Air District announces three new deputy executive officer appointments

The three new appointments include:

• Meredith Bauer as Deputy Executive Officer of Engineering & Compliance
• Hyacinth “Hy” Hinojosa as Deputy Executive Officer of Finance & Administration
• Viet Tran as Deputy Executive Officer of Public Affairs

"I am pleased to welcome our new deputy executive officers, whose collective expertise and experience will undoubtedly strengthen our efforts to protect air quality and the health of all who call the Bay Area home," said Dr. Philip Fine, executive officer of the Air District. "These appointments complete the Air District’s new executive management team and ensure that we are well-equipped to address air quality challenges across the region, particularly in communities overburdened by air pollution."

The newly appointed deputy executive officers will join Veronica Eady who serves as the deputy executive officer of equity and community programs and Greg Nudd, deputy executive officer of science and policy.

Dr. Meredith Bauer earned her doctoral degree in atmospheric science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor’s degree in natural resources from Cornell University. She has worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for over twenty years and has extensive experience managing various air quality programs. She is currently an assistant director at EPA Region IX, overseeing permits & rules. Meredith will oversee the operations of the Air District’s Engineering/Permitting and Compliance and Enforcement divisions as well as the Health Risk Assessment/Risk Reduction program.

Hy Hinojosa earned his master’s degree in public administration from California State University, Long Beach and bachelor’s degree in economics from San Diego State University. He has over twenty-five years of management experience in both federal and local government, most recently as Marin County’s deputy county administrator where he has led the county’s emergency response efforts for COVID-19, as well as wildfires and power shutdowns. He previously worked as senior policy advisor at the U.S. Senate Finance Committee and as assistant regional commissioner at the U.S. Social Security Administration. Hy will oversee the operations of the Air District’s Human Resources, Finance and Administration and Information Services divisions.

Viet Tran earned his bachelor’s degree in public administration and public policy from the University of Southern California. He has over twenty years of private and public sector experience managing and implementing public relations strategies and working with elected officials at the federal, state and local levels. In his role as the director of public affairs at Entergy New Orleans, Viet has served as company spokesperson to government and community organizations as well as the media. He previously served as area director with the Mayor’s Office of Los Angeles. Viet will oversee the Air District’s Communications, Legislative and Inter-governmental Affairs, and Outreach/Special Projects functions.

View press release(204 Kb PDF, 2 pgs, posted 9/21/2023)( English | tiếng Việt | Español | 中文 ).