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Rita M. Lavelle
Biography
[EPA press release - February 18, 1982]
President Reagan today announced his intention to nominate Rita M. Lavelle to be assistant administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for solid waste and emergency response.
She will direct the hazardous waste control program and the $1.6 billion "Superfund" program which provides for the emergency cleanup of chemical spills and hazardous waste dumps.
"Rita Lavelle brings over 12 years of professional experience in state government and private industry to the agency" said EPA Administrator Anne M. Gorsuch. "She has demonstrated expertise in getting results, as shown by her record with the executive branch of government in California, with a mid-sized chemical firm and with a large diversified international corporation."
Since 1978, Lavelle has initiated, directed and managed several programs for Aerojet-General Corporation subsidiaries, including ones for divisions which manufacture chemicals and industrial and chemical intermediates, nuclear and chemical waste treatment systems, liquid rocket engines for the aerospace industry, and high-speed marine propulsion systems for defense applications.
Lavelle, 34, earned her bachelor's degree in biology and mathematics, with a minor in chemistry, from the College of Holy Names, Oakland, Calif., in 1969, and continued graduate work at the University of California at Berkeley in physiological chemistry and stoichiometry (the study of biological cell shapes and functions). She earned a master's degree cum laude in business administration from Pepperdine University in Los Angeles in 1980.
From 1969 to 1976, she was the consumer affairs department information officer with the State of California, state director of consumer education, and publications assistant in the office of then-Governor Reagan.
She was director of marketing for Intercontinental and Continental Chemical Corporation in Sacramento, Calif., from 1976 to 1978. Lavelle's responsibilities included development of corporate guidelines to comply with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. At EPA, one of her tasks will be to administer nationwide compliance with this law by both business and government sectors.
When Lavelle joined Aerojet-General Corporation, she became director of communications for one subsidiary, Cordova Chemical Co., until 1979, moving to a similar communications position for the largest subsidiary, Aerojet Liquid Rocket Co., in 1979.
She is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Chemical Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance, as well as numerous aerospace and defense organizations. In 1981, she was named one of the outstanding women in aerospace by Aerospace Magazine.
Lavelle has held several positions of responsibility in the California Republican Party, including membership on the executive board of directors of California Federated Republican Women and the Sacramento and Alameda County central committees.
Active in community affairs, she has been a member of the board of directors of the Rancho Cordova (Calif.) Chamber of Commerce for three years and has assisted in many events supporting the Mercy Hospitals of Sacramento, the Northern California Association of Girl Scouts, the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program, and Eppie's Great Race for mentally and emotionally handicapped children.