2012 – Smith, Robin

October 25, 2012

Assistant Secretary for the Environment
NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources

Robin Smith, Assistant Secretary for the Environment oversees development of major policy initiatives for programs having such diverse responsibilities as the permitting of discharges to surface waters; issuance of air emissions permits; implementation of major grant programs for waste-water and drinking water projects; remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater; permitting of coastal development; and regulation of animal operations.

Before being appointed to DENR in September 1999, Robin Smith served in the attorney general’s office for 12 years. During that time, she provided legal representation and guidance to DENR on a variety of environmental issues and served as legal counsel to the state’s Coastal Resources Commission and the Clean Water Management Trust Fund. She also served as legal counsel to the state’s mining, sedimentation and radiation protection commissions.

Robin is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law. She and her  husband, Michael R. Smith, director of the Institute of Government at UNC-Chapel Hill, live in Chapel Hill with their two sons.