Since becoming the 46th President-Elect of the United States, Joe Biden has had his hands full with filling his cabinet. He has been very intentional about assembling an administration that is both diverse and highly-qualified. We are happy to announce that he has found the leadership he was looking for in North Carolina A&T State University graduate Michael Regan.

As the newly appointed head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Michael Regan is well prepared to roll up his sleeves and get to work. According to the Washington Post, the Goldsboro, North Carolina native studied earth and environmental science at NCAT, and then later followed up with a master’s degree in public administration from George Washington University. He is not the only notable HBCU grad in the Biden Administration. Howard University alumna Kamala Harris made history as the first female and first Black Vice President-Elect.

According to NBC, if Michael Regan is confirmed by the Senate, he will be the first Black man to head the EPA. He will be only the second Black EPA chief in the organization’s history. Lisa Jackson, who held the position during President Barack Obama’s presidency, was the first. Regan previously worked for the EPA under the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations.

During his time at the EPA, Regan designed programs to reduce pollution and improve air quality and energy efficiency as a national program manager. In his new position at the EPA, he will be tasked with overseeing Biden’s ambitious plans to combat climate change, invest in green energy and address environmental injustice. Regan currently leads the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

Regan’s previous work has already spoken for itself, as environmental organizations nationwide are rejoicing in his appointment.

“We are confident Michael Regan will rebuild the EPA, restore the central role of science, and advance health protections for people and the air, water and land upon which we depend to thrive,” Tiernan Sittenfeld, an official with the League of Conservation Voters, said.

“We support Biden’s choice of Regan, an experienced and dedicated environmental leader, as EPA administrator. Biden’s collaboration with Regan will be key to fulfilling the administration’s mandate to face the accelerating climate crisis at scale, starting first with the reversal of the Trump administration’s harmful rollbacks,” the climate group 350.org’s associate director of policy, Natalie Mebane, said.

We look forward to all the change Michael Regan will forge for our both our nation’s environment and for the world.