Two Minutes with David Paylor, President of the Environmental Research Institute of the States and Director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
How long have you been the Director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality? What’s your best experience thus far?
Since January 2006. Negotiating 50% reductions in groundwater withdrawal from major users of the coastal aquifer.
How has being a member of ECOS benefitted you?
Networking. Knowing our counterparts gives us ideas and pooled resources to solve problems, as well as a more effective interface with EPA.
What is the best management advice you’ve received?
Collaborate or Die.
Tell us about your morning ritual.
To the extent that there’s anything that resembles ritual in this job, I ride the LifeCycle for 30 minutes to rebalance a few things before all that changes.
What was your childhood dream job?
Zookeeper – for some reason I wanted to keep all the animals nobody had heard of.
What’s your favorite moment of your career so far?
Electrofishing on the South Fork Shenandoah.
What leader do you most admire?
Jimmy Carter – he continually pursued his convictions (oh, and Mike Krzyzewski).
What was your first real job?
Paperboy – I delivered the morning paper. Still hate alarm clocks.
What can you not live without?
Trees, mountains, and flowing water.
If Hollywood made a movie of your life, who would you like to see play the lead role as you?
Johnny Weissmuller.
