The Center for Environmental Policy has developed several programs in cooperation with former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator William K. Reilly. The primary one is the William K. Reilly Environmental Leadership Awards, which have been awarded to two national or international environmental leaders for the last fourteen years. Each spring, the School of Public Affairs holds the annual Reilly awards ceremony. About one hundred people attend this annual event. Last April 15, the Center recognized two individuals with long records of distinguished accomplishments: Fran Ulmer, a leading conservationist who also was the Lieutenant Governor of Alaska, and Charles Lee, a national environmental justice leader. As part of its efforts to develop the next generation of environmental leaders, the Reilly awards program also recognizes to students from the Master of Public Policy (MPP) and Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs with student scholarships. The students are selected on the basis of their commitment to a career in environmental, energy, or sustainability policy and must have a strong academic record.

The Reilly Environmental Leadership awards are funded from an endowment from the Packard Foundation.

The programs were created to embody the leadership of William K. Reilly, who dedicated his career to finding answers, with stakeholders from across the political spectrum, to difficult environmental problems. William K. Reilly has held careers in public service, non-governmental organizations, and finance. Most recently, he served as a senior advisor to TPG Capital, LP, an international investment partnership. During his tenure with TPG, he was a founding partner of Aqua International Partners, a private equity fund dedicated to investing in companies in the water sector. Mr. Reilly served as the first Payne Visiting Professor at Stanford University, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, president of World Wildlife Fund, president of the Conservation Foundation, and director of the Rockefeller Task Force on Land Use and Urban Growth. He served as captain in the U.S. Army and as a senior staff member in the White House Council on Environmental Quality. He headed the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Earth Summit at Rio in 1992. In May 2010, Reilly was appointed by President Obama to co-chair the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling.

William K. Reilly has held careers in public service, non-governmental organizations, and finance. Most recently, he served as a senior advisor to TPG Capital, LP, an international investment partnership. During his tenure with TPG, he was a founding partner of Aqua International Partners, a private equity fund dedicated to investing in companies in the water sector. Mr. Reilly served as the first Payne Visiting Professor at Stanford University, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, president of World Wildlife Fund, president of the Conservation Foundation, and director of the Rockefeller Task Force on Land Use and Urban Growth. He served as captain in the U.S. Army and as a senior staff member in the White House Council on Environmental Quality. He headed the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Earth Summit at Rio in 1992. In May 2010, Reilly was appointed by President Obama to co-chair the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling.

Mr. Reilly is chairman emeritus of the board of the World Wildlife Fund, chairman emeritus of the board of the ClimateWorks Foundation, chairman of the advisory board for the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University, and chairman of the board of the Global Water Challenge. He serves as the chairman of the environment, safety and security committee for Royal Caribbean International, and chairman of the Sustainable Energy Advisory Board for Energy Future Holdings. In 2007, Mr. Reilly was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He holds a bachelor's degree from Yale University, a law degree from Harvard, and a master's degree in urban planning from Columbia University.