DEQ - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Program Staff Member
- PREP Coordinator
Alex Samms transitioned from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after 20 years and serves as the Chief Deputy at DEQ. Alex's most recent assignment was as the 10 th Engineer Battalion Commander in Fort Stewart, GA in support of Ukraine Contingency Operations. Prior to that assignment he served as the Deputy District Commander for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Norfolk District, has three deployments to Afghanistan, and served in leadership positions from Platoon Leader to Company Commander. He holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from VMI and a Master of Science in engineering management from the Missouri University of Science and Technology. Alex's awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, and other awards and decorations. He is a recipient of the Bronze Order of the DeFluery Medal.
Job Titles:
- Southwest Regional Office
Job Titles:
- Director of Administration
Alvie Edwards joined DEQ as the Director of Administration in 2022. Alvie previously served as the Assistant Commissioner for Compliance, Risk Management, and Audit for the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. In that role, Alvie was a member of the Senior Leadership Team, provided oversight and evaluation of many administrative, regulatory, and programmatic functions, spearheaded the creation of the Office of Compliance and Risk Management, and led the Office of Internal Audit. He also managed administrative, federal, and state compliance, and IT security projects, conducted special projects and investigations related to fraud, waste, and abuse allegations, and was the agency liaison for external oversight authorities. Alvie's prior experience also includes serving as the Director of Internal Audit with the Virginia Department of Health, Assistant Director and Senior Auditor with the Chesterfield County Internal Audit Department, and Financial Analyst with the State Corporation Commission's Bureau of Financial Institutions. Alvie holds a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from Longwood University, and a Master of Public Leadership from Virginia State University. He is also a Certified Internal Auditor and Certified Fraud Examiner, and a graduate of the Virginia Public Sector Leader III program at the Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs. Alvie has served on various audit, financial, and leadership teams and committees including the Longwood University College of Business and Economics Alumni Advisory Board, Chesterfield Federal Credit Union Supervisory Committee, and the Chesterfield County Emerging Senior Leaders.
Job Titles:
- Groundwater & Remediation Team Lead
Job Titles:
- Grants Coordinator & Outreach Specialist
Job Titles:
- Stormwater Plan Review Manager
Job Titles:
- Prospective Purchaser ( BFPP ) Application
As of September 1, 2022 DEQ resumes accepting applications for Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser (BFPP) and other "Comfort Letters". The BFPP Application is available in the Resources box, on the right hand side of this page. Applicants must provide completed applications as well as complete Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments for review. Applicants should plan for a 60-day turnaround in the review and development of comfort letters.
Brandon Bull is the Director of Policy at DEQ. In this capacity he manages the Division of Policy, which leads and coordinates the agency's policy and legislative initiatives, regulatory board coordinators, and DEQ's Freedom of Information Act officer. Brandon joined DEQ in 2015 as a Policy Assistant and then as Water Policy Manager before becoming Director of Policy in 2022. Brandon has been heavily engaged in DEQ's legislative initiatives, and also provided policy and legal analysis and research, primarily for the agency's water programs. Before joining DEQ, Brandon worked on education and children's policy, and legislative issues. Bull earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was an Articles Editor for the Journal of Law and Politics and a Dillard Fellow in the Legal Research and Writing Program. He received BA degrees, summa cum laude, in Economics and Political Science from Virginia Tech where he was President of the Virginia Tech chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society and a member of Phi Beta Kappa Academic Honor Society.
Job Titles:
- Water Permitting and Compliance Manager
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Stream Restoration Specialist
Job Titles:
- Virginia Water Protection Manager
- VWP Permit Manager
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Manager, Procurement & Contracts
Job Titles:
- Director, Finance
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Regional Director
- Tidewater Regional Office
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Manager, Office of Environmental Justice
Job Titles:
- Manager, Office of Wetland and Stream Protection
Job Titles:
- VWP Permit Manager
- Water Permits Manager
David Nishida - VWP Permit Manager Southwest Regional Office (276) 698-7680 Southwest Regional Office serves the counties of Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Grayson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise and Wythe; and the cities of Bristol, Galax and Norton.
Job Titles:
- Tidewater Regional Office
Job Titles:
- Blue Ridge Regional Office
Job Titles:
- VWP Permit Manager
- Wetlands & Stormwater Manager
Eric Millard - VWP Permit Manager Valley Regional Office (540) 217-7483 Valley Regional Office serves the counties of Albemarle, Augusta, Bath, Clarke, Fluvanna, Frederick, Greene, Highland, Nelson, Page, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Shenandoah and Warren; and the cities of Buena Vista, Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Staunton, Waynesboro and Winchester.
