The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the appointment of Kurt Thiede of Wisconsin as regional administrator for Region 5, overseeing environmental protection efforts in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. Thiede will succeed Cathy Stepp, who is stepping down from her post in the Great Lakes region after several years of service to the agency.
Thiede comes to this role with extensive experience promoting and protecting the environmental health of the Great Lakes region. Most recently, Thiede served as the chief of staff to regional administrator Cathy Stepp.
Prior to joining the EPA, Thiede served as deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources from 2015 to 2017. As deputy, he served as the chief operations officer for the agency, overseeing a $500 million annual operating budget and providing leadership and direction to the agency’s 2,400 full time employees. He is an 18 year veteran of WDNR, and previously spent 4 years as the administrator for the Land Division.
Thiede has a Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife management and biology from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and in 2016 he received an outstanding alumnus award from their school of natural resources.
Published in the February 2020 Edition