Thursday, January 23, 2014

Heather McTeer Toney Named EPA Region 4 Administrator

Heather McTeer Toney
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy announced President Barack Obama's selection of Heather McTeer Toney as regional administrator for EPA's regional office in Atlanta. EPA Region 4 includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and six tribal nations.Ms. McTeer Toney was the first African-American and first female to serve as the Mayor of Greenville, Mississippi, holding that post from 2004-2012. She joins EPA from Mississippi Valley State University, where she is the Executive Director of the Center for Excellence in Student Learning. She is also the Principal Attorney at Heather McTeer, PLLC.

Ms. McTeer Toney's private-sector success is complemented by considerable experience in local and state politics. She began her career working as a member of McTeer and Associates Law Firm and handled a diverse group of cases ranging from racial discrimination to medical malpractice. Later she served as the President of the National Conference of Black Mayors and in 2009, was nominated by former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, to serve as the Chairwoman of the Local Government Advisory Committee.

Previously she was president of START Strategies & Consulting Group. She serves as one of the National Spokeswomen for She Should Run!, and is the State Director for the Political Institute for Women. Heather appeared regularly on Women for Progress Radio 90.1 in Jackson, MS. Heather is an expert with SheSource, a publication of the Women’s Media Center.

McTeer has received numerous award and honors. She has appeared on news outlets such as CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and C-Span. She has been featured in the Washington Post, Jackson Clarion Ledger, Jet Magazine, Essence Magazine and the Mississippi Business Journal. She is also a published author in Voices of Historical and Contemporary Black American Pioneers Vol. 2. McTeer was featured in the May 2005 issue of Essence Magazine as one of the “50 Most Remarkable Women in the World.” She was featured in the November 2011 issue of Marie Claire magazine as the “Top Politician” in their annual “Women On Top” awards. She was also recognized by Black Entertainment Television (BET) as a “Black Woman In Politics That Rock!” Most recently, Heather is included in the PBS/AOL documentary entitled “MAKERS”, where she appears alongside noted women such as Hilary Clinton and Condalizza Rice.

Heather received her undergraduate degree from Spelman College and her law degree from Tulane University Law School.  Heather enjoys reading, running and is the MS Delta Run coordinator for Black Girls Run! MS Chapter. She is an active member of New Living Way Christian Fellowship church in Greenville, MS.  She is married to Dexter Toney and they have two children.

EPA regional administrators are responsible for managing the Agency's regional activities under the direction of the EPA administrator. They promote state and local environmental protection efforts and serve as a liaison to government officials. (EPA Press Release, Linkedin)

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Society needs more people like McTeer. I've heard from an Arizona personal injury lawyer that cases of racial profiling are being used aimlessly by some security officers. Racial profiling is useful, but officers who are given this order should know how to asses a person carefully. I read news somewhere that security officers stopped 2 black Americans inside a high-end mall because of shoplifting, without any proof. They excused themselves, saying they are just following racial profiling protocols, but the mall insisted that they did not have such rules in their premises.