About the Office of Public Affairs (OPA)
What We Do
OPA is the primary office for all EPA communications. The Associate Administrator for Public Affairs serves as the Agency's Public Information Officer (PIO) and is the principal advisor to the Administrator on all issues concerning short-term and long-term strategic communications.
The Office of Public Affairs:
- Prepares speeches for the Administrator and senior managers.
- Serves as the principal news media gateway for official agency announcements, press releases and statements, speeches, Congressional and public hearing testimony, biographies of principal officers, and other documents of public interest.
- Coordinates the agency's external message for emergency response activities.
- Serves as the agencywide point of contact for the planning, developing, and reviewing of all agency print, digital, promotional, display, audiovisual and broadcast products intended for the public.
- Supports agency multilingual outreach and communications efforts, in coordination with the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights.
- Manages EPA's web content, including content on www.epa.gov and social media.
- Communicates with EPA personnel on a variety of topics.
Programs and Projects Managed by OPA
- EPA newsroom and news releases
- Facebook, X, YouTube, Flickr, LinkedIn and other social media channels
- EPA Perspectives
- EPA en español
Mail code: 1701A | EPA mailing addresses
Location: EPA Headquarters at Washington, D.C. Federal Triangle campus
OPA Organization
Molly Vaseliou, Associate Administrator
Cora Mandy, Deputy Associate Administrator
Andrea Drinkard, Principal Deputy Associate Administrator
Daniel Gall, Special Advisor for Strategic and Regional Communications
Ben Weiner, Special Advisor for Communications
The Office of Public Affairs includes:
- Office of Media Relations and Risk Communications
Laura Gentile, Acting Director- Email: [email protected]
- Office of Multimedia
Jini Ryan, Director- Phone: 202-564-0175
- Email: [email protected]
- Office of Digital Communications
Chuck Widener, Director- Phone: 202-317-2154
- Email: [email protected]