Student Kickoff
2:00 pm.
Kuenzel Room, Michigan Union
Free Environmental Theme Semester T-Shirts!
Free Refreshments!
Michelle D. Jordon was appointed Deputy Regional Administrator of Region 5 of the U.S. EPA by President Clinton on February 6, 1994. She has been a practicing attorney for 19 years and has had 13 years of experience in handling environmental matters. She is the first woman and the first African-American to hold this position. Along with the Regional Administrator, she is responsible for management of the Region's Air, Water, Hazardous Waste and other pollution control programs.
Prior to receiving her appointment, Ms. Jordan specialized in envrionmental law at Hopkins & Sutter where she became the first African-American female partner in the 300-member law firm. She represented clients before Federal, State and local agenicies on environmental matters, handled Superfund cases, and provided counseling and guidance to clients on environmental laws and regulations.
From 1984 to 1990, Ms. Jordan was an Illinois Assistant Attorney General and served as Deputy Chief and Chief of the Environmental Control Division. In that role, she was responsible for the enforcement of all civil and criminal environmental cases, served as legal counsel to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Pollution Control Board, and worked closely with officials in Region 5.
Between 1977 and 1982, Ms. Jordan served in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office as a trial attorney. She prosecuted major criminal cases, including murders, rapes, and robberies. After leaving that office, she had her own private law practice where she handled both civil and criminal matters.
Ms. Jordan is a native of Chicago and entered Loyola University when she was 16 years of age. She graduated magna cum laude with a degree in political science when she was 19. Ms. Jordan is the recipient of the highest award given by the Political Science Department at Loyola. Three years later, she received her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.
In 1990, Ms. Jordan received the Kizzy Image Achievement and Service Award, presented each year to exemplary young women by Revlon. In 1988, she was chosen as one of American's top 100 business and professional women by Dollars and Sense magazine. She is listed in numerous "Who's who" directories, has served on the Board of Managers of the Chicago Bar Association, and belongs to a number of organizations including Operation Push and the NAACP. She has written and lectured extensively on environmental topics.