About the Commissioner
Tom Burack has served as the Commissioner of the NH Department of Environmental Services since November 2006. He has focused the department on providing exceptional customer service in all of its programs while also addressing the new environmental challenges of climate change and the transition to a clean energy economy, as well as ensuring that the state’s natural resources are managed in a sustainable manner as the state grows.
Nominated by Governor John Lynch, he had previously been an attorney in private law practice, representing a wide range of businesses, institutions and individuals in environmental, health and safety, and energy matters. Since its formation in 2008, Tom has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Inc. and Chair of its Audit Committee. Tom served as the Chair of the Governor’s Climate Change Policy Task Force, which completed development of the New Hampshire Climate Action Plan in March 2009. Tom now serves as Chair of the New Hampshire Energy and Climate Collaborative, a voluntary collaboration of government, private sector and nonprofit/educational sector leaders working to leverage opportunities for and remove barriers to implementation of the most significant recommendations in New Hampshire's Climate Action Plan that will secure the State's energy, environmental and economic future.
At the national level, in September 2011 Tom was elected President of the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), a non-profit, non-partisan association of state and territorial agency leaders whose purpose is to improve the capability of state environmental agencies and their leaders to protect and improve human health and the environment. Tom previously served as Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer and as Vice Chair of the Planning Committee for ECOS.
Prior to joining DES, Tom was an active participant in the NH Business & Industry Association’s environmental programs and also served as chair and a member of the boards of directors of both the NH Land and Community Heritage Investment Program and the Audubon Society of New Hampshire.
Tom graduated Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia School of Law, and is a Harry S. Truman Scholar. He resides in Hopkinton, NH with his wife and two school-aged children.
About the Assistant Commissioner
In June 2012, Governor Lynch swore into office Vicki V. Quiram, P.E., as the new assistant commissioner of DES. Vicki has a record of substantial experience and accomplishment in both the private and public sectors, including leadership roles in municipal and county government, and will bring very strong project management skills to DES. Prior to moving to Massachusetts 2 years ago, she worked for the Watershed Protection District and City of Ventura in California, where she managed streets, storm water, wastewater, water, and flood control programs and lead multiple-stakeholder watershed and storm water management teams. Previously, Vicki worked for Valero Energy Corporation and a private engineering consulting firm in Texas. She serves as a Board Member for the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure and was recently reappointed to serve a third term on the American Public Works Association Center for Sustainability. During the course of our selection and interview process, Vicki impressed the DES Senior Leadership Team as someone of great energy and integrity, who is committed to working effectively with all of our many stakeholders, who has the ability to inspire others to do their best work, and who is committed to our mission of environmental stewardship. Welcome to DES, Vicki!