DEQ names new Assistant Secretary for the Environment

Secretary Dionne Delli-Gatti announced a key leadership appointment for the Department of Environmental Quality. Sushma Masemore will serve as the Assistant Secretary for the Environment.

She brings more than 30 years of public and private sector experience to the role, including 13 years with DEQ.

“Anyone who has worked with Sushma knows that she has a brilliant scientific mind and is a natural problem-solver,” said Secretary Delli-Gatti. “She is well-respected by her colleagues and uniquely suited to guide DEQ’s regulatory teams through the complex issues impacting our state.”

Masemore has been serving as Acting Assistant Secretary since the retirement of Sheila Holman earlier this year. Masemore was named Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment in 2018 and State Energy Director in 2019.

For the State Energy Office, Masemore led statewide initiatives related to energy and resiliency, including the development of the state’s Clean Energy Plan and Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan. She also oversaw programs related to low-income weatherization assistance, energy planning, energy efficiency, and transportation alternatives.

Masemore joined the Division of Air Quality as a permit engineer and moved into managing teams of engineers and scientists to develop air quality rules and state implementation plans. Her private sector consulting experience included building partnerships with technology developers, the oil & gas industry, coal mines, electric power plants, and the chemical industry to implement environmental solutions that made business sense.

Masemore earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and is a licensed Professional Engineer in North Carolina.