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Heather McTeer Toney
Southeast Regional Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
In office
January 2014 – January 2017
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byGwen Keyes Fleming
Succeeded byMary Walker[1]
Mayor of Greenville, Mississippi
In office
January 2004 – December 2011
Succeeded byChuck Jordan[2]
Personal details
SpouseDexter Toney
Children3
Alma materSpelman College (B.A.)
Tulane University (J.D.)

Heather McTeer Toney is an American politician, environmentalist, attorney, and civil servant. In 2014, Toney was appointed as a Regional Administrator of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the Southeast region by President Barack Obama[3]. Prior to this, Toney served as the first woman and African American to serve as Mayor of Greenville, Mississippi, a position she held from 2004 to 2011[4].

Early life and education

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Toney was born to Victor McTeer, a civil rights attorney, and Mercidees McTeer, a public school teacher, in Greenville, Mississippi, where she was raised[5]. Victor McTeer was one of the first African Americans to attend Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College) and, after graduating from Rutgers Law School in 1972, returned to his home state of Mississippi to practice law. After high school, Toney attended Spelman College[6], where she was a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority[7], receiving a bachelor's degree in sociology.

Following the completion of her undergraduate education, Toney attended Tulane University Law School, where she received her Juris Doctorate[8]. During her legal career, she primarily handled employment discrimination and medical malpractice cases.[9]

Mayoralty of Greenville

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In 2004, Toney became the first woman, first African American, and youngest person to serve as Mayor of Greenville[10]. Located in the Mississippi Delta, the poverty rate of Greenville is almost three times the national average[11]. During her tenure as mayor, she was credited with helping the city resolve its debt crisis[12]. Toney is a past president of the National Conference of Black Mayors[13]. As mayor, she prioritized environmental issues, specifically with regards to protecting the local water supply[14].

EPA career

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In 2009, Toney was nominated by EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson to serve as chairwoman of the EPA's Local Government Advisory Committee[15]. Jackson was impressed by Toney's work combatting water pollution in Greenville[16]. In 2014, Toney was nominated by President Obama to serve as Regional EPA Administrator for Region 4, consisting of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and six tribal nations. Region 4 has been referred to as a "historically troubled" region plagued by "energy apartheid"[17], and the resignation of former Regional Administrator Gwen Keyes Fleming led to a long vacancy in the position prior to Toney's appointment[18].

Toney has been mentioned as a potential future EPA Administrator[19][20].

Environmental justice work

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Since leaving the EPA in 2017, Toney has involved herself in environmental justice organizing[21]. Toney is currently the National Field Director for Moms Clean Air Force[22][23], which focuses on combatting air pollution. In 2019, Toney penned an op-ed for The New York Times where she argued that the need to combat climate change and protect the environment is a racial justice issue[24]. Toney has criticized the mainstream environmental movement for ignoring the concerns of communities of color[25].

Personal life

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Toney is married to Dexter Toney and has three children[4].

References

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  1. ^ https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-administrator-epas-southeast-region-region-4#:~:text=Mary%20S.,-Walker&text=Mary%20Walker%20is%20the%20the,Southeast%20Region%20(Region%204)
  2. ^ https://msbusiness.com/2011/12/all-business-former-bank-president-chuck-jordan-hits-the-ground-running-as-new-greenville-mayor
  3. ^ "GreenLaw | EPA Announces Regional Administrator for Region 4 Office in Atlanta". greenlaw.org. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  4. ^ a b "Elected at age 27, Heather McTeer Toney knows what it means to be a public servant" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "H. 3502 - South Carolina General Assembly (112nd session, 2017-2018)".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ "Spelman's Political Warrior" (PDF). Spelman College.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "25 Women To Know: Powerhouses Representing At The Polls". HelloBeautiful. 2014-04-02. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  8. ^ "Heather McTeer Toney | Midwest Climate Summit | Washington University in St. Louis". midwestclimatesummit.wustl.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  9. ^ "Heather McTeer Toney". LawTally. 2018-08-07. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  10. ^ "Moving Past Stereotypes: Climate Action IS the Social Justice Issue of Our Time | Heather McTeer Toney". Bioneers. 2019-11-12. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  11. ^ "Greenville, MS | Data USA". datausa.io (in canon). Retrieved 2020-09-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  12. ^ "Heather McTeer Toney - SheSource Expert - Women's Media Center". womensmediacenter.com. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  13. ^ "GreenLaw | EPA Announces Regional Administrator for Region 4 Office in Atlanta". greenlaw.org. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  14. ^ "Former Greenville mayor, turned environment advocate: How the air we breathe affects our kids is 'critically important'". Mississippi Today. 2019-11-08. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  15. ^ "American Recycler News, Inc". americanrecycler.com. Retrieved 2020-09-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "Environmental Inclusivity: Heather McTeer Toney on Social and Climate Justice". Bioneers. 2019-11-13. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  17. ^ "Tough love: Can a local leader save the EPA's troubled southeast region?". Grist. 2014-01-22. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  18. ^ Bravender, Robin (December 23, 2013). "EPA: Still no takers for 'notoriously sticky' regional administrator post".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ "CAMPAIGN 2020: With 'rich talent pool,' who might lead a Biden EPA?". www.eenews.net. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  20. ^ "CAMPAIGN 2020: Would Biden pick the 'queen of green' to lead EPA?". www.eenews.net. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  21. ^ "Quest for racial justice in US must include environmental and climate issues, activists say". The World from PRX. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  22. ^ "Heather McTeer Toney of Moms Clean Air Force to speak at FORUM2020". The Temple of Understanding. 2020-09-18. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  23. ^ "Heather McTeer Toney - SheSource Expert - Women's Media Center". womensmediacenter.com. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  24. ^ Toney, Heather McTeer (2019-07-25). "Opinion | Black Women Are Leaders in the Climate Movement". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  25. ^ "A Beautiful World: Fighting climate change on behalf of the kids who'll live with it". MPR News. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
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