New Director at Arizona Dept. of Environmental Quality

Henry Darwin, Director of the Arizona Dept. of Environmental Quality, is taking the job as Chief of Operations for Gov. Doug Ducey, replacing Ted Vogt, who is returning to the private sector.

ADEQ Deputy Director Misael Cabrera [right, my photo, 2013] will take over as Director at the end of August.

The Governor's Office issued this statement today:

“Mr. Darwin has a strong record of success in operations and driving outcomes,” Governor Ducey said. “His leadership will be vital as we work every day to deliver results to the people of Arizona. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality will be in great hands under the leadership of Mr. Cabrera, who brings both private and public sector experience to this critical role.”
The staffing transitions will take place by the end of August.

About Henry Darwin: Mr. Darwin was appointed ADEQ Director in February 2011 and since then has led the agency’s transformation.  Highlights of the transformation include: reducing permitting timeframes for the most complex environmental permits by over 60%; doubling the number of State-led underground storage tank clean-ups; reducing vehicle emissions inspections fees by 25% (Maricopa County); helping customers return to compliance nearly 50% faster; and implementing over 150 employee-initiated improvement projects.  He has done so with a budget and staffing that are 30% less than pre-recession levels.

Mr. Darwin has served the State of Arizona for 18 years, previously holding a variety of positions including ADEQ's Deputy Director and Administrative Counsel.  A Yuma native, Mr. Darwin has a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the University of Arizona and a Juris Doctorate from Lewis & Clark College's Northwestern School of Law.  He is a licensed attorney in Arizona.

About Misael Cabrera: Mr. Cabrera was selected as ADEQ's Deputy Director in November 2011. A registered professional engineer, Mr. Cabrera has over two decades of experience in the environmental field. His background includes: business (profit and loss) and organizational leadership, regulatory negotiations, contract management, site characterization and remediation, permitting, design and construction management.

Before joining ADEQ, Mr. Cabrera served in a variety of leadership roles in private sector engineering and environmental consulting firms. He served as a senior client leader Haley & Aldrich's Industrial Environmental practice in Phoenix. He led the environmental business unit for AMEC Earth & Environmental and managed the environmental business group for CH2MHILL in Tempe.

Mr. Cabrera has lived in Arizona since 1984 and received his Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Arizona.