Environmental Progress - Winter 1999

Tom Skinner Is New Illinois EPA Director

Ninth director took reins on January 15

Thomas V. Skinner of Lake Bluff was appointed by Gov. George H. Ryan to become Illinois EPA's ninth director, effective Jan. 15.

Director Skinner joined the Agency after practicing environmental law with the Chicago firm of Winston & Strawn since January 1991. Prior to that, he was a senior advisor to Gov. James R. Thompson for  two years.

He succeeds Mary A. Gade, who was appointed by former Gov. Jim Edgar on Jan. 29, 1991, coming to Illinois from 11 years with U.S. EPA. She bid farewell to Agency staff at a Jan. 12 reception.

Director Skinner pledged support for the Agency's core mission of protecting the environment, adding that his three young daughters were a strong motivation. He and his wife Laura have three children, Elizabeth, 7, Katie, 5, and Becca, less than a year old.

He said helping Gov. Ryan fulfill his campaign commitments, including pursuing "Smart Growth" strategies, such as incentives for redevelopment of contaminated "Brownfields" abandoned industrial or commercial sites; meeting obligations under the federal Clean Air Act; and strengthened water programs, will be a priority.

Director Skinner also said he had a personal interest and priority in expanding Illinois EPA's environmental education efforts.

"You have, from what I can tell, a great agency," he told senior staff members shortly after assuming his new duties. The new director emphasized his belief in the concept of teamwork and welcomed suggestions on how the Agency can do its job better.

Noting Gov. Ryan reached out to environmental groups, Director Skinner pledged to listen to their concerns and be "responsive to citizens of every type."

However, he said he planned to immerse himself in Agency programs and issues for his first 30 to 45 days before meeting extensively with interested groups.

Skinner, 37, was a partner in the environmental law department of Winston & Strawn. His practice included counseling, litigation, wetlands' mitigation, and facility siting and permitting, and other governmental and litigation matters. He has worked extensively and negotiated numerous agreements on environmental and development matters with local governments and community groups. He was elected in 1997 as a Village Trustee of the village of Lake Bluff, and plans to serve out the remainder of his term in the non-paid post.

"It was a unique opportunity to combine what I did in my legal practice, which is environmental law, with my interest in government and public service and working with community and interest groups," he said of the decision to make the career change.

"I am grateful to Gov. Ryan for the chance to serve in his administration," Director Skinner added.

After receiving his J.D. degree from Northwestern University School of Law in 1987, he served as law clerk for U.S. District Judge Charles P. Kocoras.

Gade served nearly eight years, a record for length of service

Mary Gade was the Agency's eighth director. As director, she was instrumental in the formation of the Environmental Council of the States and subsequently served as the group's president. She was named a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administrators, and was designated one of 10 "Public Officials of the Year" by Governing magazine. The only woman to head the Illinois EPA, Gade was one of nine women across the nation selected as the first recipients of an annual award recognizing achievements by women in government by Good Housekeeping magazine and the Rutgers University Eagleton Institute of Politics/Center for the American Woman and Politics.

During a farewell reception in the Springfield headquarters atrium, Gade told assembled IEPA staffers: "The things we do impact people's lives and their health. When I came to the Illinois EPA, it was already a great Agency and after eight years of our working together, it's become an outstanding Agency. We've led the nation in pursuing new approaches, in establishing partnerships, and our efforts have been recognized even overseas."