Director Mike Rolband joined DEQ in 2022. He is a Professional Engineer, Professional Wetland Delineator, Professional Wetland Scientist Emeritus and LEED (green building) Advanced Professional.

Mike has had a lifelong interest in wetlands and stormwater management and its interaction with natural waterbodies and has contributed to changes in Virginia environmental laws.

He founded Wetland Studies and Solutions Inc. in 1991 and grew his company into a multidisciplinary natural and cultural resources consulting firm with more than 200 staff. His firm constructed the first LEED Gold facility in Virginia and utilized multiple Low Impact Development practices for stormwater management in 2005.

He has testified before the General Assembly and lectured to numerous organizations on stormwater management and mitigation, wetlands and stream regulatory policy and Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act regulations. 

Mike was instrumental in developing Virginia’s new wetlands laws in 2000 and served on the technical advisory committee that developed subsequent regulations and has been appointed to several advisory boards and stakeholder groups. He was also involved in developing the new stormwater regulations and the energy balance method of stormwater quantity control.

In 2012, building upon a research program he started in 2007,  Mike established the Resource Protection Group, Inc. to fund applied research in wetlands and stream restoration and enhancement activities.

In 2017, Mike was named a Professor of Practice by Cornell University, his alma mater, where he received his BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Master of Engineering, and Master of Business Administration. He enjoyed teaching engineering students there through 2020.

Contact: (804) 698-4020
Michael.Rolband@DEQ.Virginia.gov

Alex Samms transitioned from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after 20 years and serves as the Chief Deputy at DEQ. Alex’s most recent assignment was as the 10^th Engineer Battalion Commander in Fort Stewart, GA in support of Ukraine Contingency Operations. Prior to that assignment he served as the Deputy District Commander for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Norfolk District, has three deployments to Afghanistan, and served in leadership positions from Platoon Leader to Company Commander. He holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from VMI and a Master of Science in engineering management from the Missouri University of Science and Technology.  Alex’s awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, and other awards and decorations. He is a recipient of the Bronze Order of the DeFluery Medal. 

Contact: (804) 712-8941
Alexander.Samms@deq.virginia.gov

Jonathan Rak is DEQ’s Chief Policy Advisor. Prior to assuming the duties of this position, he served as a DEQ regulatory analyst and was instrumental in drafting regulations to mitigate the impact of utility-scale solar developments on forests and prime agricultural lands.  Before joining DEQ, Jonathan practiced land use and environmental law as a partner with McGuire Woods LLP. While at McGuire Woods, he served as general counsel for regional water and wastewater utilities.  Jonathan retired from McGuire Woods in 2022 to pursue a master’s degree in environmental management at the Yale School of the Environment.  Jonathan is also a graduate of Yale College and of Washington and Lee University Law School.

Contact: (804) 929-5136
Jonathan.Rak@deq.virginia.gov

James Golden is DEQ's Director of Operations. He joined the State Water Control Board in 1991 as an Environmental Engineer in the Piedmont Regional Office. With the formation of DEQ in 1993, James was an early adopter of a multimedia approach and began working in air, land and water programs. During his 15 years in the Regional Office, James held a number of positions and worked extensively in the agency’s permitting, compliance and enforcement programs and became the agency’s first Deputy Regional Director. In 2007, he moved to DEQ’s Central Office as part of the Executive Leadership Team where he has held several positions including Deputy Director for Program Development, Director of Regional Operations, and as the Director of Central Operations. James currently oversees the development and implementation of DEQ's air, water and land regulatory programs. He also directs DEQ's process improvement program.

Contact: (804) 720-4926
James.Golden@DEQ.Virginia.gov

Alvie Edwards joined DEQ as the  Director of Administration in 2022. Alvie previously served as the Assistant Commissioner for Compliance, Risk Management, and Audit for the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. In that role, Alvie was a member of the Senior Leadership Team, provided oversight and evaluation of many administrative, regulatory, and programmatic functions, spearheaded the creation of the Office of Compliance and Risk Management, and led the Office of Internal Audit. He also managed administrative, federal, and state compliance, and IT security projects, conducted special projects and investigations related to fraud, waste, and abuse allegations, and was the agency liaison for external oversight authorities. Alvie’s prior experience also includes serving as the Director of Internal Audit with the Virginia Department of Health, Assistant Director and Senior Auditor with the Chesterfield County Internal Audit Department, and Financial Analyst with the State Corporation Commission’s Bureau of Financial Institutions. Alvie holds a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from Longwood University, and a Master of Public Leadership from Virginia State University. He is also a Certified Internal Auditor and Certified Fraud Examiner, and a graduate of the Virginia Public Sector Leader III program at the Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs. Alvie has served on various audit, financial, and leadership teams and committees including the Longwood University College of Business and Economics Alumni Advisory Board, Chesterfield Federal Credit Union Supervisory Committee, and the Chesterfield County Emerging Senior Leaders.

Contact: (804) 898-9883
Alvie.Edwards@DEQ.Virginia.gov

Melanie Davenport is the Director of DEQ's Cross-Media Programs. She began her career at the State Water Control Board in 1986. She has held numerous positions at DEQ including Director of Enforcement, Assistant Air Division Director and as a special assistant to the Secretary of Natural Resources. She became Director of the Water Division in 2011 where she was responsible for  stormwater, VPDES, biosolids, animal operations, wetlands, nutrient trading, water quality standards, TMDL development, water quality monitoring and compliance. In 2022, Melanie became the Director of Cross-Media Programs. She oversees numerous multi-media programs including enforcement, environmental justice, environmental impact review, communications, pollution response, permitting assistance and coastal zone management. During the time when her children were young, Melanie worked for the Virginia legislature, serving three years as the Virginia Director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission. She also spent 10 years practicing environmental law at a large law firm before returning to DEQ full time in 2008. She is past president of the national Association of Clean Water Administrators.  Melanie received her BA from Boston University in marine biology and her law degree from William and Mary. 

