Emel Wadhwani is the Chief Counsel at the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecyle).  She manages a team of forty-five attorneys and legal staff who advise the state’s recycling and waste management programs, and support the Department’s goal of moving the state towards a circular economy that reduces waste and reuses all materials.

Prior to joining CalRecycle, Emel was an Assistant Chief Counsel with the California State Water Resources Control Board. In that capacity, she oversaw the work of a team of attorneys counseling the Governor-appointed regional water boards on permitting and enforcement actions to protect and restore the quality of water bodies throughout the state. While at the Board, Emel also served as Acting General Counsel for the California Environmental Protection Agency for several months.

Emel’s management roles include training, mentoring, and coaching new attorneys, and she frequently speaks and lectures to legal, policy, and technical audiences. She works on issues of good governance, including transparency, public official ethics, and public outreach and engagement.

Emel previously worked in private legal practice on land use and environmental matters, and as a city planner and policy analyst. She holds a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

Emel also currently serves on the City of Sacramento’s Active Transportation Commission and on the board of the non-profit Sacramento Advocates for Rail and Transit. In her leisure time, she likes to spend time outdoors hiking, walking, and biking. Emel was born and raised in Istanbul, Türkiye.