Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement: 2022 - 2024

Kevin M. Sligh Sr. is Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Department of Interior. He joined BSEE on March 28, 2022, and is responsible for promoting safety, protecting the environment, and conserving resources through the regulatory oversight and enforcement of energy operations on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.

Most recently, he served as Deputy Regional Administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region V, where he provided oversight for operational aspects of preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation activities in support of the region’s six Great Lakes states, as well as 34 federally recognized tribal nations.

Prior to that, Sligh was Deputy Director, Office of Marine Environmental Response Policy (CG-MER) at the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Headquarters. There, he served as principal advisor to the Director and oversaw human resources, budget, and acquisitions; national spill response planning and policy; industry, interagency and international coordination. In 2017, he completed a seven-month detail at the White House as Director for Response Policy in the National Security Council Resilience Directorate.

Before transitioning to CG-MER, Sligh served as Chief, Incident Management & Crisis Response Division at USCG Headquarters. In this role, his leadership helped prevent the transmission of the Ebola Virus disease from entering the United States via the maritime sector. He also provided support to the Coast Guard’s Office of Marine Environmental Response as the nation’s Area Contingency Plan program manager and worked for Booz Allen Hamilton in support of USCG Headquarters from 2012-2013.

During his 24-year active duty and reserve military career, Sligh gained extensive experience in incident management and oil spill response. In 2011, he served as Deputy Incident Commander for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Sligh enlisted in the U.S. Navy directly out of high school. In 1992, he transitioned to the USCG to complete his active-duty career. He attended college part-time throughout his enlisted and commissioned career, earning his bachelor’s degree from the Excelsior College, and a Master of Business Administration from Northcentral University. Sligh has been a Certified Emergency Manager since November 2008.