Contact: (804) 698-4038
Melanie.Davenport@DEQ.Virginia.gov

Scott Morris is a licensed professional engineer with a demonstrated history of working in the water industry and government administration. In 2022, Scott joined DEQ as the Chief Deputy and subsequently the same year was selected as the Director of Water. Prior to his time with DEQ, Scott had worked with Chesterfield County for 10 years in various leadership roles including plant manager and assistant director of Utilities. Prior to working for Chesterfield County, Scott worked at the City of Richmond as chief operator and plant operator for four years and served six years in the U.S. Navy as an engineering laboratory technician. He has served on the Virginia Biosolids Council, as an alternate Board Member for both the South Central Wastewater Authority and the Appomattox River Water Authority, and is active in numerous water and wastewater professional organizations. Scott is currently on the Board of Directors for the Association of Clean Water Administrators and is an Alternate Commissioner for Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin.

Scott brings to DEQ skills in wastewater collection, treatment and management, water treatment and distribution, industrial pretreatment, budgeting, operations management, environmental engineering, government, and strategic planning. He has his doctorate in Business Administration, Cognate of Leadership from Liberty University, two Master's degrees focused in Business Administration and Information Technology from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Contact: (804) 659-1383
Scott.Morris@DEQ.Virginia.gov

Michael G. Dowd is the Director of DEQ’s Air and Renewable Energy Division. He oversees air quality planning, permitting, compliance, monitoring and mobile source programs, as well as the Small Renewable Energy Permit by Rule program. Prior to becoming Air Director, Michael served as DEQ’s Enforcement Director. Before joining DEQ, Mr. Dowd was an attorney in private practice with law firms in Richmond, Va., Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio. Michael is a graduate of Columbia University and holds a J.D., cum laude, from Vermont Law School. He is a recipient of EPA’s Bronze Medal. Mr. Dowd is co-chair of the Enforcement Committee of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, Chair of PJM Environmental-Energy Regulators, on the Board of Directors and Past Chair of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Management Association, and Southeast States Air Resource Managers, Inc., and on the Executive Committee of the National Council on Electricity Policy.

Contact: (804) 698-4284
Michael.Dowd@DEQ.Virginia.gov

Kathryn Perszyk is Director of the Land Protection and Revitalization Division. She oversees the agency's solid and hazardous waste, petroleum storage tank, and land remediation programs. Kathryn joined DEQ in 2006 as a regional solid waste compliance inspector, before moving on to other roles at DEQ in solid waste permitting, guidance, and regulatory development, and most recently the Division Director in 2021. Prior to joining DEQ, she was a consultant working in the areas of air permitting and emissions reduction. She holds a BS from Georgia Tech in Chemical Engineering.

Contact: (804) 698-4047
Kathryn.Perszyk@DEQ.Virginia.gov

Brandon Bull is the Director of Policy at DEQ. In this capacity he manages the Division of Policy, which leads and coordinates the agency's policy and legislative initiatives, regulatory board coordinators, and DEQ's Freedom of Information Act officer. Brandon joined DEQ in 2015 as a Policy Assistant and then as Water Policy Manager before becoming Director of Policy in 2022. Brandon has been heavily engaged in DEQ's legislative initiatives, and also provided policy and legal analysis and research, primarily for the agency's water programs. Before joining DEQ, Brandon worked on education and children's policy, and legislative issues. Bull earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was an Articles Editor for the Journal of Law and Politics and a Dillard Fellow in the Legal Research and Writing Program. He received BA degrees, summa cum laude, in Economics and Political Science from Virginia Tech where he was President of the Virginia Tech chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society and a member of Phi Beta Kappa Academic Honor Society. 

Contact: (804) 698-4092 
W.Brandon.Bull@DEQ.Virginia.gov

Trisha Beasley is the Director of Process Improvement. Trisha joined DEQ in 2000 as a permit writer in the Northern Regional Office. She began managing the Northern Regional Office Virginia Water Protection Permitting and Compliance program (VWP) in 2007 and added Stormwater Management Plan Review and Compliance (SWM) in 2014. In 2022, Trisha  became the Director of Process Improvement.  During her twelve years managing Northern’s VWP and SWM Programs, Trisha facilitated many initiatives to increase efficiency, provide certainty for the regulated public, and provide clear guidance to support program operations. As the Director of Process Improvement, she was given the task of designing and implementing DEQ’s Permitting Enhancement and Evaluation Platform (PEEP) – a permit tracking system that brings transparency to DEQ’s permitting processes by providing current information about the critical steps and permitting schedules needed for permit approval. In addition to PEEP, Trisha provides agency-wide leadership and direction in identifying program areas that need improvement and enhanced efficiency, evaluating areas of risk, implementing new agency data applications, and managing DEQ’s process improvement program. 

Contact: (703) 583-3940
Trisha.Beasley@DEQ.Virginia.gov

Lee Crowell
Director, Enforcement
(804) 664-3882

John Giese
Director, Communications, Pollution Response & Emergency Preparedness, Health & Safety
(804) 698-4287

Liz McKercher
Director, Water Planning
(804) 510-6112

Carol Papazian
Manager, Procurement & Contracts
(804) 698-4335

Renee Sacra
Director, Human Resources
(804) 698-4317

Kelly Ward
Deputy Director, Clean Water Financing & Assistance
(804)  845-4712 

Herb Ward
Director, Office of Information Systems
(804) 698-4316