The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan announced that President Biden has appointed Dr. David Cash to become EPA’s Regional Administrator for Region 1. Dr. Cash will lead the implementation of the Biden-Harris environmental agenda in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and in 10 Tribal Nations. Dr. Cash’s appointment began on February 7, 2022.
“Dr. Cash brings deep experience in environmental policy, equity, and economic justice. I know he will ensure voices throughout Region 1 are heard on key issues,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Dr. Cash has hit the ground running and I’m very excited to welcome him to the team.”
“I am deeply honored to serve as the EPA Region 1 Administrator, to champion the bold climate, environment and justice agenda of the Biden-Harris Administration and EPA Administrator Regan,” said Dr. Cash. “I eagerly anticipate working with the world-class staff at EPA, elected and state officials and Tribes, as well as engaging all New England communities, especially those most vulnerable and historically overburdened. Given my conviction that wise and equitable environmental policy goes hand-in-hand with robust economic policy, together we can solve our most pressing environmental challenges while creating jobs, leaving clean air and water to our children, and crafting a just transition to a clean energy future.”
Dr. Cash has spent his career in public service harnessing science, innovative policy and participatory decision-making to solve challenges and seize opportunities at the intersection of environment, economy and equity. In his most recent position, Dr. Cash was the Dean of the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. He spent a decade in Massachusetts state government where he held a range of senior positions. As Assistant Secretary of Policy in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs in Governor Deval Patrick's Administration, he was an architect of nation-leading climate, clean energy and environmental justice policies. All of these initiatives were grounded in the notion that wise environmental policy, economic policy and policies for equity can and should go hand-in-hand. Dr. Cash then served as a Commissioner in the Department of Public Utilities, followed by serving as the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection. With this rare experience of being both an environment and an energy commissioner, he had the unique perspective of understanding the importance of breaking down silos and focusing on complex issues in much more comprehensive and integrative ways. In these roles, he collaborated in government and with communities and the private sector to craft and implement innovative science-based policies around climate, environmental justice, energy, job creation, water, land use, waste management, and grid modernization. Dr. Cash holds a Ph.D. in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He and his wife Annie Weiss, a psychotherapist, live in the Boston area and have two young adult daughters.
Posted February 25, 2022
