Brenda Mallory (public official) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brenda Mallory
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| Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality | |
| In office April 14, 2021 – January 20, 2025 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Mary Neumayr |
| Succeeded by | Katherine Scarlett (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 14, 1957 Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Education | Yale University (BA) Columbia University (JD) |
Brenda Mallory is an American lawyer who specializes in environmental law. This means she works with laws that protect our planet. From 2021 to 2025, she was the leader of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for President Joe Biden. Before that, she worked to help protect the environment in other important roles.
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Brenda Mallory's Journey
Early Life and Education
Brenda Mallory grew up in Waterbury, Connecticut. This was an industrial area, meaning it had many factories. She earned a scholarship to attend Westover boarding school.
After high school, she went to Yale College and then Columbia Law School. She started her career as a private lawyer. In 2000, she began working for the U.S. government.
Her Career in Environmental Protection
Brenda Mallory has spent many years working to protect the environment. She was the executive director and senior counsel at the Conservation Litigation Project. This group works to keep public lands safe.
She also served as a general counsel for the White House Council on Environmental Quality during the Obama administration. Before that, she worked at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA is a government agency that works to protect human health and the environment. She worked there for 15 years under both Democratic and Republican presidents.
Mallory is also a member of several important groups. These include the Environmental Defense Fund's Litigation Advocacy Committee. These groups help make sure environmental laws are followed.
Leading the Council on Environmental Quality
Brenda Mallory helped lead The Climate 21 Project. This project gave ideas on how the Biden administration could use the whole government to fight climate change. They suggested that the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) was the best group to focus on environmental fairness and climate change.
In December 2020, President-elect Joe Biden chose Brenda Mallory to lead the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). News reports said this choice showed that Biden wanted to focus on environmental policies. These policies would help make sure that communities, especially those with lower incomes or minority groups, have clean air and water. These communities have often been affected most by pollution.
Experts said that if she was confirmed, Mallory would play a key role in guiding environmental policy decisions. This included making sure the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was followed. NEPA helps make sure that big projects, like building roads, consider their impact on the environment.
On April 14, 2021, the United States Senate confirmed Brenda Mallory as the leader of the CEQ. She was the first African American person to hold this position. The CEQ is in charge of making sure NEPA is put into action. This means they have a say in how large building projects affect the environment.
Mallory said that the CEQ would help bring people together. This unity would help the nation face big environmental challenges. These challenges include climate change, the nature crisis, and environmental injustices.
Personal Life
Brenda Mallory lives in Rockville, Maryland. She is married and has three adult children.
