Christine Billy (she/her) has devoted her career to developing and implementing laws and policies for a sustainable and equitable future. She is an adjunct professor of clinical law at NYU School of Law and brings experience in climate and environmental law, food law, labor and employment law, human rights law, and local and state authority. Prior to joining the Center, Billy was a Senior Legal Fellow at the State Energy and Environmental Impact Center at NYU School of Law, where she led research related to aging oil and gas infrastructure.  

Billy previously served in New York City government in a variety of roles, including Senior Counsel at the NYC Law Department, Chief Legal Counsel for the NYC COVID-19 Food Czar, Senior Counsel at the NYC Department of Sanitation, and General Counsel and Deputy Executive Director of the 2018 NYC Charter Revision Commission. She has extensive experience drafting state and local legislation and advising elected officials and administrative agencies on a range of matters. She has worked on New York City’s air pollution control code, environmental justice framework, green buildings laws, stormwater management program, and recycling and organics program. She has advised City officials on local and state emergency powers during multiple emergencies, including Superstorm Sandy and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to government service, Billy practiced environmental law at Arnold & Porter LLP and clerked for the Honorable John T. Noonan in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School, an M.Phil from the University of Dublin, Trinity College, and a B.A. cum laude from Yale University. Billy is co-author of Mariners at War: An Oral History of World War II, recipient of the John Lyman Book Award for maritime reference works and published primary sources, awarded by the North American Society for Oceanic History.