Sarah Kogel-Smucker is Montgomery County’s new climate change officer. She replaces Adriana Hochberg, who now works for the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection Agency.
Her salary is $174,000 a year.
She previously led the climate change division of the Wahington, D.C. Office of the People’s Counsel. Prior to that, she served as senior counsel for the New York City Law Department’s Environmental Division.
“Climate change and environmental policy are top priorities of the County,” said County Executive Elrich.
‘I am happy to welcome Sarah Kogel-Smucker to our team. Her experience and passion will help us reach our goal to achieve an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2027 and a 100 percent reduction by 2035,” he said.
The climate change officer leads the county’s community-wide climate goals with various county departments on climate change planning, implementation and management of organizational initiatives and programs.
Kogel-Smucker, who has a Juris Doctor from the Boston College Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Grinnell College, started her new job on Sept. 25.
I am excited to announce Sarah Kogel-Smucker as Montgomery County's new Climate Change Officer. With 15+ years in environmental law, including spearheading DC’s climate change division, she's primed to lead our County to a greener future. Welcome Sarah: https://t.co/kxiZ3tyuLi pic.twitter.com/hZS0eQWoYF
— County Exec Marc Elrich (@MontCoExec) September 27, 2023
