [[New Hampshire Union Leader]].
  4. (2021-01-26). "EPA welcomes Melissa Hoffer". Council on the Uncertain Human Future.
  5. Kaplan, Connie. (2008). "No End In Sight: the Effect Of the Boumediene Decision On Detainees Held By The United States At Guantanamo Bay, Cuba". ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law.
  6. (2017-12-02). "Exxon's First Amendment Claims in Climate Fraud Case Draw Judge's Skepticism". DeSmog.com.
  7. (2023-03-09). "Meet Massachusetts's first-ever climate chief". Washington Post.
  8. Faught, Andrew. (2023-08-26). "Personal Passions, Professional Pursuits". Northeastern University School of Law.
  9. Jeri Zeder. (Winter 2007). "Here, There and Everywhere: From human rights to cross-border commerce, seven graduates find a niche in international law". [[Northeastern University]].
  10. McCormick Hilbert, Cynthia. (2023-03-15). "Massachusetts' first climate chief, Northeastern graduate plans to make the state a model for reducing carbon emissions". Northeastern Global News.
  11. (November 2023}} While there, she led the [[pro bono]] team, recruited by the [[Center for Constitutional Rights]], that represented the [[Algerian Six]], a group of Algerian-Bosnian men who had been kidnapped by US officials and kept at [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp). "Detainee hearings yield new details, disputes". NBC News.
  12. (October 2013). "Melissa A. Hoffer". Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly.
  13. Federman, Cary. (2010). "Habeas Corpus in the age of Guantánamo". Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works.
  14. (2006-04-20). "Torture in Guantánamo". Cage Prisoners.
  15. Melissa Hoffer. (2007-01-07). "Trapped at Guantanamo". [[Boston Globe]].
  16. (2009-11-01). ["The Guantánamo Lawyers: Inside a Prison Outside the Law"]({{Google books). NYU Press.
  17. Glaberson, William. (2008-11-21). "Judge Declares Five Detainees Held Illegally". The New York Times.
  18. (2010-07-08). "USA: Enough is enough". Amnesty International.
  19. Currier, Cora. (2016-05-16). "NSA closely involved in Guantánamo interrogations, documents show". The Intercept.
  20. Kavanaugh, Jennifer. (2023-10-02). "Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer is WEMO speaker". Massachusetts Municipal Association.
  21. Drysdale, Sam. (2022-12-19). "Melissa Hoffer Will Run Point For Healey On Climate". American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts.
  22. "About Climate Chief Hoffer". Government of Massachusetts State.
  23. Aitken, Madeleine. (2022-12-19). "Four things to know about Massachusetts' first-ever 'climate chief'". Boston.com.
  24. MacDougall, Alexander. (2023-04-25). "State's new climate czar holds court with WMass activists, announces new Youth Climate Council". New Hampshire Gazette.
  25. Lisinski, Chris. (2022-12-22). "Baker administration releases new clean energy and climate plan for 2050". WBUR.
  26. Wasser, Miriam. (2023-10-25). "7 takeaways from new report about how Mass. can meet its climate goals". WBUR.
  27. Drysdale, Sam. (2023-10-29). "State climate chief offers sweeping call for change". Greenfield Reporter.
  28. (February 2023). "You're Invited to The Stone Soup Leadership Institute's Cronkite Awards for Climate Education". Stone Soup Leadership Institute.

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