Henry Darwin

In his capacity as EPA's Chief of Operations, Henry Darwin serves as a key advisor to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt on day-to-day operations, while also leading the agency’s transformation to an organization of continuous improvement. Deploying a Lean Management System to reduce waste and maximize value-added work, Darwin is creating more effective ways to better serve EPA’s customers while freeing up the capacity of EPA employees to do more environmental good. This includes strengthening partnerships with the states in streamlining and modernizing environmental protection.

Prior to joining EPA, Darwin served as the state of Arizona’s Chief of Operations, where he oversaw the operations of all 35 state agencies and worked to stand up state government’s first intentional management system based upon lean principles.

An experienced environmental engineer and attorney and a longtime Arizona Department of Environmental Quality employee, Darwin assumed the position of ADEQ director in 2011. He spent the next four years leading the deployment of the state’s first lean initiatives and was elected as an officer in the Environmental Council of States. He is the only director in ADEQ’s 30-year history to have worked in all three of its media programs.

Having also served as an Assistant Arizona Attorney General on special assignment to ADEQ's hazardous waste program, Darwin negotiated the country’s largest Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) civil settlement at the time. He has testified in front of Congress on a variety of issues critical to Arizona, including innovations in the process of environmental protection. He worked briefly for the Salt River Project as in-house environmental counsel.

Darwin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering hydrology from the University of Arizona and a Juris Doctorate from Lewis & Clark College's Northwestern School of Law, where he earned a certificate in environmental law. He is a licensed attorney in the state of Arizona.