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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 12, 2021
Jill A. Greenberg, EGLE spokesperson, GreenbergJ@Michigan.gov, 517-897-4965
EGLE Media Office, EGLE-Assist@Michigan.gov, 517-284-9278
EGLE names Elizabeth Browne director of Materials Management Division
Elizabeth Browne has been named director of the Materials Management Division (MMD) at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), the agency announced today. Browne, who has served as acting division director since July 2020, assumes her new role Feb. 21.
EGLE Director Liesl Clark said Browne’s extensive environmental protection experience – which spans four decades – will greatly benefit the 135-employee division.
“From electric vehicle technology, to waste disposal, to the Recycling Raccoons recycling campaign, the Materials Management Division leads the way in environmental innovation, and Liz serves as a great steward in these activities,” said Liesl Clark, director of EGLE. “I’m excited about Liz starting her new role with MMD. She brings a dedication to environmental protection programs that will continue to guide this division and its programs.”
MMD is responsible for program areas that deal with solid, liquid, medical and hazardous waste; hazardous products; energy; and radioactive materials. The division also leads statewide efforts regarding pollution prevention, recycling, sustainability, scrap tire management, electronic waste takeback programs and radon safety.
Managing the various waste and sustainability efforts within EGLE has prepared Browne for this next step.
“It’s an honor to support the amazing staff in the Materials Management Division as their director,” Browne said. “I am so excited about the maturity of our regulatory programs and the seemingly unlimited possibilities to contribute to a healthier, more sustainable and carbon-neutral Michigan. The best part may be learning from each other about how to combine the experience in the various programs within the division to make them all better and most relevant for the people of Michigan.”
Browne is a New York City native who was raised in northeastern New Jersey. She earned a Bachelor of Science in wildlife management from Michigan State University, and has lived in the Lansing area since her arrival in the state in 1974.
Browne has spent her entire career working for the State of Michigan, hiring in as a water quality technician for the Department of Natural Resources in 1980. During her tenure at the Department of Environmental Quality (now EGLE) Browne worked in numerous leadership roles in areas including water and ground water discharge programs; Superfund; the storage tank program; land and water programs; and as the DEQ’s emergency management coordinator during the Flint water crisis. More recently, she has led efforts in the hazardous and solid waste programs, in addition to scrap tire management, medical waste and radiological protection, along with energy and sustainability-related efforts.
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