Dave Ross

Dave Ross was appointed Executive Vice President for Government Affairs and Sustainability in August 2024. In this role, Dave serves as a senior advisor to leadership on strategic initiatives, leads the government affairs and sustainability functions of the organization, and supports multifaceted performance, stakeholder engagement, and social impact initiatives.

Dave joined Veolia North America in February 2023 as its Chief Sustainability Officer. In that role, he coordinated all aspects of Veolia North America’s sustainability program, including decarbonization, biodiversity and water initiatives, sustainability reporting and data management, climate adaptation strategy, and related functional elements, while also ensuring alignment with Veolia Group strategy and European Union directives.

Prior to joining Veolia, Dave served as a partner and counsel in international law firms, as the Assistant Administrator for Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Director of the Environmental Protection Unit at the Wisconsin Department of Justice, and the lead water quality attorney for the State of Wyoming. He has worked for local, state and federal government; served as an environmental prosecutor and defense attorney; advised corporate boards, governors and U.S. cabinet officials; argued in court; testified before Congress; and has managed multi-billion dollar budgets. Dave guided the development of the United States’ first National PFAS Action Plan and Water Reuse Action Plan, and co-chaired the Federal Water Subcabinet, Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force, and National Drought Resilience Partnership.

Dave began his career as an environmental consultant focused on wastewater reclamation and reuse, and has developed legal and policy expertise on water quality, endangered species, emerging contaminants and contaminated sites, environmental permitting and auditing, renewable energy, sustainability, environmental assessments, administrative process, and environmental litigation.

Dave earned an undergraduate degree in International Relations from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a masters of environmental law and policy and juris doctorate from Vermont Law School, where he also served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Vermont Law Review.