Matthew A. Beaton

Secretary Matthew A. Beaton oversees the Commonwealth's six environmental, natural resource and energy regulatory agencies, which include the Departments of Environmental Protection, Public Utilities, Energy Resources, Conservation & Recreation, Agricultural Resources, and Fish & Game. Secretary Beaton also serves as Chairman of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, the Energy Facilities Siting Board, and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. Before being appointed to the cabinet post at Energy and Environmental Affairs, Secretary Beaton served as a State Representative. First elected in 2011, he was a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, the House Committee on Ethics, and the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture. In the private sector, Secretary Beaton has worked as an environmental engineer and energy efficiency consultant. Secretary Beaton earned a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a master's degree in energy and environmental analysis from Boston University. Currently, Secretary Beaton lives with his wife Laura and their three young children in Shrewsbury, where he designed the first Passive House in Massachusetts, which does not rely on a furnace and has very little heating or cooling needs.