EPA research chief announces resignation, heads for academia

By Sean Reilly | 09/24/2024 01:29 PM EDT

Chris Frey is at least the second senior agency political appointee to announce their resignation in recent days.

EPA Office of Research and Development Assistant Administrator Chris Frey.

EPA Office of Research and Development Assistant Administrator Chris Frey during his confirmation hearing. Francis Chung/POLITICO

Chris Frey, who in 2022 became the first Senate-confirmed head of EPA’s Office of Research and Development in a decade, is stepping down next week to return to a university post.

“These nearly four years have been the highlight and pinnacle of my many years of interactions with ORD dating back to 1992,” Frey told the office’s roughly 1,550 employees in an email sent earlier this month obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News.

“I will greatly miss working with all of you,” added Frey, who joined the agency in 2021.

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Frey’s final day on the job will be Monday. He will be replaced on an acting basis by Maureen Gwinn, currently the research office’s principal deputy assistant administrator, according to his email.

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