• CERAWEEK
  • March 10 - 14, 2025

Lara Cottingham

City of Houston, Office of Sustainability

Chief Sustainability Officer

Lara Cottingham, Deputy Assistant Director for Administrative and Regulatory Affairs (ARA), City of Houston, has 12 years of communications and public policy experience. In her role with the City of Houston, she specializes in Sustainability and Strategic Customer Initiatives. In addition to leading the Sustainability team, Ms. Cottingham is the public face of ARA in the media as well as before City Council, industry stakeholders, and customers. Prior to joining the City of Houston, she was a Member of Hill+Knowlton Strategies’ Houston office, providing strategic counsel in sustainability and social responsibility issues for a broad range of clients across the energy sector. Ms. Cottingham worked in Washington, DC, and served as Communications Director for the Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, Vice Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, and Vice Chairman of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Caucus, as well as for congressional campaigns in Colorado, West Virginia, and Texas. She also produced a web-based reality show for CNN and served as a Government and Marketing Consultant for SXSW Interactive in Austin. Ms. Cottingham holds bachelor’s degrees with honors in history, ancient history & classical civilizations, and government from the University of Texas, and an MBA in energy finance and public affairs from the University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business, where she co-founded the UT Energy Savings Fund.

Sessions With Lara Cottingham