Job Titles:
- Chief Stormwater Policy Advisor
Prior to joining the agency in 2022, Evan served as Associate Vice President of Government Affairs - Environmental at the Home Builders Association of Virginia (HBAV). In this capacity, he developed HBAV's state regulatory and legislative advocacy program on environmental issues. Evan also served as Environmental Program Manager at the National Association of Home Builders, where he implemented their regulatory program for Clean Water Act Section 404 (wetlands) and Waters of the United States.
Earlier in his career, Evan implemented and managed the District of Columbia's offsite stormwater compliance program and led the Chesapeake Bay Program's Trading and Offsets Workgroup while at the World Resources Institute. As a consultant, Evan advised stormwater program managers in California, Delaware, Nevada and Pennsylvania, and developed the compliance strategy for a federal bureau's nationwide real estate property portfolio. He holds a BS from Rutgers University in Agricultural Science, with a Certificate in Environmental Geomatics and a Master of Public Policy in Environmental Policy from the University of Maryland.
Job Titles:
- Agriculture Program Manager
Job Titles:
- Enforcement Operations Manager
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director, Office of Information Systems
Job Titles:
- Executive Team Members
- State Water Control Board in 1991 As an Environmental Engineer
James Golden joined the State Water Control Board in 1991 as an Environmental Engineer in the Piedmont Regional Office. With the formation of DEQ in 1994, James was an early adopter of a multimedia approach and began working in air, land and water programs. During his 15 years in the Regional Office, James held a number of positions and worked extensively in the agency's permitting, compliance and enforcement programs and became the agency's first Deputy Regional Director. In 2007, he moved to DEQ's Central Office as part of the Executive Leadership Team where he has held several positions including Deputy Director for Program Development, Director of Operations, and Director of Regional Operations, and is now serving as the Director of Central Operations.
Job Titles:
- Program Staff Member
- Air Check Program Manager
Job Titles:
- Construction Stormwater / VWP Manager
- VWP Permit Manager
Jay Roberts - VWP Permit Manager Blue Ridge Regional Office (540) 494-4252 Blue Ridge Regional Office serves the counties of Alleghany, Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Botetourt, Campbell, Charlotte, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Halifax, Henry, Montgomery, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Pulaski, and Roanoke; and the cities of Bedford, Clifton Forge, Danville, Covington, Lynchburg, Martinsville, Radford, Roanoke and Salem.
Job Titles:
- Virginia Water Protection Program Manager
- VWP Permitting and Compliance Manager
Jeff Hannah - VWP Permitting and Compliance Manager Tidewater Regional Office (757) 407-2510 Tidewater Regional Office serves the counties of Accomack, Isle of Wight, James City, Northampton, Southampton and York; and the cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach and Williamsburg.
Job Titles:
- Director of Regional Operations
Jeff Steers is DEQ's Director of Regional Operations. In this role, Jeff serves on the Department's executive team overseeing the regional operations of DEQ's regulatory air, water, land, enforcement, and pollution response and preparedness programs. Jeff also oversees DEQ's communications program and coordinates economic development projects. Jeff was previously the director of the agency's Land Protection and Revitalization Division and the director of DEQ's Northern Regional Office. Jeff is a native Ohioan, and spent 20 years with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency in their air, water and waste programs. He holds a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Toledo. Jeff is a past president of the Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials and is a past DEQ Board Member of the Virginia Chapter of the Solid Waste Management Association of North America.
Job Titles:
- Program Staff Member
- Water Monitoring Supervisor
Job Titles:
- Regional Director
- Southwest Regional Office
Job Titles:
- Regional Director
- Piedmont Regional Office
Job Titles:
- Manager
- Air Compliance & Monitoring Manager
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director, Water Planning
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Manager, Clean Water Financing & Assistance Program
Kathryn Perszyk, as Director of the Land Protection and Revitalization Division, oversees the agency's solid and hazardous waste, petroleum storage tank, and land remediation programs. Kathryn joined DEQ in 2006 as a regional solid waste compliance inspector, before moving on to other roles at DEQ in solid waste permitting, guidance, and regulatory development, and most recently the Division Director in 2021. Prior to joining DEQ, she was a consultant working in the areas of air permitting and emissions reduction. She holds a BS from Georgia Tech in Chemical Engineering.
