Manisha Patel

Meet the Executive Director (Acting)
Manisha Patel currently serves as the Acting Executive Director for the Permitting Council, January 2025. Her permanent position is the Deputy Executive Director of the Permitting Council, bringing over twenty years of experience in crafting and implementing environmental policies for both public agencies and the private sector. She is known for her expertise in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and has a strong track record in addressing complex environmental issues. Before joining the Permitting Council, Ms. Patel was a Vice President at WSP, a global engineering services firm, where she led the Environmental Process and Policy Practice Team to deliver major infrastructure projects.

Ms. Patel led the development of a guidebook for the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration, advocating a collaborative approach to integrate community and environmental goals into transportation planning to streamline NEPA reviews. She also contributed to California's pioneering adoption of federal environmental responsibilities under the NEPA Assignment Program and co-authored a key handbook detailing NEPA practices for the California High-Speed Rail Authority's major projects.

With extensive federal experience, including roles as deputy general counsel at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and Deputy Associate director for regulatory policy at CEQ, Ms. Patel also held leadership positions at the Environmental Protection Agency and was instrumental in drafting environmental laws like the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act and the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act. She helped craft the FAST-41 initiative and reviewed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Red Book on environmental reviews.

Ms. Patel has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Northwestern University and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center. She hails from Lima, Ohio and happily calls St. Louis, Missouri her home.