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Michael S. Regan, who recently served as the 16th Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is joining Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy as a Polis Distinguished Fellow for the upcoming 2025-2026 academic year. Regan will also be actively involved with the Civil Discourse Project (CDP) at Duke.
Regan brings decades of high-level experience in environmental leadership, public service, policy development, and executive management. As EPA Administrator, he led the nation's historic efforts to protect public health and the environment, overseeing critical regulatory actions and spearheading initiatives to address pressing environmental challenges, including climate change and environmental justice. During his tenure, he led the nation’s most ambitious effort to center equity and invest in communities that have historically been overburdened by pollution. He has been recognized by leading organizations, including Time Magazine (TIME100 Next, TIME100 Health) and the Keystone Policy Center, for his contributions.
Abdullah Antepli, Director of Polis: The Center for Politics, Leadership, Innovation, and Service, expressed his enthusiasm for Regan’s arrival: "It is a distinct honor to welcome Michael Regan to Duke and to Sanford as a Polis Distinguished Fellow. His remarkable career, particularly his principled leadership at the EPA and his extensive experience at both state and federal levels, offers an invaluable real-world perspective for our students. Michael's commitment to tackling complex environmental challenges and his involvement with our Civil Discourse Project will be instrumental in helping our community explore how to engage constructively across diverse viewpoints on critical policy issues, a cornerstone of Polis’s mission."
Manoj Mohanan, Interim Dean of the Sanford School of Public Policy, expressed his excitement: "We are thrilled to welcome Michael Regan to campus as a Polis Distinguished Fellow. His impressive track record of leadership in pivotal government roles provides a unique learning opportunity for our students aspiring to careers in public service and environmental policy. Michael’s engagement with the Civil Discourse Project will be particularly beneficial, offering insights into navigating the complexities of policymaking and public leadership through reasoned, respectful dialogue, especially concerning the urgent environmental and climate issues of our time. His presence underscores Sanford’s commitment to fostering leaders equipped to address society’s most pressing challenges."
Regan's leadership as EPA Administrator saw the establishment of the agency’s first national program office dedicated to environmental justice and external civil rights—the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. He oversaw the design and implementation of an investment strategy exceeding $100 billion aimed at improving public health, equity, and community resilience, while also providing regulatory certainty to support economic growth and competitiveness. Additionally, he managed major agency actions to cut climate pollution, from tailpipes to power plants, and set the U.S. on a path toward a clean energy future. As Administrator, he traveled extensively, meeting with communities most affected by environmental pollution, and representing the U.S. overseas at global climate and environmental conferences.
In joining Sanford, Regan is returning to his home state of North Carolina. Born in Goldsboro, Regan attended North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, making him the first EPA Administrator to have graduated from a Historically Black College or University. He earned a master’s degree in public administration from The George Washington University.
Regan previously served as the 17th Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ). As Secretary, he spearheaded the development of North Carolina's foundational plan to address climate change and transition to a clean energy economy. He secured the largest coal ash clean-up settlement in U.S. history and led critical negotiations on the clean-up of the Cape Fear River from PFAS contamination. He also established North Carolina's pioneering Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board. Prior to NCDEQ, Regan held a leadership role at the Environmental Defense Fund, focusing on U.S. Climate and Energy.
As part of his engagement at Duke, Regan will contribute to the Civil Discourse Project (CDP). The Civil Discourse Project sponsors courses, events, and scholarship that promote civil discourse through modeling or teaching the capacities and virtues necessary to engage in healthy exchange across difference. At CDP, the aim is to create, both inside and outside the classroom, intellectually diverse communities of friends who will both support and challenge in a collective pursuit of truth and knowledge—enabling all to become better thinkers, people, community members, citizens, and leaders. The project maintains that such community requires freedom of thought, inquiry, and expression for faculty and students alike.
His appointment, effective August 1, 2025, will provide students and the broader Duke community with opportunities to learn from his extensive experience navigating the challenges and opportunities within public service, environmental policy, and national leadership.