Adam Ortiz serves as EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator where he oversees federal environmental and public health protections in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, the District of Columbia, and seven federally recognized tribes. Working with state partners and local stakeholders, Adam is focused on infrastructure, enforcement, climate change, environmental justice, and restoring the Chesapeake Bay.
Before coming to EPA, Adam was the Director of the Montgomery County, Maryland Department of Environmental Protection, where he launched programs boosting recycling, curbside compost collection, building energy efficiency standards, and watershed restoration projects with a focus on equity.
Previously, Adam was the Director of the Department of Environment for Prince George’s County, Maryland, where he led the county to the highest recycling rate in the state and led a $100M public-private green infrastructure construction program focusing on small and minority business development. He also oversaw the construction and operation of the region's largest organics composting facility. Before that he served in the Maryland Lt. Governor’s Office and at the state's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.
As Mayor of the Town of Edmonston, Maryland, for three terms, Adam ended years of chronic flooding through water infrastructure improvements, spearheaded the east coast's first “Complete Green Street” that successfully captures and filters stormwater runoff, enables bike and pedestrian access, and has improved the quality of life of the town’s diverse residents. In his spare time, he enjoys getting outside to paddle and hike throughout the mid-Atlantic region. He grew up in New York’s Hudson Valley and graduated from Goucher College in Maryland.