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Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Environment - "IDEM fills long-vacant chief-of-staff post, denies agency shakeup"

So reports Chris O'Malley of the Indianapolis Business Journal today, supplementing this Gary Post Tribune story from Jan. 2nd, 2010, reported by Gitte Laasby, whose report Saturday included:

Gov. Mitch Daniels has appointed 52-year-old Kent Abernathy to the position. He was a colonel in the U.S. Army and stationed in Iraq in 2007.

IDEM spokeswoman Amy Hartsock confirmed that Abernathy starts next week.

She would not comment on Abernathy's background or how his job will fit with the jobs currently done by IDEM Commissioner Tom Easterly or Assistant Commissioner of the Office of External Affairs Scott Nally.

"As far as his background and what the position will entail, when he starts, we'll be able to provide that information," she told the Post-Tribune.

From today's IBJ story:
“Tom Easterly is staying at IDEM. There’s just a new chief of staff at the agency,” Jane Jankowski, press secretary for Gov. Mitch Daniels, said of new IDEM chief of staff Kent Abernathy. “We’ve been interested in having Mr. Abernathy join the administration for quite some time and he just became available after completing an obligation with the federal government.” * * *

IDEM officials plan to make a formal announcement as early as Tuesday to introduce Abernathy.

“The chief of staff position is one that had been utilized by the agency in the past but has gone unfilled in recent years,” said IDEM spokeswoman Amy Hartsock.

Abernathy will work alongside Easterly “and in coordination with IDEM’s assistant commissioners for the offices of External Affairs, Air Quality, Land Quality, Water Quality, Pollution Prevention and Technical Assistance, and Legal Counsel, to help with the efficient management of the agency’s regulatory programs and outreach initiatives,” Harstock said.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on January 5, 2010 10:54 AM
Posted to Environment | Indiana Government