Joseph Edward Nation (born July 18, 1956) is an American academic and former politician. 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: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

with a B.A. in

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

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

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

under

Madeleine Albright Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Körbelová, later Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political science, political scientist who served as the 64th United States Secretary of State, United S ...

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, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in Public Policy Analysis from the

RAND Graduate School The RAND School of Public Policy (formerly the Frederick S. Pardee RAND Graduate School) is a private graduate school associated with the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California. The school offers doctoral studies in policy analysis and pra ...

and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

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

, 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

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 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 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 university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in San Francisco, California, United States. Founded in 1855, it has nearly 9,000 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees ...

and the

Monterey Institute of International Studies Established in 1955, the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS), formerly the Monterey Institute of International Studies, located in Monterey, California, is a graduate institute and satellite campus of Middlebury C ...

, 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, Alexandera 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 the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

' summit on climate change in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

. *Authored nearly 50 successful bills, including

greenhouse gas Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are the gases in the atmosphere that raise the surface temperature of planets such as the Earth. Unlike other gases, greenhouse gases absorb the radiations that a planet emits, resulting in the greenhouse effect. T ...

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

alternative energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

. *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. ...

. *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 commuter rail service 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 Clover ...

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 grants degrees at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Founded in 1919, SFS is the oldest continuo ...

*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 Politicians from Dallas Georgetown University faculty University of San Francisco faculty American health economists Stanford University alumni Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni 21st-century members of the California State Legislature