Christine Harada is the Executive Director of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council). Before joining the Permitting Council, Ms. Harada served as the Vice President for Government Affairs at Heliogen, a California-based renewable energy technology company. She was also on the Board of Directors of Rekor Systems, Inc. and Faraday Future. She has also served as President of i(x) investments, a company focused on impact-driven investments in critical areas such as renewable energy, green real estate development, and accessible smart, sustainable housing. Previously, Ms. Harada was the Federal Chief Sustainability Officer under President Barack Obama, where she oversaw all federal sustainability-related initiatives in energy, vehicles, and acquisitions. Ms. Harada holds a master's degree in international studies from the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and an MBA from the Wharton School at Penn. Additionally, she has a master's degree from Stanford University and a bachelor's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Aeronautics / Astronautics.