Statewide, OR—After a seven-month national search, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission has selected two candidates for the Department of Environmental Quality’s director position. The finalists are Leah Feldon and Jamie McLeod-Skinner.

Commission Chair Kathleen George said, “Both finalists are extremely qualified to lead DEQ and chart a course for the agency’s future.”

Feldon is currently the interim director at DEQ. She entered public service at DEQ in the Office of Compliance and Enforcement in 2005 and became manager of that office in 2009. She served in several other positions at the agency before being named deputy, including special advisor to the director for Cleaner Air Oregon, an initiative by Governor Kate Brown to overhaul air toxics regulations. In that role, she assembled and led a multi-faceted team to deliver Oregon’s new air toxics program, legislation, rulemaking and implementation guidance. She earned her law degree from Lewis and Clark Law School in 2004 and her Bachelor of Arts from University of Dayton in Ohio. She is a member of the Oregon State Bar and has served on several non-profit boards.

McLeod-Skinner works as regional emergency coordinator with the Oregon Department of Human Services and is also founding partner and attorney with MS Sage Consulting in Central Oregon. She has 25 years of management experience in public, private and nonprofit sectors. She has a law degree from University of Oregon School of Law; a master’s in regional planning from Cornell University; and a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She was a candidate for congress in Oregon’s fifth district last year.

The commission will hold a special meeting in February for the finalists to engage with them, as they move toward a final decision. This meeting also will be an opportunity for DEQ staff and the public to hear from both candidates.

Interim director Leah Feldon will remain in her role until a permanent director is appointed.

For more information, visit the director recruitment webpage.

Media contacts:
Harry Esteve, communications manager, harry.esteve@deq.oregon.gov, 503-951-3856
Jennifer Flynt, public affairs specialist, Jennifer.flynt@deq.oregon.gov, 503-730-5924

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