Mary D. Nichols, a national environmental leader who shaped California clean air, water and land conservation programs, most recently as secretary for resources, has been named director of the UCLA Institute of the Environment.

Nichols, a Los Angeles resident, will take the helm at the Institute of the Environment on Jan. 1.

Founded in 1997, the institute sponsors groundbreaking interdisciplinary research, teaching and public service programs that focus on the most complex and challenging environmental issues facing the Los Angeles region and the world. The institute currently draws on the talent of 65 faculty members from 10 academic divisions and professional schools, including public health, atmospheric sciences, business administration, law and urban planning.

"We are delighted to welcome a public servant of Mary Nichols's stature to UCLA," Chancellor Albert Carnesale said. "We look forward to the many valuable contributions that she will surely make to the Institute, UCLA and the community."

"Mary Nichols is a noted champion of efforts to bring cutting-edge science and analysis to environmental management," said Vice Chancellor Roberto Peccei, who oversees research. "She is a natural fit to help lead the Institute of the Environment to a new level."

"The UCLA Institute of the Environment has assembled a dynamic and diverse pool of talent that is leading the way to better understanding how environmental change affects us all, and giving us the tools we need to fashion responsible solutions," Nichols said. "I look forward to contributing to this important work."

Nichols was California secretary for resources from December 1998 to November 2003, serving as chief advisor to then-Gov. Gray Davis on issues having to do with natural resources. The Cabinet-level position oversees 27 departments, commissions, boards and conservancies, including the departments of Fish and Game, Forestry and Fire Protection, Parks and Recreation, and Water Resources, as well as the California Coastal Commission.

She currently serves as a public member of the Coastal Commission. Among many initiatives, she played a central role in creating a comprehensive habitat protection program in connection with the University of California's new campus at Merced; created a comprehensive digital atlas for assessing land and water conservation efforts in California; chaired the joint federal-state program to manage water resources in the Bay-Delta ecosystem; and led new urban park and open space acquisitions under publicly approved bond measures.

In addition, Nichols has served as the executive director of Environment Now, a private foundation dedicated to the protection of the California environment; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assistant administrator for air and radiation in the Clinton administration; senior staff attorney and director of the Los Angeles office of the Natural Resources Defense Council; and secretary for environmental affairs under Gov. Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown.

A native of Minneapolis, Nichols earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University and a law degree from Yale Law School.