Since 2022, Tyrone has been leading San Francisco’s bold climate transformation. Under his leadership, San Francisco has advanced first-in-the-nation climate policies and delivered measurable public results.
Tyrone Jue is Director of the San Francisco Environment Department, where he leads the City’s climate accountability, coordination, and equity work. He oversees a team of nearly 100 people working to turn San Francisco’s climate commitments into results people can see and feel.
His approach is grounded in a simple belief: climate leadership should protect people in daily life. That means cleaner air, healthier neighborhoods, lower cost burdens, and systems people can count on when strain hits. It also means earning public trust by telling the truth, showing the work, and designing policy so benefits reach communities with the least margin.
Under his leadership, San Francisco has advanced first-in-the-nation climate policies and delivered measurable public results across buildings, energy, transportation, biodiversity, toxics reduction, and zero waste. These include pioneering legislation requiring large commercial buildings to procure 100 percent renewable electricity, accelerating building electrification, expanding electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and strengthening food recovery efforts that have redirected millions of pounds of food to San Franciscans facing food insecurity.
Tyrone also serves on the Board of Directors of the Bay Area Air District, where he has helped advance nation-leading regional clean air and pollution-reduction policies.
Tyrone is the first Asian American and first person of color to lead SF Environment in its 30-year history. Before becoming Director, he served in roles across five San Francisco mayoral administrations and worked extensively on environmental and public health issues, including at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he led teams responsible for developing and communicating public health guidance, helping San Francisco navigate the crisis with strong public health outcomes among major U.S. cities.
Raised in an immigrant household in San Francisco’s Chinatown and shaped by environmental justice work in Bayview Hunters Point, Tyrone brings a public-service ethos rooted in fairness, accountability, and community experience. He holds degrees from the University of California, Davis in Psychology and Cell Biology.