Following the departure of the previous director last month, Tim Davis has been appointed as the executive director of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), pending full Senate confirmation.
“My broader philosophy is that we can grow while protecting and restoring our air, land and water in Utah — those should not be seen as in conflict,” Davis said.
Prior to this position, Davis served as the deputy Great Salt Lake commissioner, working to protect and preserve Utah’s Great Salt Lake.
“In my new role, I want to make sure that DEQ, the Department of Environmental Quality, is very engaged in the Great Salt Lake from a water quality perspective, [and] from an air quality perspective,” Davis said.
Overall, Davis has more than 25 years of experience in water and land policy, overseeing several agencies across Montana and Utah.
“I think what makes me somewhat unique is I didn't just come from the environmental world, but also, I worked and ran agencies in the natural resource world as well,” Davis said.
As executive director of the DEQ, Davis will oversee five divisions: Air Quality, Drinking Water, Environmental Response and Remediation, Water Quality, and Waste Management and Radiation Control.
“One of the beautiful things from my perspective of being executive director — I don't have to be the expert in all these areas. I have awesome staff, very knowledgeable directors in each of those divisions," Davis said. "My job is really to set a vision for the entire agency, and those priorities are: building relationships with stakeholders, communities, businesses, legislative leaders, sister agencies, and making sure that we are solving problems that matter to the people of Utah."
