Current Policy Focus

     Charles McGlashan serves as President of the Marin County Board of Supervisors, representing Strawberry, Sausalito, Mill Valley, Belvedere, Marin City, the Floating Homes, Almonte, Tam Valley and Tiburon. 

     As a public servant, environmental and business consultant, and a lifelong environmentalist, Charles has worked throughout his career to promote sustainability, energy efficiency and renewable power.

     On the Board of Supervisors, he has earned a reputation for adopting innovative solutions and working with all parties to ensure Marin County remains a spectacular place to live and work. In addition to his work on sustainability, he has focused on economic vitality, affordable housing, public housing, promoting water conservation, local non-car transportation systems, bicycle and pedestrian improvements, smart community design, zero waste, green building, environmental justice, public health, and habitat protection.

     As Supervisor, Charles oversaw the creation of the Muir Woods Shuttle during his first month in office. This successful venture has removed approximately 25,000 cars from Marin County roads to date.  He worked hard to ensure that Marin County was one of four pilot programs nationwide to participate in the innovative federal bicycle and pedestrian pilot program. This program helps get cars off the road by fostering easier access to biking and walking options through the creation and restoration of bike lanes, walking paths and access routes, as well as education programs for effective sharing of our roads. He also helped to broker a compromise to preserve St. Vincent’s and Silveira – two of the largest tracts of undeveloped land in the county – from excess development, while ensuring the development of compact, green affordable housing for seniors.

     Charles has also been a leading proponent of Marin Clean Energy, which would create a joint power authority enabling Marin residents and businesses to choose electricity generated from 100 percent renewable sources such as wind and solar. Finally, he helped craft the award-winning Marin Countywide plan which has been recognized for its strong climate protection measures.

Awards

     Charles was awarded the Environmental Leadership Award from the Environmental Education Council of Marin in December 2006, the Youth Activist Award from Next Generation in April 2007, and a Bicycle Leadership Award from the Marin County Bicycle Coalition in November 2007.

Assignments

     Charles currently serves on the Bay Conservation and Development Commission and on the Joint Policy Committee for Climate Change, as Chairman of the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit Authority (SMART), Marin County Employee Retirement Association Board of Trustees, Local Agency Formation Commission, Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District Board of Directors, the Transportation Authority of Marin and its Executive Committee, and is President of the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners.  He also serves as a board member for the GreenBelt Alliance and for the California Film Institute.

Prior Community Service and Education

     Prior to elected office, Charles worked for 20 years in environmental consulting, corporate finance and strategic planning.  He also led a non-profit organization working on State economic and environmental policy.  In the 1980s, he worked in business strategy and planning for high technology firms, including two he helped launch, in the South Bay. 

     Prior to joining the Board of Supervisors, he served on the Board of the Marin Municipal Water District from 2003-2005, as Vice Chair of the Marin Economic Commission, 2nd Vice President of the Marin Conservation League, member of the Sierra Club Marin Group Executive Committee, and on the boards of City CarShare, Sustainable Conservation, the North Bay Sustainability Center, as President of the Peninsula Conservation Center Foundation, and on the Environmental Education Council of Marin.  In 2001 McGlashan served as a lecturer in environmental management at the Haas School of Managment at UC Berkeley.

     He holds a BA from Yale and an MBA from Stanford, both awarded with honors, and is a Class 30 graduate of the Environmental Forum of Marin. 

     Charles lives in Mill Valley with his wife, Carol.