Position Title
Associate Vice President of Energy and Sustainability, UCOP
David Phillips was appointed Associate Vice President for Energy and Sustainability, effective December 2015. In this newly created position, David provides strategic leadership for energy and sustainability initiatives across the University of California. Among other goals, multidisciplinary teams are currently developing plans and actions to reach systemwide carbon neutrality by 2025. This initiative is being implemented as part of UC’s broader energy procurement and sustainability efforts in consultation with the University’s Global Climate Leadership Council, Energy Governing Board and the sustainability community.
David was formerly Director of Utilities at UC Davis, where he managed their city-scale water, waste and energy systems. Developing practical solutions to cost-effectively accomplish sustainability goals has been a career focus. While at Davis, David developed one of the country’s largest on-site solar power plants, oversaw an on-site waste treatment system to reduce campus landfill disposal by 25 percent and led the regulatory approval process for several wastewater recycling projects. He was also a key contributor in the successful partnership with local agencies to develop a new treated surface water supply for the campus.
David has a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from UC Davis and is a California-registered professional engineer.