About the Office of External Affairs

What We Do

The Office of External Affairs is responsible for:

• Serving as the principal advisor to the Administrator and the agency's primary office for all external agency communications including, speechwriting, executive correspondence, engagement, environmental education, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) inquiries, risk communications, and media relations activities.
• Serving as the agency’s principal spokesperson with the news media.
• Serving as the agency’s principal liaison with the White House on all agency communications and engagement issues.
• Working with program offices and regions to lead implementation on national and regional communications – ensuring that comprehensive and integrated communications and engagement planning occurs throughout the agency.
• Developing and implementing the agency’s risk communications strategy.
• Coordinating and leading EPA’s communications staff and messaging during emergency responses.
• Developing and setting agency-wide communications policies and processes.
• Providing support and training to senior agency officials in their relationships with the news media and external stakeholders and providing guidance and assistance in disseminating information to the public.
• Managing distribution of information to inform the public of agency actions.
• Establishing and maintaining close working relationships with a broad range of public and private-sector stakeholders.
• Managing the development and implementation of policies, procedures, and standards for the agency’s internal and external websites and EPA’s social media platforms.
• Working with the Office of Mission Support to manage content on, and the “look and feel” of, agency websites.
• Collaborating with program/regional offices on internal communications to ensure agency employees receive information on various initiatives.
• Providing video, photo, audio, and graphics production and support to EPA Administrator, Deputy Administrator, program offices, and regions.
• Maintaining archives of all communications-related content generated and transferring any records to the National Archives per agency records-keeping protocols.
• Serving as the focal point and conduit between agricultural and rural stakeholders and the EPA. Administering the EPA’s Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee which provides independent policy recommendations to the Agency on environmental issues important to agriculture and rural communities. 
• Responsible for the Agency’s Environmental Education program focusing on increasing public awareness and skills to take responsible environmental action through grants and outreach, and managing EPA’s National Environmental Education Advisory Council which provides advice to the EPA Administrator on environmental education matters as required by the National Environmental Education Act.
• Working with industry sectors to develop creative solutions to better protect the environmental and public health. Coordinating across EPA offices, regions and programs to provide sector-specific expertise and a holistic, cross-media view of industry sectors and their environmental opportunities and challenges.
• Managing the executive correspondence, records management, privacy, and Freedom of Information Act functions for the Office of the Administrator.
• Managing all aspects of information access requests including public inquiries, letters, FOIAs, and other public communication. Working with subject matter experts to respond to inquiries.
• Managing all incoming external correspondence to EPA’s Administrator including management of their email and letters.

Leadership

Michael Abboud, Associate Administrator

Molly Vaseliou, Principal Deputy Associate Administrator

Cora Mandy, Deputy Associate Administrator for Public Affairs

Lauren Lauman, Deputy Associate Administrator for Public Engagement

Andrea Drinkard, Deputy Associate Administrator for Management and Communications

Susan Park, Deputy Associate Administrator for Strategic Initiatives

Henry Turner Bridgforth, Senior Advisor for Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Organization

Digital, Risk Communications, and Press Division

• Email: press@epa.gov

Environmental Education and Stewardship Division

• Email: Tanner.Hiram@epa.gov

Executive Secretariat Division

• Email: Hope.Brian@epa.gov

Internal Communications Division

• Email: widener.charles@epa.gov

Multimedia Division

• Email: ryan.jini@epa.gov

Regional Partnerships and Operations Division

• Email: Saddler.Melissa@epa.gov

Sector Engagement and Agriculture Division

• Email: Elman.Barry@epa.gov