Jeff Hughes is the Director of the Environmental Finance Center (EFC) at the University of North Carolina. The UNC EFC provides applied research, educational programs and advising services to local governments, non-governmental environmental organizations, private environmental service providers, utilities, and state and federal agencies. Jeff has thirty years of environmental finance experience as a researcher, policy analyst, consultant, and practitioner. Jeff is also an Associate Teaching Professor with the UNC School of Government where he teaches courses on environmental finance and policy for university students and practitioners. Prior to joining UNC, Jeff worked as a utility director for Chatham County, NC and as an international finance advisor with RTI International. Jeff is an active member of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the Council of Infrastructure Authorities (CIFA). Jeff holds a seat on the Board of NC GreenPower and the EPA Environmental Financial Advisory Board. He received a master’s degree in environmental engineering with a focus on water economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Duke University.