SESARM About Us
SESARM Corporate Structure
Southeastern States Air Resource Managers, Inc. is commonly called SESARM.
SESARM is a Georgia nonprofit corporation organized under the United States Code, Title 26, Subtitle A, Chapter 1, Subchapter F, Part 1, Section 501(c)(3). SESARM does not engage in for-profit activities nor does it use federal funds to influence legislation. SESARM was incorporated February 24, 1997.
SESARM is governed by a ten-person Board of Directors consisting of a chair, vice chair, secretary/treasurer, and seven at-large Board members. Please see the Governance section for more information.
Governance
SESARM BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The FY 2026 SESARM Board of Directors consists of the following officers and directors:
- Chair - Rhonda Thompson, South Carolina
- Vice Chair - Michelle Walker Owenby, Tennessee
- Secretary/Treasurer - Laura Crowder, West Virginia
- Director - Aubry White, Alabama
- Director - Jeff Koerner, Florida
- Director - Jim Boylan, Georgia
- Director - Michael Kennedy, Kentucky
- Director - Jaricus Whitlock, Mississippi
- Director - Mike Abraczinskas, North Carolina
- Director - [vacant], Virginia
History
SESARM is a Georgia corporation incorporated February 24, 1997 with the intent of providing a voice for state air pollution control agencies in the Southeast. The eight EPA Region 4 states were charter members. More recently, in 2013, Virginia and West Virginia became the ninth and tenth members of SESARM. Both of the latter states are in EPA's Region 3.
Prior to the formation of SESARM, the state air pollution control agencies operated without a formal structure.
In its earliest years, SESARM relied on its sister agency, Metro 4 Inc. which had established a training coordinator position in a partnership with the University of Florida to administer a training grant for the southeastern agencies. In 2001, SESARM determined that it was desirable to establish permanent offices in the Atlanta, Georgia area in collaboration with Metro 4. In November of 2001, Metro 4 and SESARM voted to hire a full-time executive director and other necessary staff in the Atlanta area to support the needs of their member agencies. In early 2002, Metro 4/SESARM’s offices were temporarily located in the offices of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s Air Protection Branch. Beginning June 1, 2002, Metro 4/SESARM occupied their first free-standing offices in Forest Park, Georgia. After more than a decade at that location, Metro 4 and SESARM moved to Stockbridge, Georgia in 2013 where they remained until September 30, 2020 when the existing physical office closed and its contents were liquidated. On October 1, 2020, the official offices moved to Brandon, Mississippi. From this point forward, the Boards' intent is for Metro 4/SESARM administrative staff to operate in a decentralized fashion out of residential locations.
Throughout its history, SESARM's mission has remained constant - to help the staff of state air pollution control agencies to improve their knowledge and effectiveness in management of air quality through advocacy, facilitating communications, scheduling and hosting directors' meetings, program manager workshops, and training courses, conducting technical air quality analyses, and providing other agency support.
Membership
SESARM represents ten southeastern state air pollution control agencies:
- From EPA's Region 3:
- Virginia DEQ's Air and Renewable Energy Division
- West Virginia DEP's Division of Air Quality
- From EPA's Region 4:
- Alabama ADEM's Air Division
- Florida DEP's Division of Air Resource Management
- Georgia EPD's Air Protection Branch
- Kentucky DEP
- Division for Air Quality
- Division of Enforcement (air staff)
- Mississippi DEQ's Office of Pollution Control
- Air Division
- Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Division (air staff)
- Environmental Permits Division (air staff)
- Field Services Division (air staff)
- North Carolina DEQ's Division of Air Quality
- South Carolina DES's Bureau of Air Quality
- Tennessee DEC's Division of Air Pollution Control