Governor Greg Abbott announced his appointment of Emily Lindley of Austin as the next
commissioner for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Additionally, TCEQ Chairman Bryan W. Shaw, Ph.D., P.E. announced the appointment of Toby Baker as executive director.
Lindley most recently served as the chief of staff for the Environmental Protection Agency, Region Six office in Dallas. As chief of staff she served as an advisor to Regional Administrator Anne Isdal, who oversees Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and 66 tribal nations.
Prior to serving at EPA she worked for more than ten years at the TCEQ, most recently as the special assistant to Deputy Executive Director Stephanie Bergeron Perdue. While at the agency she also worked as a special assistant to the deputy director in the Office of Water who oversees water permitting, water quality planning, and water supply-related functions, including utilities and districts for the state of Texas. Lindley also worked in the TCEQ’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations as a government relations liaison, and in the Office of Public Assistance as a program specialist. In this capacity she assisted Texans in understanding the public participation process and answered questions regarding permitting issues.
Baker was appointed as commissioner by then-governor Rick Perry in April 2012. He is best known for serving as Governors Perry and Abbott’s designee to the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council where he oversees the disbursement of grants in the RESTORE program stemming from the settlement of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He also created a cross-border initiative to meet with his counterparts in Mexico to address shared environmental challenges.
Baker replaces Richard Hyde, P.E., who retired at the end of March.