Last week, President Biden announced his nominees for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). For BLM, the President selected Tracy Stone-Manning, a senior advisor for conservation policy at the National Wildlife Federation. She also previously held positions as director of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, chief of staff to former Gov. Steve Bullock (D-MT), and adviser to Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT). Biden tapped Dr. Richard Spinrad, an oceanography professor at Oregon State University to lead NOAA. Spinrad retired in 2016 as NOAA’s chief scientist, a position President Obama appointed him to in 2014.
Earlier this month, the Senate confirmed Brenda Mallory to lead the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The first African American to serve as CEQ Chair, Mallory will function as the president’s principal environmental policy advisor. According to a White House press release announcing her confirmation, she will oversee the administration of the National Environmental Policy Act, advance climate change and environmental justice issues, and improve sustainability efforts in the federal government.