Guest Expert: Peter McAvoy

Peter McAvoy, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and the Great Lakes Compact

Date of Webinar: Januray 29, 2013, 8:00pm EST 

Topic: Policy Implications of the Great Lakes

Title:  Great Lakes Compact

Guest Expert Bio:  Peter McAvoy has held a number of senior management and consulting positions with federal, state and local governments and the private sector on air, land and water quality issues over the past thirty five years.  During his career he has served on numerous advisory committees and boards.

Most recently under the sponsorship of the Brico Fund, a philanthropic organization based in Milwaukee Wisconsin,  Mr. McAvoy is working with partners from the private sector, government and the academic community to shape new water resource policies and programs for Wisconsin and the Great Lakes Region including the effective implementation of the landmark Great Lakes Compact.  He also serves as an Adjunct Professor with the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences.

Until 2012, Mr. McAvoy served as Vice President of the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center’s Department of Environmental Health.  During his fifteen year tenure with the Center he administered programs for reducing the health risks for children who are exposed to environmental hazards present in the City of Milwaukee’s south side neighborhoods.  Under his leadership the Center was instrumental in developing public and private sector partnerships that are revitalizing Milwaukee’s Menomonee River Valley and the Kinnickinnic River Corridor.  The revitalization efforts received national acclaim for attracting investments, new jobs and creating a healthier environment for the families the Center serves.

Earlier in his career McAvoy was the Great Lakes and Pacific Regional Administrator for the U.S. Coastal Management Program.  He served on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/State Department’s international negotiating team that resulted in major revisions in the U.S. / Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, for which he received EPA’s Bronze Medal for his technical management and legal support during the negotiations.  He also served as the Governor of Wisconsin’s lead person on developing acid rain, water diversion and soil conservation legislation in the 1980’s.

McAvoy earned his Juris Doctorate from Marquette University, a Masters of Science in Environmental Studies/Urban & Regional Planning from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelor of Science in Resource Development from Michigan State University. 

Watch the Recorded Webinar at -  http://meet57433011.adobeconnect.com/p43uvd7epdi/

Additional suggested resources:

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book

• NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Library Facts and Figures (Brochures and Information sheets can be found here)

• Great Lakes Water Wars by Peter Annin (The author does do a good job providing the background and foundation for the Great Lakes Compact in a fairly easy read).  More information can be found at the Great Lakes Water Wars web site.  

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