Michael Bradley, founder and Managing Director of M.J. Bradley & Associates LLC, has been named to the National Academy of Sciences' Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology effective September 1, 2009.  The three-year appointment was at the invitation of Barbara Schaal, Chair of the Division on Earth and Life Studies, and with the support of Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone, Chairman of the National Research Council and president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academies perform an unparalleled public service by bringing together committees of experts in all areas of scientific and technological endeavor.  These experts serve pro bono to address critical national issues and give advice to the federal government and the public.   Four organizations comprise the Academies: the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council.  Since 1863, the nation's leaders have often turned to the National Academies for advice on the scientific and technological issues that frequently pervade policy decisions.  The Academy is governed by a Council consisting of twelve members (councilors) and five officers, elected from among the Academy membership.

Michael Bradley brings to the Board over twenty-five years of experience developing and implementing air quality and climate change policy at the local, state, regional, national, and international levels.   He also has extensive involvement in business planning and strategy, offering a unique combination of in-depth experience in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.  Michael has launched several influential organizations, including founding Clean Air-Cool Planet, Clean Air Communities, and the Northeast Advanced Vehicle Consortium.  Prior to founding M.J. Bradley & Associates LLC, Michael served for 12 years as Executive Director of Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM), a regional organization committed to developing and coordinating effective air quality and climate change policy in the eight states of the northeast U.S.  During his tenure, Michael played a lead role in shaping the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, in the adoption of clean car and clean fuel programs, in the formation of the Ozone Transport Commission, and in the development of regional strategies to address air toxic emissions.  Michael is also a past member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on the Assessment of U.S. Air Quality Management as well as the U.S. EPA's Clean Air Act Advisory Committee.  He also serves on the Board of a variety of environmental advocacy and environmental policy organizations.

The Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology (BEST) is the National Academies' principal study unit for environmental pollution problems affecting human health, human impacts on the environment, and the assessment and management of related risks.  BEST addresses questions about air and water pollution; solid and hazardous waste; toxicology; epidemiology; risk assessment; applied ecology; natural resources; and environmental engineering, economics, law, and policy.

BEST's mission is to provide independent expert assistance to the federal government and advice to the nation on matters of science and technology affecting public policy on important environmental and ecological problems.  The typical mechanism for achieving this goal is the deliberative process of study committees composed of experts from academic institutions and other organizations.   Studies may be undertaken in response to requests from federal agencies or Congress, or they may result from the deliberations of board members in the strategic planning process.   Additional information on BEST is available here.