"Ridge Global's Energy Consulting Services practice launched out of our clients' need and desire to harness, transmit and use natural resources from across the energy spectrum," said Tom Ridge, president and CEO of Ridge Global. "Jim Seif has tremendous expertise in the development and implementation of energy and environmental initiatives at both the state and national levels. His contributions will be a valuable asset to this practice and to our clients' success."
Seif started his career in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Pittsburgh, Pa, prosecuting some of the earliest environmental cases of the modern era. After that, he served as chief of the Legal Branch at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Philadelphia, and then rejoined the U.S. Justice Department in the Criminal Division.
Mr. Seif later served as administrative assistant to Gov. Dick Thornburgh and then regional administrator of the EPA's six-state office in Philadelphia. Following that work, he joined the environmental practice at the law firm of Dechert Price and Rhoads.
In 1995, then-Gov. Tom Ridge appointed Mr. Seif as secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection. In 2000, Seif received a Lifetime Award for Public Service from the National Academy of Public Administration for his 30-year career in state and federal government. Mr. Seif later became vice president for Corporate Relations at PPL, Inc., a Fortune 500 energy and utility company in Allentown, Pa.
He currently serves on the boards of BioChem Technology and Laser Pipeline, and as an advisory committee member of the Dick Thornburgh Legacy Project at the University of Pittsburgh. He holds a political science degree from Yale University and a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh.
"Ridge Global understands the full and positive potential that shale gas formations and broader energy portfolios can have on our nation's national security, economy and environment," said Seif. "I'm delighted to join this forward thinking team and look forward to pursuing innovative new environmental and energy solutions with our clients."
