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Elected at age 27, Heather McTeer Toney knows what it means to be a public servant. She was the first African-American, first female and the youngest to serve as Mayor of Greenville, Mississippi from 2004-2012. In 2014, she was appointed by President Barack Obama as Regional Administrator for Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Southeast Region. Known for her energetic and genuine commitment to people, her work has made her a national figure in the area of public service, environmental justice and community engagement. She is the author of forthcoming book, “Before the Streetlights Come On: Black America’s Call to Climate Action”, to be published by Broadleaf Books April, 2023.
Heather currently serves as the Vice President of Community Engagement for the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), an organization that represent over 3 million climate and environment allies committed to fighting climate change and helping shape the world’s biggest solutions to the climate crisis. Prior to her role as Vice President, Heather served as Senior Director to Moms Clean Air Force.
The daughter of a civil rights attorney and public school teacher, Heather was born and raised in Greenville, Mississippi. Under her leadership as mayor, the city emerged from significant debt and focused on sustainable infrastructure repair. This work opened the door to addressing the environmental and climate needs for vulnerable populations like Greenville. At EPA, Mrs. Toney was responsible for protecting public health and the environment in eight southeastern states, as well as six federally recognized tribes; making Region 4 the most populated and diverse in the United States. In addition, she led efforts to create and support local environmental justice initiatives, promote clean energy and enhance the quality of work life for Region 4’s approximately 1,000 employees while effectively managing a budget of more than $500 million.
Heather has served in several roles throughout her career including as a National Spokeswomen for She Should Run and Past President of the National Conference of Black Mayors. She is an expert on environmental and climate justice with SheSource, a publication of the Women’s Media Center and is often called up for advocacy and training diverse officials on equity in leadership, environment and climate. She has presented before audiences large and small, ranging from the stage of the Clinton Foundation Climate Initiative to Bioneers to groups in over 15 countries including France, Portugal, Nigeria and Senegal.
Heather has the honor of being a named fellow at several institutions, notably a 2021 Pritzker Fellow at the University of Chicago, Institute of Politics, An EPIC Fellow at the Energy Policy Institute, University of Chicago and Elemental Excelerator, a new non-profit model for funding climate tech solutions. She sits on several boards of directors.
Heather Toney has appeared on numerous television shows and news outlets including The Problem with Jon Stewart, PBS, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and Democracy Now! She has written for and been featured in publications such as the New York Times and the Washington Post, Netflix Tundum, and is a regular columnist for DAME magazine. Heather was one of the essayist featured in the breakout Climate book of 2020, “All We Can Save”. In the May 2005 issue of Essence Magazine, she is included as one of the “50 Most Remarkable Women in the World. She has received numerous awards but two of her favorites are the Marie Claire, Women on Top Award and the inaugural Rachel’s Network “Catalyst Awards” recognizing women of color that work on climate issues. Her favorite title is mom.
Mrs. Toney earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Spelman College and her law degree from the Tulane University School of Law. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and an active member of Oxford University United Methodist Church. Heather loves to compete in triathlons and is a member of several sports related groups. She is married to Dexter Toney and they have three children.
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