North Carolina Gov. Cooper’s second-term environmental secretary is leaving the job

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s environmental secretary for over three years is stepping down before Cooper’s second term ends and is being replaced by a veteran state government administrator.

Elizabeth Biser, who was named to the Cabinet secretary post by Cooper in June 2021, is leaving her job leading the Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ, to “pursue opportunities in the private sector,” a Cooper news release said Thursday.

Biser’s successor will be Mary Penny Kelley, who becomes secretary effective Tuesday, Cooper’s office said.

Kelley is an attorney who now works as the special adviser to the governor’s Hometown Strong program, which is centered on helping rural areas. Her government work history includes holding positions as a senior advisor at DEQ and as deputy secretary at its predecessor agency, the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources.

Biser was Cooper’s choice as secretary when state Senate Republicans declined to confirm the governor’s appointment of Dionne Delli-Gatti to succeed first-term Secretary Michael Regan when he became President Joe Biden’s U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«RELATED COVERAGE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-parsely-url=«https%3A%2F%2Fapi.parsely.com%2Fv2%2Frelated%3Fapikey%3Dapnews.com%26url%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fapnews.com%2Farticle%2Fnorth-carolina-governor-environment-secretary-22f6a3ed5700ab19539934f78399a609%26limit%3D9%26respect_empty_results%3D1%26sort%3D_score%26pub_date_start%3D2024-07-29%26exclude%3Dsection%3APress%20Releases%26exclude%3Dtags%3ACelebrity%20Birthdays» data-parsely-title=«Related Stories»