Terry Tamminen
Special Advisor
For Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

From his youth in Australia to career experiences in Europe, Africa and all parts of the United States, Terry has developed expertise in business, farming, education, non-profit, the environment, the arts, and government.

A United States Coast Guard-licensed ship captain, Terry has long been drawn to the undersea world, starting in the 1960s with a family-run tropical fish breeding business in Australia and continuing with studies on conch depletion in the Bahamas, manatee populations in Florida coastal waters, and mariculture in the Gulf States with Texas A&M University.

On land, Terry managed the largest sheep ranch east of the Mississippi, assisting the University of Minnesota in developing new methods of livestock disease control. Terry also managed a multi-million dollar real estate company, owned/operated a successful recreational services business, and assisted the west African nation of Nigeria with the creation of their first solid waste recycling program.

He has authored numerous technical papers, "The Ultimate Pool Maintenance Manual" (McGraw-Hill 1993; third edition 2000), and several theatrical works on the life of William Shakespeare. Terry is an avid airplane and helicopter pilot and speaks German, Dutch and Spanish.

In 1993, Terry founded the Santa Monica BayKeeper and served as its Executive Director for six years. He co-founded Waterkeeper programs in San Diego, Orange County, Ventura, and Santa Barbara and serves on the Board of the National Waterkeeper Alliance. From 1999-2003, Terry was the Executive Director of Environment Now in Santa Monica, a foundation dedicated to the restoration and protection of California’s environment and natural resources.

Terry has served on numerous civic and charitable Boards and Commissions, including as Chair of the Public Advisory Committee to the Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project and on the U.S. Navy Pt. Mugu Naval Air Station Restoration Advisory Board, the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Safety Committee and on the Board of the Wishtoyo Foundation, a group that preserves natural resources through Chumash Indian traditional teachings.

Terry was appointed as the Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on November 12, 2003. He was appointed as Cabinet Secretary in December of 2004 and as of January 1, 2006, serves as a Special Advisor to the Governor for Energy and Environmental policy.