Rookery Bay Gulf Workshops

BYRON O. GRIFFITH

Bryon Griffith was appointed as Director of the Gulf of Mexico Program in July 2004. He previously served as Deputy Director starting in the fall of 1995. The Gulf of Mexico Program, located at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, is a public and private partnership that includes state agencies, business representatives, broad environmental and public interests, and numerous Federal agencies working together to protect the natural resources and ensure the economic vitality of the Gulf region.

Bryon is a native of Arlington, Virginia. After receiving his Business Degree from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1979, he began his EPA career as a management intern at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Over the course of his tenure in Washington he instituted a wide variety of the Agency’s information and administrative management programs and gained national recognition as an expert in the design and implementation of Federal program reinvention initiatives.

In 1991, Bryon accepted a position as special assistant to the Director of the Gulf of Mexico Program. In this assignment, Bryon’s responsibilities centered principally on the improvement of access and delivery of environmental data and information to communities throughout the region. The unique process improvements he has instituted to help address the priority environmental issues facing the five Gulf States have been recognized by awards from several EPA Administrators, the Governor of Mississippi, and the Vice President.

In 2004, following the issuance of the U.S. Ocean Action Plan, the Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality appointed Bryon to serve as Federal co-lead for the Gulf of Mexico Alliance. The Alliance was initiated by the governors of the five Gulf States with the goal of significantly increasing regional collaboration at state, local, and federal levels to achieve actions in five priority issue areas. In this role, Bryon has facilitated commitment by more than 130 people from 22 Federal departments and agencies to achieve these actions.

In his community, Bryon has served as President of the Bay St. Louis/Waveland District School Board and currently serves on the Hancock County Medical Center Board of Directors.

Bryon and his wife of 30 years, Yvonne (a native New Orleanean and USM Alumnae), reside on the Mississippi Coast where they renew their spirit and love for the Gulf of Mexico on a daily basis. They, along with two sons, their wives, and two grandchildren, remain committed to the rebuilding and long-term sustainability of the Gulf Coast.

Mr. Griffith spoke in the State of the Gulf Conference.