Tommy Wells
Director, Department of Energy and Environment
District of Columbia
Tommy Wells is director of the District Department of Energy and Environment. Most recently, Wells served as Ward 6 Councilmember, a position he held since 2006. During his tenure on the D.C. Council, Wells won support throughout Washington for his fundamental goal: creating a livable and walkable city for all. Wells started his Washington career in 1983 as a social worker in the D.C. foster care system, where he spurred and led a successful class-action lawsuit, LaShawn v. Barry, to address the city’s failure to protect children in its care. In 1991, he took the helm of the D.C. Consortium for Child Welfare, and later established a groundbreaking program to match foster families with children affected by HIV/AIDS and also led the drive to create the D.C. Family Court. Wells has championed the next generation of public transit–including streetcar lines, expansion of the D.C. Circulator, and improvements in overall bus service. In addition, he crafted a landmark bill to charge a nominal fee on disposable bags. Wells graduated from the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University in 1991 and earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Minnesota in 1983.