Aurelia S. Giacometto

Secretary at Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ)

Speaker

Aurelia Skipwith Giacometto was appointed the 14th Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) by Governor Jeff Landry in January 2024. Giacometto began her career in corporate America as a biologist, and after obtaining her legal degree,she became Assistant Corporate Counsel at Alltech. The Secretary’s experience in wildlife, regulatory sciences and environmental protection continued to serve her as she led the non-profit organization International Order of T. Roosevelt.In 2017, Giacomet to entered public service at the Department of the Interior as Deputy AssistantSecretary for U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Parks.

In 2019, she received bi-partisan support by the U.S.Senate and was confirmed as the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She led the nation’s topoutdoor conservation agency of 8500 employees, managing over 850 million acres of land and water,and a $2.9 billion budget to revolutionize operations, improve service, and grant more access for the American people.Secretary Giacometto is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, with roots in rural Mississippi. She earned her Bachelor of Science in biology from Howard University, Master of Science in molecular genetics from Purdue University, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Kentucky College of Law.