DeKalb DA resigns to take EPA job

By Megan Matteucci

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

President Barack Obama appointed DeKalb County District Attorney Gwen Keyes Fleming to be the next regional Environmental Protection Agency administrator.

Fleming announced her resignation Wednesday.

Fleming is leaving DeKalb immediately to become the new southeast regional administrator for the federal Environmental Protection Agency, EPA officials told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

As administrator, Fleming will oversee eight states, including Georgia, and six tribal nations, said EPA spokesman Carl Terry.

Fleming was not immediately available for comment.

“She will promote state and local environmental protections and make sure the agency addresses environmental issues of the day,” Terry said.

Fleming took office in January 2005 and became the county’s first African-American female district attorney. Prior to serving as district attorney, Fleming served as DeKalb's solicitor-general.

Fleming's departure comes just months before the corruption trial for former schools' superintendent Crawford Lewis and former chief operating officer Patricia Reid.

As district attorney, Fleming manages 13,000 cases a year and oversees 165 employees. She is a New Jersey native and earned her law degree from Emory University School of Law.