Lee M. Thomas

Lee Muller Thomas ( born June 13, 1944 in Ridgeway, Fairfield County, South Carolina) is an American manager and former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA).

Biography

After schooling, he studied psychology at the University of the South and acquired there in 1967 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA Psychology). A subsequent post-graduate study of pedagogy at the University of South Carolina, he completed in 1970 with a Master of Education ( M.Ed. ) from.

Subsequently, he was first an employee of the City Council of Ridgeway, before moving in 1972 to the civil service of South Carolina and there first until 1977 Director of the Office of Criminal Justice Programs (Office of Criminal Justice Programs ) was. Between 1979 and 1981 he was director of the department of public safety programs ( Division of Public Safety Program). During this time he was also chairman of the National Association of Criminal Law ( National Criminal Justice Association).

In 1981, he joined the government service and worked as Associate Director for State and Local Programs and Support at the Federal Emergency Management Agency ( Federal Emergency Management Agency ) operates. In 1983 he joined the staff of the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA) and was assistant administrator for solid waste and incident responses. 1985 Thomas, who is also a member of the Republican Party, was finally appointed himself as administrator of the EPA and led this authority until the end of the term of U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1989.

Following Thomas moved into the private sector and was first chairman and CEO of Law Companies Environmental Group Inc. In 1993, he entered the service of the company Georgia-Pacific, one of the world's largest manufacturer and marketer of pulp, tissue, cardboard, paper, packaging and cellulose-based building materials ( plywood, gypsum board ). First, he was senior vice president for environmental and government affairs, and then between 1997 and 2000 as Executive Vice President for paper and chemicals. Subsequently, he was executive vice president of consumer products, before he became president of Georgia-Pacific in 2000. As such, he was in 2002 also briefly responsible for building materials and distribution and then from 2003 to 2005 as Chief Operating Officer ( COO).

In 2006 he became a member of the Board of Directors of the timber industry and land company Rayonier, whose president, chairman and CEO, he is since 2007. He also served as a member of the Boards of Directors of Airgas, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the Regal Entertainment Group, the Alliance for Climate Protection, the American Forest & Paper Association and the World Resources Institute.