Job Titles:
- Office Manager & FOIA Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Deputy Regional Director
- Deputy Regional Manager
Job Titles:
- Stormwater & Watershed Planning Manager
Job Titles:
- Land Policy & Regulatory Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Tidewater Regional Office
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director, Enforcement
Job Titles:
- Land Compliance Team Lead
Job Titles:
- Surface Water Withdrawal Team Leader
Job Titles:
- Remediation Project Manager
Job Titles:
- Manager
- Program Staff Member
Job Titles:
- Program Staff Member
- Construction Stormwater Compliance Manager
Melanie Davenport began her career at the State Water Control Board in 1986. She has held numerous positions at DEQ including Director of Enforcement, Assistant Air Division Director and as a special assistant to the Secretary of Natural Resources. She became Director of the Water Division in 2011. In 2015 the division was split between permitting and planning, and she became the Director of Water Permitting, where she was responsible for stormwater, VPDES, biosolids, animal operations, wetlands, nutrient trading and compliance. In 2022, Melanie became the Director of Regulatory Affairs and Outreach. Melanie also worked for the Virginia legislature, serving three years as the Virginia Director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission. Prior to returning to DEQ, she spent 10 years practicing environmental law at a large law firm. Melanie received her BA from Boston University in marine biology and her law degree from William and Mary.
Michael G. Dowd is the Director of DEQ's Air and Renewable Energy Division. He oversees air quality planning, permitting, compliance, monitoring and mobile source programs, as well as the Small Renewable Energy Permit by Rule program. Prior to becoming Air Director, Michael served as DEQ's Enforcement Director. Before joining DEQ, Mr. Dowd was an attorney in private practice with law firms in Richmond, Va., Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio. Michael is a graduate of Columbia University and holds a J.D., cum laude, from Vermont Law School. He is a recipient of EPA's Bronze Medal. Mr. Dowd is co-chair of the Enforcement Committee of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, Chair of PJM Environmental-Energy Regulators, on the Board of Directors and Past Chair of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Management Association, and Southeast States Air Resource Managers, Inc., and on the Executive Committee of the National Council on Electricity Policy.
Job Titles:
- VWP Permit Manager
- Water Protection Permit Program Manager
Natasha Nahas - VWP Permit Manager Northern Regional Office (571) 866-6496 Northern Regional Office serves the counties of Arlington, Caroline, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, King George, Loudoun, Louisa, Madison, Orange, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania and Stafford; and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas and Manassas Park.
Job Titles:
- Land Protection Manager, Blue Ridge Regional Office
Job Titles:
- Land Protection Program Manager
Job Titles:
- Stormwater Construction Team Leader
Job Titles:
- Program Staff Member
- Air Compliance Manager
Job Titles:
- Deputy Regional Director
- Deputy Regional Manager / Enforcement Manager
Job Titles:
- Program Staff Member
- Water Compliance Manager
Job Titles:
- Director, Human Resources
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Program Staff Member
- Regional Director
- Land Protection Program Manager
- Northern Regional Office
- Waste Compliance Manager
Job Titles:
- Regional Director
- Blue Ridge Regional Office
Job Titles:
- Water Compliance / PReP Manager
Scott Morris is a licensed professional engineer with a demonstrated history of working in the water industry and government administration. In 2022, Scott joined DEQ as the Chief Deputy and subsequently the same year was selected as the Director of Water. Prior to his time with with DEQ, Scott had worked with Chesterfield County for 10 years in various leadership roles including plant manager and assistant director of Utilities. Prior to working for Chesterfield County, Scott worked at the City of Richmond as chief operator and plant operator for four years and served six years in the U.S. Navy as an engineering laboratory technician. He has served on the Virginia Biosolids Council, as an alternate Board Member for both the South Central Wastewater Authority and the Appomattox River Water Authority, and is active in numerous water and wastewater professional organizations.
Scott brings to DEQ skills in wastewater collection, treatment and management, water treatment and distribution, industrial pretreatment, budgeting, operations management, environmental engineering, government, and strategic planning. He has his doctorate in Business Administration, Cognate of Leadership from Liberty University, two Master's degrees focused in Business Administration and Information Technology from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director, Division of Environmental Enhancement
Job Titles:
- Land Protection Programs Manager
Job Titles:
- VWP Permit and Compliance Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Water Monitoring and Assessments Manager
Job Titles:
- Regional Director
- Regional Director / the Valley Regional Office
- Regional Director, Enforcement
- Valley Regional Office
Job Titles:
- Air Compliance & Enforcement Manager
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director, Office of Process Improvement