Effective Monday, Natural Resources Director Keith Creagh will have led all three of the state’s resource-based departments as he takes over as interim director of the Department of Environmental Quality.
Governor Rick Snyder announced Mr. Creagh’s appointment, and named DNR Deputy Director Bill Moritz as interim director in that department, on Wednesday as the administration works to fill the gap left by the resignation Tuesday of Environmental Qu…ality Director Dan Wyant. Snyder spokesperson Dave Murray said it was not yet clear what efforts would be undertaken to name a permanent director for the DEQ.
“This has all happened very quickly,” Mr. Murray said, adding of Mr. Creagh’s appointment, “That allows time for those decisions to be made.” Mr. Snyder praised Mr. Creagh for his work to date. “Keith has an unparalleled passion for Michigan’s environment, working closely with the DEQ during his years with both the DNR and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development,” he said in a statement. “I am confident his knowledge and experience will help ensure a seamless transition while we work to identify a long-term director for the DEQ.”
Mr. Creagh was one of Mr. Snyder’s first appointees when he took over the then-Department of Agriculture in January 2011. The governor pulled Mr. Creagh out of a brief retirement, during which he was director of industry affairs for Lansing-based Neogen Corporation, back to the department where he had been a long-time deputy. He took the reins of the DNR in July 2012 after then-Director Rodney Stokes was pulled into the Executive Office as an advisor.
