Serena McIlwain, Maryland’s new secretary of the Environment, has seen the very best of environmental activism and innovation in government, and it informs her work in Maryland today. For four years, McIlwain was undersecretary at the California Environmental Protection Agency during Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s first term. After decades of working for the federal government, being able to push a bold agenda at a well-funded agency, with full buy-in from the state’s top leaders, was an eye-opening experience.
