James Jennings was appointed as the Director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency on September 13, 2024. Prior to the appointment, he served as Interim Director since July 16, 2024. He was also named Deputy Director of the Illinois EPA in April 2023. As Deputy Director, James was responsible for the day-to-day oversight of issues that have an intersecting impact on the Illinois EPA’s Bureaus of Air, Land, and Water, as well as the Division of Laboratories. Prior to becoming Deputy Director, James served the Illinois EPA in several capacities, including as the Materials Management and Compliance Section Manager for seven years, overseeing the Illinois EPA’s materials management programs, RCRA and solid waste compliance programs, and state and federal reporting obligations. Prior to that, James was Assistant Legal Counsel to the Illinois EPA’s Bureau of Land for three years.
James is Chair of the Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials’ (ASTSWMO) Materials Management Subcommittee, Past Chair of the ASTSWMO Sustainable Materials Management Task Force, a member of the Great Lakes Commission, Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, and the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center Advisory Board. James previously served as a board member of the Land of Lincoln Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America and as government liaison to the Illinois Recycling Foundation and Illinois Food Scrap Coalition. Prior to joining the Illinois EPA, James worked for the Illinois Executive Inspector General and the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy. James obtained his law degree from the University of Kentucky and his undergraduate degree from the University of Cincinnati.