EPA Region 6 Announces Chief of Staff
EPA Region 6 Announces Chief of Staff
DALLAS (April 7, 2022) - Today, EPA Regional Administrator Earthea Nance announced her appointment of Delia Iris Gonzalez as Chief of Staff for Region 6. As Chief of Staff, Ms. Gonzalez joins the leadership team responsible for implementing the Biden-Harris environmental agenda in Region 6, which includes Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, 66 Tribal Nations, and hundreds of environmental justice communities.
“I am thrilled to welcome Iris Gonzalez to EPA. Iris has been a strong advocate for several communities on EPA Administrator Regan’s Journey to Justice Tour. She has gained the trust of many Region 6 communities that are disproportionately impacted by pollution and inadequate infrastructure, and disproportionately vulnerable to climate hazards.” said EPA Regional Administrator Earthea Nance. “Iris has dedicated her career to building coalitions that advocate for underserved communities. Iris’s experience fighting for climate justice and equity will be invaluable as we work to protect those that need us most.”
Iris is the founding Coalition Director for the Coalition for Environment, Equity and Resilience (CEER), an advocacy collaborative working on environmental justice policy solutions in the greater Houston region. CEER comprises 27 non-profit organizations from the environmental justice, nature conservation and community organizing sectors. Iris has over 10 years of experience in nonprofit program management, coalition building, community engagement, grant-making, and fundraising.
Though she grew up in Texas, Iris has deep ties to the Midwest, where she led environmental organizing efforts in predominantly Latinx neighborhoods on Milwaukee’s southside. She also previously managed a $3 million community development program for underinvested Houston communities. Iris has a B.A from Marquette University and is a graduate of the Leadership in Action certificate program from Rice University’s Glasscock School of Continuing Studies. In 2020, Iris received a “Women Who Mean Business” award from the Houston Business Journal, and in 2021 she received the Hal Suter Award for environmental collaboration from the Sierra Club.
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