In this issue’s Q&A, Texas+Water Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Todd Votteler, interviews Kelly Keel, who was named Executive Director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in December.

Kelly Keel has served as the Executive Director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) since December 2023. In her role, she is responsible for managing the agency’s day-to-day operations, which include approximately 2,800 employees, 16 regional offices, and an annual budget of approximately $558 million. 

Ms. Keel is a 22-year veteran of the TCEQ, where she has served in various roles throughout the agency. Most recently, Ms. Keel served as the Office of Administrative Services Director, overseeing the agency’s budgetary, financial, information technology, and human resources functions. Ms. Keel began her TCEQ career in 2001 with the agency’s Office of Air, where she was instrumental in the state’s efforts to improve air quality. In 2008, she was promoted to Director of the newly formed Water Quality Planning Division. As Director, Ms. Keel transformed the process for improving water quality for impaired water bodies. In 2010, Ms. Keel joined the Executive Office, serving as the Executive Assistant to the then-Deputy Executive Director. Beginning in 2012 and continuing until 2018, Ms. Keel served as the Office of Compliance and Enforcement’s Area Director for the Coastal & East Texas Area. In this capacity, she oversaw four of TCEQ’s 16 regional offices, including Tyler, Beaumont, Houston, and Corpus Christi. During Ms. Keel’s time as the Area Director, she oversaw the fulfillment of routine investigations, responses to citizen complaints, and the agency’s response to events occurring in her area, including disasters and emergency and drinking-water events.

A native Texan, Ms. Keel earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Texas A&M University and a Master of Public Service and Administration from the Bush School at Texas A&M University. Ms. Keel lives in Austin and enjoys spending her free time with her family. She has a nine-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son. Ms. Keel also enjoys snow skiing, water skiing, and going to the beach.

As Executive Director, what are your top priorities for TCEQ?

Currently, my focus is on fundamentals and adapting to a post-COVID era. We are committed to fulfilling the agency’s mission of clean air, clean water, and the safe management of waste. This means we issue protective and legally defensible permits, conduct investigations, prioritize compliance, and handle enforcement in a timely fashion. I am also evaluating improvements we can make to enhance our workforce.

Over the last several years, the agency has brought on a substantial number of new employees, and it is a goal of mine to train and develop those new hires so they stick around. According to our Office of Administrative Services, approximately 50% of our staff have less than five years’ of experience, with 30% having less than two years. Therefore, enhancing agency staff’s overall knowledge of complex environmental challenges is crucial. To give another statistic of the high turnover we experienced, at one time, there were over 400 vacancies, and with the aid of legislative funding and a focus on agency hiring processes, we managed to get the number under 250. To meet the growing demands of the state, we need to ensure our staff has the expertise required.

What are you looking forward to the most in your new role?

I am excited about being able to get involved with parts of the agency that I previously worked – whether that be building on previous relationships, creating new ones, or learning more about the programmatic side. I also think there has been a lot of change happening around environmental policy, and I am looking forward to helping the agency prosper during these changes. It is important to me that the agency continues to engage with a broad range of stakeholders and that we are adapting to whatever is coming our way.

Which aspect of your previous experience at TCEQ with water issues do you consider to be the most valuable to you in your new role as Executive Director?

There are a handful of experiences regarding water that I think have given me a substantial amount of experience in this field and will help me in this new role. One of the most impactful experiences would have to be dealing with the repercussions of Hurricane Harvey. I was working in our Office of Compliance and Enforcement during that time as the Area Director for Coastal and East Texas and gained an immense amount of knowledge across the board, including all the obstacles that arose with public water systems. I also worked in the Office of Water during the 2011 drought, which was the first time TCEQ had to impose major water curtailments on water rights holders. Both situations were incredibly difficult for the state, but I think both taught me invaluable lessons about building partnerships, leveraging resources, and encouraging innovation.

What are the most immediate issues regarding water that you are focused upon?

I think the most immediate challenges relate to ensuring safe and adequate water supplies for Texas’ rapidly increasing population. The combination of drought and other extreme weather-related events continues to challenge the quantity and quality of the state’s water supplies. Although drought conditions have improved across much of the state, water supplies have not fully recovered. As infrastructure ages and gets damaged, many Texas water systems struggle to find funds to make repairs and upgrades, install/maintain needed treatment, or seek alternative water supplies.

What are some of the TCEQ’s accomplishments regarding water that you are most proud of?

I am proud of how quickly the agency can adapt and respond to issues, which are often first impressions. TCEQ actively monitors public water systems that have a limited supply of water and provides financial, managerial, and technical support to find alternative water sources. As drought conditions worsen and TCEQ programs begin to anticipate impacts, TCEQ activates its Drought Task Force. We look at ways to help improve the public water system’s resilience. After major events such as hurricanes and winter storms, TCEQ initiates an after-action review to evaluate the factors that impacted public water systems across the state. These reviews culminate with findings and recommendations to enhance the resiliency of our public water systems. I’m also proud of how agency staff support water systems across the state. Whether it’s on-site financial, managerial, or technical assistance that’s needed, TCEQ will be there to help water systems that experience operational or compliance issues. Every year, we provide nearly 1,000 assistance visits.

Looking out over the next 20 years, what do you consider to be the biggest challenge facing Texas regarding water?

Extreme weather events, such as droughts and flooding, coinciding with rapid population growth, will continue to challenge water availability and quality. And as stated earlier, aging infrastructure is a large factor when it comes to the state’s water supply and wastewater treatment. I also think the water sector is undergoing a shift when it comes to the workforce. Like many other employers, everyone is trying to solve the puzzle of how to attract, train, and retain a skilled workforce.