Joseph Edward Nation (born July 18, 1956) is an American politician and academic. He graduated from the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...

with a B.A. in

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

, German and French. While he was a Pan Am flight attendant, he studied at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

under

Madeleine Albright Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 64th United States secretary of state from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic ...

as a James T. Webb Fellow in Science, Technology, and Diplomacy while earning a Masters in Foreign Service. He subsequently earned a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in Public Policy Analysis from the

RAND Graduate School The Frederick S. Pardee RAND Graduate School (Pardee RAND) is a private graduate school associated with the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California. The school offers doctoral studies in policy analysis and practical experience working on RAN ...

and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

, where he conducted research on defense conversion and wrote a book, ''The De-Escalation of Nuclear Crises''. He represented

Marin Marin (French) or Marín (Spanish "sailor") may refer to: People * Marin (name), including a list of persons with the given name or surname * MaRin, in-game name of professional South Korean ''League of Legends'' player Jang Gyeong-hwan (born 19 ...

and southern Sonoma counties in the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

, for three consecutive terms, as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

from 2000 until he was termed out in 2006. When Nation was elected in 2000, his primary opponents were university official Carole Hayashino, future gubernatorial recall candidate Paul Nave, and future Marin County Supervisor Susan Adams. He defeated the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

candidate, Edward Sullivan, in the general election. According to a study published by the Leadership Institute for Conservative Leaders Who Want to Win, Nation's campaign received contributions totaling $10,372 from the MICRA Political Action Committee of NorCal Mutual Insurance Company in 2003-2004. Out of 18 candidates (16 Republicans and 2 Democrats) Nation received the highest total from MICRA NorCal, an average of 70% more in donations than most other recipients, including $749 more than the next highest recipient. In 2004 Nation was chosen to be Chair of the Assembly Rules Committee, and he was asked to create and direct the Office of Policy Planning and Research. In 2005, with his term-out looming, Nation challenged 6th Congressional District representative

Lynn Woolsey Lynn C. Woolsey (born November 3, 1937) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1993 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, her district included all of Marin County and most of Sonoma County. She was a memb ...

in the primary, and lost. In 2008, he entered the primary for the 3rd Senate District seat, and lost. He teaches climate change policy, health care policy, and public policy at Stanford University. Nation is a former professor of economics at the

University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a private Jesuit university in San Francisco, California. The university's main campus is located on a setting between the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park. The main campus is nicknamed "The Hil ...

and the

Monterey Institute of International Studies The Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS), formerly known as the Monterey Institute of International Studies, is an American graduate school of Middlebury College, a private college in Middlebury, Vermont. Established ...

, where he taught economics, public policy, public finance, and foreign policy. He continues to consult for RAND and is a partner in a consulting firm that focuses on renewable energy and climate change. Nation has briefed members of the British Parliament and European Union, and is a frequent invited speaker at conferences on climate change and carbon management.Joe Nation
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Personal data

Nation resides in Northern California with his wife, Gizelda and stepdaughter, Mariana. He has adult twin daughters, Alexandra and Kristen, from a previous marriage with Linda Nicolay.

Career

*Principal co-author of AB 32, California's

Global Warming Solutions Act The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, or Assembly Bill (AB) 32, is a California State Law that fights global warming by establishing a comprehensive program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all sources throughout the state. AB32 was c ...

. *Represented California at the 2006

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

' summit on climate change in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

. *Authored nearly 50 successful bills, including

greenhouse gas A greenhouse gas (GHG or GhG) is a gas that Absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorbs and Emission (electromagnetic radiation), emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range, causing the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse ...

labeling for autos, fuel efficiency standards for tires, and tax incentives for

alternative energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a Orders of magnitude (time), human timescale. It includes sources such as Solar power, sunlight, wind power, wind, the movement of Hydropo ...

. *Teaches health care, climate change, and politics courses at

. *Regular contributor on climate change for the

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

. *Three-term California State Assemblyman, representing Marin and Sonoma counties. *Member of the California Market Advisory Committee (focusing on offsets and linkages with other markets). *As a three-term assemblyman, Nation authored legislation that created a two-county district for the purposes of developing a commuter rail system, the

Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) is a rail line and bicycle-pedestrian pathway project in Sonoma and Marin counties of the U.S. state of California. When completed, the entire system will serve a corridor between Cloverdale in north ...

Education

*BA, Economics, German, French,

*MSFS,

Georgetown University School of Foreign Service The Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS) is the school of international relations at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. It is considered to be one of the world's leading international affairs schools, granting degrees at both ...

*PhD, Public Policy Analysis, The

*Post-doctoral fellow,

References

Who is Joe Nation?

Nation joins field challenging Migden
SF Chronicle
Discuss, don't ban, climate change film
SF Chronicle
Joe Nation, State Senate

External links

Join California Joe Nation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nation, Joseph 1956 births Living people University of Colorado alumni Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly People from Dallas Georgetown University faculty University of San Francisco faculty Health economists Stanford University alumni Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni 21st-century American politicians