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EPA Region 7 to Participate at National Association of Farm Broadcasting Trade Talk Nov. 10 in Kansas City, Mo.

11/07/2016
Contact Information: 
Kris Lancaster (lancaster.kris@epa.gov)
913-551-7557
Ashley Murdie (murdie.ashley@epa.gov)
913-551-7785

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 image of Carleton interview at 2015 NAFB Trade TalkEPA Agriculture Counselor Ron Carleton speaks with KRVN Radio's Jesse Harding at 2015 NAFB Trade Talk(Lenexa, Kan., Nov. 7, 2016) - EPA officials will be available for interviews at the annual National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) Trade Talk event at the Westin Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday, Nov. 10.

Interview topics include worker protection standards, pesticides, and regulatory updates related to agribusiness.

WHAT: National Association of Farm Broadcasting Convention and Trade Talk

WHEN: 7:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016

WHO: Ron Carleton, EPA Agriculture Counselor; Mark Hague, EPA Region 7 Administrator; Karen Flournoy, Director of EPA Region 7’s Water, Wetlands and Pesticides Division; Kris Lancaster, EPA Agricultural Public Affairs Specialist; and Ashley Murdie, EPA Public Affairs Specialist.

WHERE: Booth 74, Westin Crown Center Hotel, 1 East Pershing Road, Kansas City, Mo. 64108

Biographies of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Booth 74 Staff:

Ron Carleton joined EPA as the Counselor to the Administrator on Agricultural Policy in January 2015. Prior to his appointment at EPA, Carleton served as Deputy Commissioner of the Colorado Department of Agriculture. His work as deputy commissioner focused on climate issues, environmental regulations, food safety, industrial hemp regulations, agricultural education, and the Farm Bill. Carleton also worked for more than 30 years in the U.S. Congress, where he handled a variety of legislative issues, including agriculture, energy, environment, water, and land management issues. His most recent Congressional experience was as Chief of Staff to then Colorado Congressman John Salazar. Carleton holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Houston, a master’s degree from American University, and a law degree from George Mason University. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar.

Mark Hague serves as the Regional Administrator for EPA Region 7, which consists of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and nine tribal nations. He is responsible for overseeing the operations within the region, and implementation of federal environmental rules and regulations. Hague has 35 years of experience with EPA. He began his career at EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C., in 1980. Hague has served Region 7 in a variety of leadership roles, which have included Deputy Regional Administrator, Director of the Enforcement Coordination Office, as well as Acting Assistant Regional Administrator for the Office of Policy and Management. Hague graduated from Northwest Missouri State University in May 1980 with a degree in political science/public administration.

Karen Flournoy serves as Director of the Water, Wetlands and Pesticides Division in EPA Region 7. She leads a number of agricultural and environmental initiatives, including EPA’s involvement in Gulf hypoxia and nutrient water quality issues. Flournoy's EPA career began in 1978 and includes 14 years of experience in the hazardous waste and Superfund programs. She also served as Director of the Region 7 Office of Public Affairs. Flournoy has a degree in civil engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Kris Lancaster is an EPA spokesperson responsible for agriculture, pesticides, renewable fuels, water and regulatory issues impacting agribusiness. His past agricultural employment includes serving as a licensed grain inspector, agricultural adviser to the chairman of the Missouri House Agriculture Committee and to two members of Congress, farm real estate broker, federal crop insurance broker, and negotiator of agricultural leases for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. His family owns a corn and soybean farm in Scotland County, Mo. Lancaster has three decades of media relations experience and serves on Region 7’s Agriculture Team. He is a member of the National Agri-Marketing Association. He graduated from the University of Central Missouri and completed an advanced sciences program at Park University.

Ashley Murdie joined EPA in August 2016 as the Brownfields and Land Revitalization Program public affairs liaison. She is excited to work with Kris in connecting with the agriculture community. Murdie is a native Kansan and a third-generation U.S. Air Force veteran. She’s a graduate of Kansas State University, a land-grant institution, where she received a bachelor’s degree in mass communication. Following graduation, Murdie served as a public affairs officer in the Air Force before returning to her roots in Kansas, where she continued a career in communications with the state prior to joining EPA.

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