Rod Bremby
Energy & Environment
Energy & Environment contains the interviews of individuals who were involved with the development and implementation of state energy and environmental policy from the 1970s through the early decades of the 2000s. The interviews elicit insights about the policy-making process, the assignment of priorities, and the give-and-take involved in reaching final policy decisions. Of special interest are instances in which Kansas developed singular solutions and means for implementing them. To explore this collection and others, visit the Kansas Oral History Project home page: https://ksoralhistory.org/
Rod Bremby had a 30-year public sector career at the state and local levels. Rod served as Assistant City Manager of the City of Lawrence, KS from 1990-2000. From 2003-2011 he was Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the state’s largest and most complex regulatory agency with responsibilities for a varied portfolio of policies, as its name implies. After leaving Kansas, Bremby led Connecticut’s health and human service agency from 2011-2019. Since 2019 and at the time of this interview, Bremby was a Regional Vice President for Salesforce, Inc., where he utilized his expertise in the health and human services, social services and public health markets. A graduate of Leavenworth, KS High School, Bremby received a B.A. from the University of Kansas. He earned his MPA from KU’s Edwin O Stene Master’s Program in Public Administration. His dedication to public service has been widely recognized. While he served Kansas, he received honors from the Sierra Club, the Kansas Public Health Association, and the Kansas Natural Resource Council. Bremby was named the 2008 Kansas Public Administrator of the Year and awarded the 2008 Edwin O. Stene Award for Managerial Excellence.
As Secretary of Health and Environment for Kansas, Rod Bremby became the first U.S. public official to deny a coal-fired power plant operating permit due to climate change. In this interview he reflects on that decision made while navigating uncharted policy terrain and on lessons learned during his 30-year career in public service at the local and state levels. Bremby describes missed opportunities in considering the power plant operating permit application while saying clearly that, even in retrospect, it was the right decision. Bremby also explains how integration of health and environmental policy makes sense at the state level. Notably, Bremby paints a picture of leadership that recognizes and relies upon the expertise and experience of public servants who serve under appointed officials.
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