Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet
Experienced environmental manager appointed commissioner of Department for Environmental Protection

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 17, 2007) - Cheryl A. Taylor, who brought years of engineering and environmental management experience to Kentucky state government, has been appointed commissioner of the Department for Environmental Protection (DEP).

Taylor, of Lexington, succeeds Lloyd Cress, who was appointed deputy secretary of the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet (EPPC), parent agency of DEP.

"Cheryl Taylor has an impressive record of personal achievement and public service," EPPC Secretary Teresa J. Hill said. "Her environmental management experience will be invaluable in her new position as commissioner of this critically important department."

Taylor joined DEP in January 2005 as an executive adviser, serving as project manager for the commissioner’s office. Major assignments included design and implementation of KY EXCEL - the department’s Environmental Excellence Leadership Program - and spearheading a project to reduce a backlog of applications for DEP permits.

Taylor joined Governor Ernie Fletcher’s administration after a 23-year career at the Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Co. - later the J.M. Smucker Co. - in Lexington. She served in numerous posts in the company, most of which entailed responsibility for and design of health, safety and environmental programs.

Taylor holds two degrees from the University of Kentucky - a B.S. in mechanical engineering and a B.A. in social work - and is enrolled in the master’s degree program in the UK College of Public Health.