CHEYENNE, Wyo.—Gov. Mark Gordon has appointed Nancy Vehr as interim director of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality following the retirement of longtime director Todd Parfitt.
Vehr, who has been serving as the department’s deputy director, took over the role effective Oct. 2.
She previously led DEQ’s Air Quality Division for nearly a decade and has held senior roles in state environmental regulation and policy.
Before joining DEQ, Vehr spent more than 10 years with the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office and also worked in private practice. Earlier in her career, she worked as a nurse for 15 years after earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Creighton University.
Vehr later earned her law degree from the University of Wyoming College of Law.
She has also served as president of the Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies and president of the 15-member Western States Air Resources Council.
Gordon said Vehr’s familiarity with the agency and experience with environmental regulation made her well suited to take over the department on an interim basis.
Vehr said she was grateful for the opportunity to continue serving Wyoming and the department’s staff while balancing environmental protection with responsible economic development.
The appointment follows Parfitt’s retirement and places Vehr in charge of the agency responsible for overseeing air quality, water quality, land quality and other environmental programs across the state.