Cooper names new DEQ secretary to complete final months of term
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper appointed Mary Penny Kelley as the Department of Environmental Quality’s new secretary on Thursday. She will replace outgoing Secretary Elizabeth Biser.
Kelley currently serves as the special advisor for Hometown Strong, a state government program dedicated to supporting North Carolina’s rural counties. She served as executive director of the program from June of 2020 until June of this year. She previously served in a variety of roles at DEQ and the state Department of Justice.
“Mary Penny Kelley’s long career in environmental law and experience within DEQ make her the right person to lead the department and continue to work to protect North Carolina’s air and water,” Cooper said in a press release.
He said he expects Kelley to continue Biser’s work in North Carolina’s fight against PFAS and other harmful chemicals.
Kelley’s public service career started at the North Carolina Department of Justice in 1997 before she moved to Deputy Secretary and other roles at the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources — now the Department of Environmental Quality.
“Safe air, land and drinking water are vital for strong communities, healthy families and a growing economy and I look forward to continuing [to] protect these vital resources and hold polluters accountable,” Kelley said in a press release.
The appointment takes effect on Sept. 17.
Biser, who has directed DEQ’s work since 2021, is stepping down to pursue opportunities in the private sector.
She was the first woman confirmed in the position. The state Senate’s Agriculture, Energy and Environment Committee refused to confirm Cooper’s previous nominee, Dionne Delli-Gatti.
It was the first time lawmakers rejected a cabinet-level appointment since 2017, the start of Cooper’s first term as governor.
“I began my career at the Department, and it has been an honor and privilege to return and serve as Secretary,” Biser said.
As Kelley will take office with only three-and-a-half months remaining in Cooper’s term, it’s unclear whether state lawmakers will pursue any kind of confirmation process to consider the appointment.