She is the immediate past president of the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), where she served as president for ten years. During that time, LCV ran numerous successful independent campaigns, investing millions of dollars in 445 endorsed candidates, with 358 of them winning - a success rate of about 80 percent. Additionally, LCV established effective programs like the Dirty Dozen and Environmental Champions, and strengthened its policy and lobbying advocacy programs, as well as increased recognition of its National Environmental Scorecard and other reports.

Under her leadership, the LCV Education Fund directly strengthened the capacity of more than 500 environmental, conservation and other advocacy organizations in 30 states and its non-partisan voter education programs helped to mobilize millions of voters to engage in civic environmental causes, successfully using on-the-ground partnerships with allied groups.

Prior to her work at LCV, Deb served as the founding executive director for the Brainerd Foundation and was a Program Officer for the W Alton Jones Foundation, both environmental grantmaking foundations.

She has worked in advocacy organizations and on Capitol Hill, including the National Clean Air Coalition, the National Toxics Campaign and in the US Senate. Deb has also managed and staffed numerous electoral campaigns including the presidential campaigns of Vice Presidents Al Gore and Walter Mondale, and campaigns for Senator Kent Conrad, Congressman Howard Wolpe and Congressman George Brown.

Deb is nationally known spokesperson and media commentator on environmental and political issues, and in 2004 was the first environmental organizational representative to address the Democratic National Convention. Deb graduated in 1981 from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a degree in Environmental Studies and Political Science.