Roger Strelow (US’60, C’64), 2023

ROGER STRELOW
EPA founding father

Principia provided Roger with a strong foundation—emphasizing the importance of being guided by Principle and instilling the values essential for providing solutions and helping the world.

A graduate of the Upper School and College, Roger went on to attend Berkeley Law where he graduated in the top 10 of his class.

Certain that law and good policy could improve people’s lives, he became active in the environmental field following law school. While working at the then-U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare with responsibility for air and water pollution issues, Roger got a call from a Principia classmate working on the White House staff with a question: Could he help the President tackle the problem of a worsening environment?

Accepting the challenge, Roger was instrumental in establishing and serving as the Assistant Administrator for Air and Waste Management of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—addressing thorny issues, shaping policy, and drafting federal laws that helped decrease automobile emissions, rid the skies of pollution, and create a safer, healthier population.

In addition to the EPA, Roger’s professional accomplishments include: founding partner of an environmental law firm, vice president for environmental programs at General Electric, executive vice president of Bechtel Environmental, and associate general counsel and director of environmental affairs for Federal Mogul’s global operations.

Principia has always remained close to Roger’s heart. He served as a Principia trustee for 18 years from 1984 to 2000 and has shared his time and talents in other ways as an alum, donor, and volunteer.