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Administrator Lisa Jackson
As EPA’s Administrator, Lisa P. Jackson leads a staff of approximately 18,000 professionals dedicated to protecting the public health and environment of all Americans. She was nominated to lead the Agency by President Barack Obama on December 15, 2008 and confirmed by the Senate on January 23, 2009. She is the first African American to serve in that position.
Administrator Jackson lists among her priorities reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality, managing chemical risks, cleaning up hazardous waste sites, and protecting America’s water.
Before becoming EPA’s Administrator, Jackson served as Chief of Staff to New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine. Prior to that, she was appointed by Governor Jon S. Corzine to be Commissioner of the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in 2006. While Commissioner, Jackson was known for her advocacy for reducing greenhouse gases, aggressively addressing pollution, and having an open and honest dialogue with stakeholders in the public policy process. She was also noted for ensuring that underserved communities received fair environmental protection under the law.
Jackson joined DEP in 2002, serving as Assistant Commissioner for Compliance and Enforcement, then Assistant Commissioner for Land Use Management, before becoming Commissioner. Prior to joining DEP, she worked for 16 years as an employee of the U.S. EPA, initially at its headquarters in Washington and later at its regional office in New York City. During that time, she was involved in directing hazardous waste cleanup operations and helping to direct the region’s enforcement division.
Governor Corzine said of her after her confirmation to head the U.S. EPA, “The American people have gained a tireless public servant and a tenacious guardian of the environment.”
Jackson is a summa cum laude graduate of Tulane University’s School of Chemical Engineering and earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Princeton University.
She was born in Pennsylvania and grew up a proud resident of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Jackson now resides in Washington D.C. and East Windsor, New Jersey. She is married to Kenny Jackson and is the proud mother of two wonderful sons, Marcus and Brian.