Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of Policy
Helena Wooden-Aguilar
Helena Wooden-Aguilar is the Deputy Associate Administrator (DAA) in the Office of Policy. The Office of Policy provides multi-disciplinary analytic skills, management support, and special expertise in the following areas: regulatory policy and management, environmental economics, community revitalization, climate adaptation, environmental justice, environmental permitting, National Environmental Policy Act, and stakeholder engagement via Smart Sectors.As the Deputy Associate Administrator, Helena supports the Agency’s mission by conducting sound regulatory, scientific, and economic analyses and by creating business and community partnerships to achieve greater and more cost-effective public health and environmental protection. Helena is also responsible for leading the Office of Policy’s management team in strategic planning, budget planning, and establishing human resources practices and policies. Prior to her current assignment, Helena served as the Acting Deputy Chief of Staff in the Administrator’s Office for two years. Earlier in her EPA career, she held various management and leadership positions in the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, and in the Office of Civil Rights, where she was a supervisor and served as an expert advisor on sensitive issues and led their financial and human resources initiatives. Her professional career began in 2002 at the Pennsylvania Coalition against Domestic Violence in Harrisburg, PA as a staff attorney. Helena earned her J.D. degree from Vermont Law School and was also awarded B.A. degrees in sociology and in anthropology with honors, from Howard University in Washington, DC.