Governor George E. Pataki is the founder and Chairman of the Pataki-Cahill Group. The Governor joined the law firm of Chadbourne and Parke, LLP, in 2007 as Counsel, focusing on their energy, environmental and infrastructure practice areas. He also served as United States Delegate to the 62nd Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. In addition, he co-chaired the Council on Foreign Relations Independent Task Force on Climate Change.Prior to starting the Pataki-Cahill Group, he served three terms as the 53rd governor of New York State, from 1995 through 2006. At the end of his twelve years as Governor, New York State had its lowest rate of welfare dependency in over 40 years, its lowest rate of violent crime in over 40 years, had cut state taxes by over $140 billion, had almost 700,000 more private sector jobs, its highest credit rating in over 40 years, and billions of dollars in surplus. Governor Pataki also led New York State through the attacks of September 11th and its aftermath.During his tenure as New York’s chief executive, Governor Pataki advanced award-winning, cutting-edge policies in the renewable energy and environmental fields. His initiatives included the protection of over one million acres of open space, the adoption of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the implementation of the nation’s first green building tax credit, landmark brownfield legislation and programs to enhance the production and use of alternative energy like biodiesel, ethanol, fuel cells and clean coal.Among numerous other awards, BusinessWeek named Governor Pataki one of the top 20 "individuals who stand out for their efforts to cut gases that cause global warming" in the world. Also, in 2006, Vanity Fair called him a governor who "gets it" in its inaugural "Green Issue" for his efforts concerning the environment.