Gov. Roy Cooper has appointed environmental attorney Robin Smith as the new chair of the state Environmental Management Commission (EMC). Smith will also hold the seat reserved for an appointee with expertise in hydrology or water pollution control.

Smith previously served as a member of the state Coastal Resources Commission. Her more than 25 years of experience in environmental law and policy include 12 years as the assistant secretary for the environment in the state department now known as the Department of Environmental Quality. Robin Smith is well-known and widely respected for her depth of knowledge on pollution control and natural resource conservation efforts in North Carolina.