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About EPA

Lead Region Process

The purpose of the "Lead Region" system is to ensure the quality of agency decisions by providing an organized, consistent and effective regional role in all the major phases of Agency decision-making.

  • Regional offices assigned as Lead Regions are responsible for working with their respective National Program Managers (NPMs) to identify and synthesize the concerns of all ten regions into a "regional view" that can be effectively factored into Agency decision-making.
  • NPMs are responsible for soliciting and incorporating input from their Lead Regions on major policy, regulatory and resource decisions.

The current Lead Region structure has been in place since June 1984.

Lead Region Assignments and Coordinators for Fiscal Year 2020-2021

Lead Region
FY 2020-21
Assignments Lead Region Coordinator Telephone Lead Region
FY 2022-23

1

Office of Mission Support (OMS-EI)
Office of the Chief Financial Officer & OMS (OCFO & OMS-ARM)

Brandon Williams
Emily Bender

617-918-1965
617-918-1037

2

2

Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM) (RCRA/UST/BF)

Stephanie Lamster

212-637-3465

3

3

Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP)

Beth Garcia

215-814-5243

4

4

Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM) (Superfund/ Oil
Pollution/ Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention) 

Dora Ann Johnson

404-562-8737

5

5

Office of Research and Development (ORD) & Lab Services and Applied Sciences Divisions (LSASD)

Chris Choi

312-353-5006

6

6

Office of Water (OW)

Miriam Varnado

214-665-7171

7

7

Office of International and Tribal Affairs (OITA)

Deborah Bredehoft

913-551-7164

8

8

Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA)
Office of General Counsel (OGC)

Joe Wilwerding
Abigail Dean
Elyana Sutin (OGC)

303-312-6729
303-312-6106
303-312-6899

9

9

Office of the Administrator (OA) + Office of Homeland Security (OHS)

Paul Amato

415-972-3847

10

10

Office of Air and Radiation (OAR)

Justin Spenillo

206-553-6125

1

Headquarters Lead Region Contact

Melissa Saddler

202-564-5455