Lara Phelps

Lara P. Phelps is the Acting Director for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Air and Energy Management Division (AEMD) of the National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development (ORD) where she overseas diverse research for air pollutant sources and sampling pertaining to methods development, solution-driven mitigation, decision-making tools, and environmental implications of energy systems. Prior to her appointment in AEMD over a year ago, Phelps served as the Senior Advisor for Measurement, Modeling, Monitoring, and Laboratory Science Issues and as Acting Deputy Director in the Office of the Science Advisor (OSA). In over 24 years with the EPA, she has served in various positions and roles within the Office of Air and Radiation, ORD, and OSA gaining expertise in a wide range of areas from management and leadership to budgeting and program planning to innovative strategies and technologies. As a native of North Carolina, Phelps elected to do her bachelor’s and master’s work in Statistics at North Carolina State University with a minor in Mathematics. She has received numerous honors including four bronze medals and service recognition in support of the Nation’s response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Phelps is also involved in several professional organizations such as The NELC Institute (TNI), the Source Evaluation Society, and the Air and Waste Management Association to list a few.

Contact Information: phelps.lara@epa.gov; 919-541-5544