The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is managed by a full-time Executive Board consisting of a Director General and five Directors. Our activities are organised into five Offices, with each Office reporting to a Director.
Our Directors and staff adhere to a code of business conduct in undertaking their duties. An Advisory Committee, chaired by the Director General, meets several times a year to raise issues of concern and offer advice to the Board.
Laura Burke is the Director General of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), appointed in 2011 and served as a Director within the EPA since 2004. As Director General she has the responsibility to lead and strategically manage the EPA. Laura was the Chair of the European Environment Agency (EEA) Management Board from 2017 to 2023. Laura is a member of the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) and a member of the High Level Implementation Committee of ‘Food Vision 2030’, the Irish Agri-Food Sector Strategy. Prior to joining the EPA, she worked in the private sector. Laura is a graduate chemical engineer of University College Dublin (UCD), holds an MSc from Trinity College, Dublin, is a Fellow and is President of Engineers Ireland and is a Chartered Director. She is a member of the Board of Genio a non-profit European organisation. In 2016 Laura was awarded the UCD Engineering Graduates Association (EGA) Distinguished Graduate Award.
Gerard O’Leary is the Director of the Office of Communications and Corporate Services and has served as a Director since 2012. Prior to his current role, he was the Director for the Office of Environmental Enforcement.
Gerard joined the EPA in 1994 and has also worked with Cork County Council, South Tipperary County Council and the National Roads Authority. He holds MSc. degrees in Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry, MA degree in Public Management and post graduate diplomas in Business & Executive Coaching and Corporate Governance from the UCD Smurfit Business School.
Read about the Office of Communications and Corporate Services
Micheál Lehane was appointed Director with the Environmental Protection Agency in 2016 and is currently the Director for the EPA’s Office of Radiation Protection and Environmental Monitoring.
Prior to being appointed Director, Micheál served in a range of senior leadership roles in the EPA and in environmental protection & regulation in the UK. Micheál is also the Chair of the Irish National Accreditation Board and is a Director of the National Biodiversity Data Centre CLG.
Micheál is a graduate of University College Cork with a PhD in Geology, holds an MBA from the University of Limerick and is a Chartered Director.
In October 2024, Micheál was appointed an Adjunct Professor in the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork.
Learn more:
Read about the Office of Radiation Protection and Environmental Monitoring
Eimear Cotter was appointed in 2017 as Director of the EPA initially with responsibility for the Office of Environmental Sustainability. She is currently Director of the Office of Evidence and Assessment. Eimear has a wide range of experience in environmental protection, climate change, sustainable energy and sustainability. She previously worked in the EPA and Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.
Eimear holds a BA (Mod) in chemistry from Trinity College Dublin, a PhD in atmospheric chemistry from Oxford University and an MBA from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. She is member of the Governing Board of the Institute of Art, Design and Technology and the Governance Committee for the MaREI Research Centre. Eimear is a 2019 Eisenhower Fellow. She was formally a member of the National Statistics Board (2017-2023).
Read about the Office of Evidence and Assessment
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Tom Ryan was appointed in August 2018 as a Director of the EPA with responsibility for the Office of Environmental Enforcement. Prior to being appointed Director Tom served as a Programme Manager with the EPA, as Director of Radiation Protection Regulation with the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) and also worked with the European Commission based in Luxembourg. Tom holds a BSc and PhD in experimental physics from UCD, an MSc in management practice from TCD, an LLM from the Sutherland School of Law, (UCD), a Diploma in Legal Studies from the King's Inns and is a Chartered Director.
Read about the Office of Environmental Enforcement
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David Flynn joined the EPA Board in October 2023 and is the Director of the Office of Environmental Sustainability. David has responsibility for the Circular Economy, Environmental Licensing and Carbon Emissions Trading. David has over twenty years of experience in environmental science and protection. He has held various roles, most recently as a Principal Adviser in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Previously, he worked as Licensing Programme Manager and as Enforcement Programme Manager with the EPA. David holds a Bachelor of Science in environmental science, Master of Science, and an MBA from UCD.
Read about the Office of Environmental Sustainability
Learn more:
Download our Code of Business Conduct
Read about the EPA Advisory Committee
Download our Strategic Plan 2022-2026
