Kevin Lilly, a wealth manager with no conservation experience, now has a prominent role at the Department of the Interior. That means Lilly is now in charge of the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, despite no background in conservation or land management. Very quietly appointed by Trump, Lilly’s “acting” title means that under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, his job is a temporary appointment, as he has not been confirmed by the Senate.
The Department of the Interior initially declined to confirm Lilly worked for the agency at all. “We don’t have comment on personnel,” spokesperson Elizabeth Peace wrote in an email to SFGATE on July 17. An Arizona radio station mentioned Lilly’s title in a news story about wildfires on July 19; Peace later confirmed Lilly’s title with SFGATE on July 28.
The role is responsible for programs that use, manage and conserve natural resources, including fish, wildlife, recreation and the national park system. Lilly is also expected to identify policy needs and initiate legislation.
Lilly’s professional background has primarily been in the financial services and investment banking industries. He worked for Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs before founding Avalon Advisors in 2001, the “largest privately owned wealth management firm in Texas,” according to the university.
Lilly has served in political appointee positions before, including as a regent of the Texas State University System. In 2017, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Lilly as the chairman of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, which regulates alcoholic beverages in the state.
The previous assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks during the Biden administration was Shannon Estenoz, the former chief operating officer of the Everglades Foundation. She came to the position with 24 years of experience working on conservation topics. A news release at the time said her priorities were “to strengthen local economies, tackle the climate crisis, ensure equitable access to the outdoors, and protect and conserve public lands and wildlife.”
Park service and public land advocates said they are concerned about the lack of transparency around Lilly’s position, and at least some advocates are claiming that Lilly’s work may not be legal. “Without an official Secretarial Order by Burgum, all actions taken by Lilly in his current role would be illegal,” said Jayson O’Neill, a spokesperson for Save Our Parks, a recently launched campaign to expose threats to national parks and other public lands. .
- by Kylie Mohr
Big Sky Country Contributing Parks EditorKylie Mohr is the Big Sky Country contributing parks editor at SFGATE, covering Glacier, Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks from her home in Montana. She’s an award-winning freelance journalist and correspondent for the magazine High Country News, where her work focuses on wildfire, wildlife and wild places in the West. Her bylines include the Atlantic, National Geographic, Outside, Vox, Business Insider, Grist and more. She’s traipsed through the tundra banding snowy owls, climbed to the top of a 300-foot-tall tree and become a wildland firefighter for her stories. Send story tips or comments to [email protected].
To see the complete article and photos in SFGate, CLICK HERE.
The Department of the Interior initially declined to confirm Lilly worked for the agency at all. “We don’t have comment on personnel,” spokesperson Elizabeth Peace wrote in an email to SFGATE on July 17. An Arizona radio station mentioned Lilly’s title in a news story about wildfires on July 19; Peace later confirmed Lilly’s title with SFGATE on July 28.
The role is responsible for programs that use, manage and conserve natural resources, including fish, wildlife, recreation and the national park system. Lilly is also expected to identify policy needs and initiate legislation.
Lilly’s professional background has primarily been in the financial services and investment banking industries. He worked for Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs before founding Avalon Advisors in 2001, the “largest privately owned wealth management firm in Texas,” according to the university.
Lilly has served in political appointee positions before, including as a regent of the Texas State University System. In 2017, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Lilly as the chairman of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, which regulates alcoholic beverages in the state.
The previous assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks during the Biden administration was Shannon Estenoz, the former chief operating officer of the Everglades Foundation. She came to the position with 24 years of experience working on conservation topics. A news release at the time said her priorities were “to strengthen local economies, tackle the climate crisis, ensure equitable access to the outdoors, and protect and conserve public lands and wildlife.”
Park service and public land advocates said they are concerned about the lack of transparency around Lilly’s position, and at least some advocates are claiming that Lilly’s work may not be legal. “Without an official Secretarial Order by Burgum, all actions taken by Lilly in his current role would be illegal,” said Jayson O’Neill, a spokesperson for Save Our Parks, a recently launched campaign to expose threats to national parks and other public lands. .
- by Kylie Mohr
Big Sky Country Contributing Parks EditorKylie Mohr is the Big Sky Country contributing parks editor at SFGATE, covering Glacier, Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks from her home in Montana. She’s an award-winning freelance journalist and correspondent for the magazine High Country News, where her work focuses on wildfire, wildlife and wild places in the West. Her bylines include the Atlantic, National Geographic, Outside, Vox, Business Insider, Grist and more. She’s traipsed through the tundra banding snowy owls, climbed to the top of a 300-foot-tall tree and become a wildland firefighter for her stories. Send story tips or comments to [email protected].
To see the complete article and photos in SFGate, CLICK HERE.
RSS Feed