Sarah’s Bio

Sarah Dunham is the Director of EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality whose mission is to establish and implement national standards for transportation fuels, vehicles and engines to reduce air pollution from mobile sources under the Clean Air Act. The National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is an integral part of OTAQ. NVFEL provides state-of-the-art emission testing services for motor vehicle, heavy-duty engine, and nonroad engine programs in support of rulemakings, enforcement actions, and test procedures development.

Prior to becoming Director of OTAQ, Sarah was the Director of EPA’s Office of Atmospheric Programs where she and her staff worked to improve regional air quality, address climate change, and protect the ozone layer. During her tenure with OAP, Sarah worked with the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards on some of EPA’s most high profile regulatory programs. She also was at the center of some of EPA’s most important work on climate change and oversaw the continued success of OAP’s market trading programs and implementation of the Montreal Protocol.

Before leading OAP, Sarah was the founding Director of the Transportation and Climate Division in OTAQ where she was instrumental in the growth of the SmartWay program, developing an updated fuel economy label, and developing the analytical framework for the original Renewable Fuel Standard program regulations. Prior to her work at EPA, Sarah worked at the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency designing market-based programs to reduce air and water pollution.