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Former mayor, EPA administrator teaches at School of Urban and Public Affairs

Written by Ali Mustansir, Contributor to The Shorthorn

Thursday, 22 January 2009 07:56 PM

Richard Greene, former Arlington mayor and Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 administrator, teaches an environmental policy course at the university. He will also teach a city management course in the fall. (The Shorthorn: Meghan Williams)

He helped lead the region during Hurricanes Katrina and Ike, now he’ll tell those tales and more about his life in public service at the School of Urban and Public Affairs.

Richard Greene, former Arlington mayor and Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 administrator, returned to teach his first class in six years this Thursday. He was an adjunct professor at the university before his EPA appointment.

Greene said he intends to use his experiences as building blocks for his classes. He teaches Urban Environmental Policy this semester and will also teach a class in the fall about managing a modern city through a mayor’s eyes.

Information

A life in the public eye
1977 – Became Chairman of the Arlington Planning and Zoning Committee
1984 – Elected to Arlington City Council
1987 – Elected mayor of Arlington, served five terms
1997 – Became associate publisher for the Arlington Star-Telegram. Also became adjunct professor at UTA just before his mayoral term ended and stayed until his appointment to the EPA
2000 – Lead the project to bring the 2012 Olympics to Dallas
2002 – First Arlington Technology Incubator director
2003 – Appointed Region 6 administrator personally by former President George W. Bush
2009 – Returns to UTA to share his public service experiences with the urban and public affairs students

“We feel exceptionally fortunate to have Richard Greene,” said SUPA Dean Barbara Becker. “He brings to SUPA invaluable experience both at the local level with his experience as mayor of Arlington and at the regional level with the EPA.”

Greene said he has been tenaciously involved in protecting, defending and promoting the university in order to maximize its status as an institute of higher learning.

Greene said he realized the university’s importance during his time as mayor, citing that the university has a larger economic impact than the entertainment and recreation industries in Arlington. But the economic impact, he said, isn’t everything.

“What is more important is the intangible value of being a city that houses a great school,” he said.
Greene was appointed as the Region 6 administrator by former President George W. Bush in March 2003. His appointment ended after President Barack Obama’s inauguration Tuesday.

During his time with the EPA, he faced the Hurricane Katrina trajedy.

“Richard Greene’s time at the Environmental Protection Agency was marked by tremendous challenges, which he met with strong and steady leadership,” Acting Regional Administrator Larry Starfield said in a statement. Starfield was also Deputy Regional Administrator to Greene.

Greene began his public service career in 1977. He spent nine years as Chairman of The Planning and Zoning Committee, three years on the Arlington City Council, then 10 years as Arlington mayor.

During most of his mayoral administration, Arlington was one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. As mayor, he played a major role in the development of the Rangers Ballpark and assembled the plan that allowed Arlington to keep the General Motors plant. This experience will show in his teaching, Greene said.

Communication lecturer O.K. Carter said he and Greene came to Arlington around the same time and now live three blocks away. They worked together on the Arlington Star-Telegram editorial board.

“[It’s] experience you can’t replicate,” Carter said. “It’s unique.”
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 07 April 2009 08:12 PM )

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