Jonathan Deason is a Professor and Director of the Environmental and Energy Management program at the George Washington University, where he has been since August 1996.  Prior to joining GW, Deason was Vice President for Environmental and Educational Affairs (1994-1996) at the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, a federation of 5,000 planning, design and construction organizations.  Before that, he served six years as Director, Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance (1988-1994) at the U.S. Department of the Interior, where he managed nine regional offices across the nation and seven staff divisions in Washington, D.C. 

Deason holds a Ph.D. degree in environmental systems from the University of Virginia, an M.S. degree in environmental engineering from the Johns Hopkins University, an M.B.A. degree in management from Golden Gate University, and a B.S. degree in engineering from the U.S. Military Academy.  He has served as a member of the national Boards of Directors of the American Water Resources Association and the Renewable Natural Resources Foundation, and as President of the National Capital Section, American Society of Civil Engineers.

Deason has received a number of awards including the 1984 Arthur S. Flemming Award for work related to improving the nation's water resources, the 1992 Founder's Medal of the National Society of Professional Engineers as the Federal Engineer of the Year, the 1993 Engineering Achievement Award of the Virginia Engineering Foundation, a 1993 Executive Rank Award from the President of the United States, and designation in 2003 as a  Research Policy Scholar by the George Washington Institute for Public Policy.