Biography of Opening Plenary Keynote Speaker

OPENING PLENARY KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Nigel Simon’s career with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spans over 20 years where he has served in a variety of leadership roles. Nigel currently serves as the Director of the Office of Program Management and the Senior Information Official in the Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM). He served as the acting Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator (PDAA) for OLEM from January 2017 to July 2019. Nigel provides direct leadership and oversight over OLEM’s billion annual budget and manages several offices responsible for managing the EPA’s emergency, hazardous and solid waste management programs. OLEM represents approximately 16% of the total agency budget and a quarter of the agency’s employees.

Prior to his appointment to the Senior Executive Service in December 2012, he served as the Director of the Information and Management Division in the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations (OCIR) before going on to Capitol Hill as a fellow.

Nigel completed two short-term mission assignments in Botswana and Cameroon, West Africa as part of the United Nations Environmental Program and the EPA. He was an active member of the EPA Response Support Corps and was deployed to Mississippi as part of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Cleanup.

Throughout his career at EPA, Nigel has been unyielding in his commitment to diversity and inclusion. Nigel is a former Black Employment Program Manager and is one of the executive sponsors for EPA’s William D. Barber Chapter of Blacks In Government (BIG). He also serves as the National Executive Champion for the Hispanic Initiatives at EPA. Nigel is a member of Equality EPA and was featured in the EPA “It Gets Better” national video campaign. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the SES SL/ST People of Color Network.

Before coming to EPA, Nigel was a military policeman in Maryland and the U.S. Virgin Islands Army National Guard units. He was deployed to Fort Clayton, Panama. He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Virgin Islands and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Central College in Iowa. Nigel and his husband live in Prince Georges County, Maryland and are the proud parents of three adopted children.

Regards, Nigel Simon

Nigel Simon