Steering Committee member
Vice President and Chief Sustainability and External Relations Officer for Johnson Controls
Kathleen “Katie” McGinty is Vice President and Chief Sustainability and External Relations Officer for Johnson Controls, the global leader for smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings technology. Katie serves on the Executive Committee of the company, reporting to the CEO, and helps drive Johnson Controls top tier sustainability performance including recognition as one of the World`s 100 Most Sustainable Corporations, MSCI AAA, Ecovadis Platinum, and CDP Leader Band. Katie has over 25 years of public and private sector experience, and she is a recognized innovator in clean energy and environmental protection.
Katie’s public sector career includes serving as the first woman to chair the White House Council on Environmental Quality and as Deputy Assistant to President Clinton (1993-1998). She was also the first woman to serve as Pennsylvania Secretary of Environmental Protection (2003-2008), and as Chair of the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (2004-2008). Katie served on the delegation of the United States negotiating the Framework Convention on Climate Change, shaped legislation implementing the Montreal Protocol and served as senior policy and strategy lead for the United States in the Kyoto Climate Treaty negotiations.
Katie currently serves on boards including the International Steering Committee of the World
Sustainable Development Summit, the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, the Carnegie mellon Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, the Energy Futures Initiative, Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation, SEEC Institute, and MN8 Energy (formerly Goldman Sachs Renewable Power).
Katie holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from St. Joseph's University and a law degree from Columbia University. She served as a Senior Visiting Fellow at TERI in New Delhi, India. She is the recipient of awards and recognitions including honorary doctorates from Muhlenberg University, Dickinson College, and Clarion State University. Katie is also recognized for her commitment to the environment, including being named "Woman of the Year" by the Women's Council on Energy and the Environment, one of the Top Women in HVAC list of ACHR News, one of the Top 100 Women in Sustainability List by Sustainability Magazine, one of Constellation Research’s ESG 50, number one in Business Chief’s Sustainability Leadership, one of WomenInc Magazine’s Most Influential Women Executives in America, and one of 25 women honored for climate leadership by GreenBiz.