Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced today his appointment of Emily Lindley, of Austin, as the next Commissioner of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), effective today. Prior to her appointment as a TCEQ Commissioner, Ms. Lindley served as Chief of Staff for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 Office in Dallas. As Chief of Staff she was an advisor to Regional Administrator Anne Idsal. Prior to serving at EPA, Ms. Lindley worked for the TCEQ, most recently as Special Assistant to Deputy Executive Director Stephanie Bergeron Perdue. She also worked as a special assistant to the Deputy Director of the TCEQ Office of Water, as a government relations liaison in TCEQ's Office of Intergovernmental Relations, and as a program specialist in the TCEQ's Office of Public Assistance. Ms. Lindley received a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Baylor University and completed the Governor's Executive Development Program at The University of Texas at Austin, LBJ School of Public Affairs, in 2016.
In a companion news release, the TCEQ announced that former TCEQ Commissioner Toby Baker has been selected as TCEQ Executive Director. Mr. Baker replaces Richard Hyde, P.E., who retired at the end of March 2018. Mr. Baker has served as a Commissioner of the TCEQ since April 2012, and is best known for serving as Texas Governors' designee to the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, where he oversaw the disbursement of grants in the RESTORE Program stemming from settlement of claims associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He also created a cross‑border initiative to meet with his counterparts in Mexico to address shared environmental challenges. Mr. Baker received both his Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree in Public Service and Administration from Texas A&M and is also a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School and the Governor's Executive Development Program at The University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs.
