JULIE BELAGA, CO-CHAIR OF THE CONNECTICUT LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION,
WILL SPEAK TO THE Y's MEN DECEMBER 6th.
On Thursday, December 6th, Julie Belaga, Co-Chair of the Connecticut League of
Conservation, will speak to the Y's Men of Westport/Weston. Her subject is “Environmental
Activism...A catastrophe or a catalyst?" The meeting begins at 10AM at the Saugatuck
Congregational Church, 245 Post Road East in Westport.
Julie Belaga is currently Co-Chair of the Connecticut League of Conservation. She
also serves on the Board of Directors of National Audubon CT as well as the Board
of the Connecticut Fund for The Environment/Save the Sound, where she serves
as Chairman of the Program Committee. She is a member of Governor Rell's
Long Island Sound Liquefied Natural Gas Task Force. She is a member of
the Environmental Finance Advisory Board (EFAB) charged by EPA to identify innovative
ways to increase funding for environmental protection infrastructure. She
was recently appointed to the Blue Ribbon Commission on Sustainability for the
MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority which includes Metro North).
In 1999 Mrs. Belaga completed her term as a member of the Board of the Export-Import
Bank of the United States. She served as the Chief Operating Officer of
the federal bank that is the official Export Credit Agency for the US Government. She
was appointed by President Clinton and received confirmation from the U. S. Senate. In
that office she led the bank's efforts to increase financing for US firms that
export products and services that benefit the global environment.
Prior to her leadership at Ex-Im Bank she was appointed by President George H.
W. Bush to serve as Regional Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
with oversight over federal legislation for the 6 New England states. She
managed 760 employees with a budget of over $330 million.
She was a Fellow at the Institute of Politics and an Adjunct Lecturer in Public
Policy at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. She was
the Republican Candidate for Governor in 1986.
She served for 10 years in the CT House of Representatives where she was Deputy
Majority Leader. She was also a member of the Environment Committee as
well as the Appropriations Committee with oversight over the environment.
In her hometown of Westport she was the Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission
for four years and served on the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) for one term.
She has received numerous awards including Environmental Advocate of the Year
from Earthplace (2006); Environmental Merit Award for Lifetime Achievement from
EPA (2004); EFNE's Environmental Friend of New England Award (2000); Environmental
Educator of the Year from Connecticut College (1999); Governor John Lodge Award
for Outstanding Public Service: Top 10 Legislators of the Year by the Hartford
Courant (1985); and Outstanding Freshman Legislature by CT Magazine (1978).
She got her B.S. in Education from Syracuse University. She is married
to Y's Men member Mike Belaga and they have three grown children and three
granddaughters.
For more information about the Y's Men, contact Bill Meyer, Membership Chairman at 226-3704 or Bob Fatherley, President at 454-3653 or visit their website: www.ysmenwestportweston.org