Deputy Director

Glenda H. Owens, Deputy Director

Glenda H. Owens is the Deputy Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE). As Deputy Director, Ms. Owens works with the Director to provide executive leadership and direction for the implementation of the requirements of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA).

Under the SMCRA, OSMRE is responsible for working cooperatively with 24 coal-producing states to ensure coal mining and reclamation activities are conducted in an environmentally sound manner that protects citizens and the environment during mining, and to mitigate the effects of past mining through the reclamation of abandoned mines.

Ms. Owens oversees the Bureau's operational activities, ensuring that it meets the requirements established for Federal agencies by the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management, among other things. Ms. Owens also serves as OSMRE's Chief Financial Officer and is responsible for ensuring the Bureau's compliance with the Chief Financial Officers' Act and other financial and business management requirements. Ms. Owens is a member of Interior's Deputies Operating Group, an executive-level body, which focuses on management efficiency and effectiveness of the Department.

Prior to joining OSMRE, Ms. Owens was an Assistant Solicitor in the Interior Department's Solicitor's Office, Division of Mineral Resources. As the Assistant Solicitor for the Division of Mineral Resources, she headed up a legal staff responsible for providing legal services to bureau and departmental officials. She also supervised defensive litigation under SMCRA.

Ms. Owens has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctorate from the Howard University School of Law. She is married and has a daughter.