EPD Director Sandra Ely
NMED News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) announces that Environmental Protection Division (EPD) Director Sandra Ely will retire at the end of March after three years leading the division.
Over the course of her 24-year career, Director Ely has been instrumental in initiatives that have and will continue to positively impact the environment and public health in New Mexico.
Director Ely has a long history with NMED. She started in the Occupational, Health, and Safety Bureau in 1994 as an industrial hygienist, moved up to Program Manager before she became Air Quality Bureau Chief in 1999.
In 2005 she began serving as Environment and Energy Policy Coordinator for the Department. In this role, she worked on state and regional climate change and clean energy initiatives. Director Ely was the recipient of EPA’s Climate Protection Award in 2009 for her exceptional contributions in addressing climate change.
In 2012, she returned to the Air Quality Bureau as Compliance and Enforcement Section Chief before leaving the Department to manage the Aamodt Water Settlement in 2015 for Santa Fe County.
Since returning to NMED in 2019, she has supported the Governor’s Climate Change Task Force, oil and gas ozone precursor rules, and more. Director Ely also oversees the Radiation Control Bureau, ensuring no New Mexican is unnecessarily exposed to radiation.
Prior to forming the Environmental Health Division, Director Ely’s portfolio also included the Occupational Health and Safety Bureau (OHSB) and the Environmental Health Bureau. Director Ely, along with so many others from this Department, have been instrumental in saving lives throughout the pandemic.
“I feel really lucky to have been a part of the Environment Department family for many years,” Ely said. “The mission of the agency and the commitment by staff to environmental protection and public health is inspiring and kept me going every day.”
NMED Cabinet Secretary James Kenney said, “Director Ely has been a champion for the health of New Mexico’s people and environment for over two decades. I am so appreciative of her incredible work ethic and dedication to our mission. I believe that I speak for everyone at the Environment Department when I say that Sandra will be missed tremendously. We wish her the best in her retirement.”
The Environmental Protection Division is deploying several key initiatives that will have a positive impact on the environment including the creation of the new Climate Change Bureau and the anticipated passage of the Ozone Precursor Rules and the Clean Car Rules. Combined, these efforts will bring the state closer to achieving our climate goals of reaching net zero emissions by 2050 economy wide and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in New Mexico at least 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, in accordance with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s Executive Order 2019-003.
NMED is actively working to fill the position of EPD Director by April 2022. Candidates are encouraged to apply who are passionate for the protection of the public health of New Mexicans and their natural environment; have demonstrated experience leading people, managing change, driving results, and building coalitions; able to provide exceptional customer service; possess exceptional communication skills; and know how to effectively communicate with a wide variety of stakeholders.
For more information and to apply, click here. In addition, NMED also is actively recruiting applicants for the positions of Resource Protection Division Director and Water Protection Division Director.