Shimkin Named Chesapeake Bay Program Office Deputy Director
PHILADELPHIA (May 11, 2021) – EPA Mid-Atlantic Region Acting Regional Administrator Diana Esher today announced that Martha Shimkin of EPA’s Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds (OWOW), has been selected as Deputy Director for the Chesapeake Bay Program Office (CBPO).
Martha replaces Bill Jenkins, who has served as CBPO Acting Deputy Director since the retirement of Jim Edward in December 2020.
Martha brings a diverse and varied background to the CBPO through her roles at EPA. She has had several leadership roles within the Office of Water (OW), including serving as an acting Deputy Office Director in OWOW, acting Director for the Watershed Restoration, Assessment and Protection Division, and the Deputy Office Director for the Office of Wastewater Management.
Working in the OW Immediate Office, she led preparation for the Presidential transition last Fall and served as acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for two months during the transition.
“These opportunities have given Martha excellent insight and connection to EPA water quality protection programs and geographic programs,” said Esher. “Martha is well positioned to help support the Bay Program Office during this pivotal time.”
Throughout her EPA career, Martha created and managed many programs and policies, led regulatory development, and developed agency plans for implementing new laws. She worked in several offices before OW, including management functions in the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, in both the pesticides office and the science policy office. For many years, Martha supported programs in the Office of International and Tribal Affairs, served as Division Director in the Office of Children’s Health Protection, and was a budget analyst and then staff director in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer.
She has managed budget formulation and execution, strategic planning, performance reporting, set up and managed a human resources center, successfully negotiated and represented the U.S. government at international meetings, and ran a private consulting practice that promoted international environmental health policy.
Martha holds an M.A. in Economics from The George Washington University, a B.A. in Business Administration and foreign languages, and was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica.
Martha is scheduled to join the CBPO on May 23.
Bill Jenkins will continue to support the Bay Program Office during a month-long transition period and will stay on as co-chair of the Habitat Goal Implementation Team when he returns to his permanent position in region’s Laboratory Services and Applied Sciences Division.
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