Lincoln, Nebraska, Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird Appointed Chair of EPA’s Local Government Advisory Committee

Ferguson, Missouri, Mayor Ella Jones appointed to Local Government Advisory Committee and Small Community Advisory Subcommittee

August 25, 2021

Contact Information

Ben Washburn (washburn.ben@epa.gov)

913-551-7364

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., Aug. 25, 2021) - Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan announced the appointment of 34 new members to the Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC). Administrator Regan appointed Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird of Lincoln, Nebraska, as the LGAC’s new chair.

“I’m honored to welcome this diverse, highly qualified group of local leaders who will bring valuable insight and experience to the Agency,” said Administrator Regan. “EPA is counting on their input and collaboration to help achieve our mission to protect public health and the environment in every ZIP code. From tackling climate change to advancing environmental justice, we need local partners at the table to address our most pressing environmental challenges.”

“Through service on the EPA’s Local Government Advisory Committee, I look forward to advancing climate security, infrastructure development, economic opportunity, environmental justice, and quality of life for people here in Lincoln and across our country,” said Mayor Gaylor Baird.

The 39-member LGAC will include 20 women, 16 people of color, and representation from 30 different states, Tribal nations, and U.S. territories, representing a diverse cross-section of cities, counties, towns, and communities across the United States. The Administrator also appointed 16 new members to the LGAC’s Small Community Advisory Subcommittee (SCAS).

Administrator Regan also appointed Town Manager Lisa Wong of Winchester, Massachusetts, as the LGAC’s vice chair. He appointed Commissioner Christine Lowery of Cibola County, New Mexico, as the SCAS’s new chair, and Mayor Julian McTizic of Bolivar, Tennessee, as the SCAS’s new vice chair.

“The Small Community Advisory Subcommittee focuses on the grounded experience of environmental impacts and EPA response to local communities and counties,” said Commissioner Lowery. “As a Pueblo woman, I recognize the art of storytelling as an effective form of communication. These stories can strengthen the EPA stakeholder process, depending on who the storytellers are, who hears them, and how the stories are carried.”

EPA received over 150 nominations following a solicitation in March 2021. Both groups plan to hold their first meeting this fall.

Appointments to the LGAC include:

The Honorable Leirion Gaylor Baird, Mayor, Lincoln, Nebraska
The Honorable Ras Baraka, Mayor, Newark, New Jersey
The Honorable James Brainard, Mayor, Carmel, Indiana
Mr. Gary Brown, Director of Water and Sewerage Department, Detroit, Michigan
The Honorable Deborah Cherry, Treasurer, Genesee County, Michigan
The Honorable Melissa Cribbins, Commissioner, Coos County, Oregon*
The Honorable José Carlos Aponte Dalmau, Mayor, Carol̒ina, Puerto Rico*
The Honorable Megan Dunn, Councilmember, Snohomish County, Washington
The Honorable Mark Fox, Chairman, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nations (MHA), New Town, North Dakota*
Mr. Brian Fulton, County Administrator, Jackson County, Mississippi*
The Honorable Nick Gradisar, Mayor, Pueblo, Colorado
The Honorable Evan Hansen, House Delegate, State of West Virginia*
Mr. Chad Harsha, Secretary of Natural Resources, Cherokee Nation
The Honorable Timothy “Zane” Hedgecock, Mayor Pro Tem, Wallburg, North Carolina
The Honorable Deana Holiday Ingraham, Mayor, East Point, Georgia
The Honorable Ella Jones, Mayor, Ferguson, Missouri
The Honorable Kelly King, Councilmember, Maui County, Hawaii
The Honorable Christine Lowery, Commissioner, Cibola County, New Mexico
The Honorable Rachel May, State Senator, Syracuse, New York
The Honorable Melissa McKinlay, Commissioner, Palm Beach County, Florida
The Honorable Julian McTizic, Mayor, Bolivar, Tennessee
Mr. Alex Morse, Town Manager, Provincetown, Massachusetts
The Honorable Douglas Nicholls, Mayor, Yuma, Arizona
The Honorable Ron Nirenberg, Mayor, San Antonio, Texas
The Honorable Neil O’Leary, Mayor, Waterbury, Connecticut
Ms. Deborah Raphael, Director, Environmental Department, San Francisco, California
The Honorable Satya Rhodes-Conway, Mayor, Madison, Wisconsin
The Honorable Katherine Gilmore Richardson, Councilmember, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Honorable Deborah Robertson, Mayor, Rialto, California
The Honorable Michael Scuse, Secretary of Agriculture, State of Delaware
Ms. Valinda Shirley, Executive Director, EPA, Navajo Nation
The Honorable Sylvester Turner, Mayor, Houston, Texas
The Honorable Lucy Vinis, Mayor, Eugene, Oregon
The Honorable Lisa Wong, Town Manager, Winchester, Massachusetts*

Appointments to the SCAS include:

Mr. Rodney Barlett, Director of Public Works, Peterborough, New Hampshire*
Mr. Tom Carroll, Village Manager, Silverton, Ohio
The Honorable José Carlos Aponte Dalmau, Mayor, Carol̒ina, Puerto Rico*
The Honorable Jeri DeLange, Councilmember, Hayden, Idaho
The Honorable Vincent DeSantis, Mayor, Gloversville, New York*
The Honorable Kwasi Fraser, Mayor, Purcellville, Virginia
Mr. Brian Fulton, County Administrator, Jackson County, Mississippi
Mr. Dave Glatt, Director, Department of Environmental Quality, Bismark, North Dakota
The Honorable Daniel Guzman, Councilmember, Oneida Nation, Wisconsin
The Honorable Ella Jones, Mayor, Ferguson, Missouri*
The Honorable Christine Lowery, County Commissioner, Cibola County, New Mexico
The Honorable Ann Mallek, Supervisor, Albemarle County, Virginia*
The Honorable Julian McTizic, Mayor, Bolivar, Tennessee
The Honorable Hattie Portis-Jones, Councilmember, Fairburn, Georgia
The Honorable Christina Sablan, Representative, Mariana Islands
The Honorable Jeremy Stutsman, Mayor, Goshen, Indiana

*Indicates reappointment

Background

Chartered in 1993 under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Local Government Advisory Committee provides independent policy advice to the EPA Administrator on a broad range of issues affecting local governments. The Small Community Advisory Subcommittee was established by EPA in 1996 to advise the Administrator on environmental issues of concern to the residents of smaller communities.

Lincoln, Nebraska, Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird Appointed Chair of EPA’s Local Government Advisory Committee

Appointments to the LGAC include:

Appointments to the SCAS include:

Background

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