President Biden has appointed Debra Shore, former LGBTQ Victory Institute board chair, to a key position in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Shore has been appointed the next Region Five Administrator, a position that represents six Midwest states and the lands of 35 federally recognized tribes. She is the latest out LGBTQ+ appointee in the Biden administration.
“Debra is a longtime public servant who is deeply passionate about the connections between a clean environment and quality of life, especially for underserved communities who are most often affected by environmental laws and decision-making,” said Victory Institute President and CEO Annise Parker in a statement released to the media. “With LGBTQ people facing higher rates of poverty than cisgender heterosexual people, the regulations and enforcement actions of the EPA have a greater impact on our community.”
Shore served on the Victory Institute’s board of directors from 2009 to 2016, and as board chair from 2012 to 2014. She is currently serving as an elected Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. The Victory Institute had endorsed her candidacy for the position.
“Debra will be a strong and consistent advocate for our nation’s environment,” Parker said, “while also ensuring the well-being of LGBTQ people and other marginalized populations are always a top consideration.”
Shore was one of multiple regional appointments announced by the Biden administration today in the EPA, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture.
Region Five, which Shore will oversee, includes the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio.
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