Special lecture at SFA to feature director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture and the SFA Division of Environmental Science will host a public lecture beginning at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5, in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St., in Nacogdoches.

Heidi Grether, director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, will present “Perspectives on Environmental Protection and Regulation, Day-to-Day and in Crisis.”

Grether brings a wealth of experience and knowledge from her time dealing with environmental disasters such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. During this time she served as the general manager for external affairs for BP’s Gulf Coast Restoration Organization, which was responsible for managing all aspects of external affairs post-spill across states located along the Gulf Coast.

Prior to leading Michigan’s environmental regulatory agency, which has federal delegated authority for a broad array of environmental programs, as well as state-specific authorities, Grether served as the deputy director of the Michigan Agency for Energy.

Grether also served as legislative director for the Michigan speaker of the house, as well as policy advisor to the Michigan Senate and vice president of environmental affairs for the Michigan Manufacturers Association.

She has received recognition awards for strategic communications and outreach, issues advocacy and crisis communications.

This lecture is free and open to the public. Parking is available at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center and nearby Raguet Elementary School, located at 2428 Raguet St.

For more information, call (936) 468-1185 or email fullersa@sfasu.edu.