George Whitesides is a former aerospace executive who has been dedicated to helping address the climate-fueled wildfire crisis.
Whitesides graduated from Princeton with a bachelor’s degree in public and international affairs. He later earned a master’s in philosophy from Cambridge University. He worked on President Barack Obama’s transition team and later served as the chief of staff for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award at NASA. After leaving NASA, Whitesides became the first CEO of spaceflight company Virgin Galactic, and later went on to co-found Megafire Action, a policy non-profit dedicated to solving the wildfire crisis and addressing home fire insurance issues that many people in this country are facing.
As a representative Whitesides will help fight climate change, address the wildfire crisis, and promote renewable energy.
Whitesides joins the U.S. House after defeating Representative Mike Garcia, who earned a 14% lifetime score on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard.
“One of the main motivations for my candidacy is the climate challenge we face today. We need science-based policy that responsibly addresses the needs of citizens and stakeholders.” – LCVAF Questionnaire