Biden Administration Appoints Alexis K. Segal as Permitting Council Director of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs

WASHINGTON (December 6, 2023) — The Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) is pleased to announce the appointment of Alexis K. Segal as the agency’s new Director of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs. Segal most recently served as a senior policy advisor for environment and natural resources for U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein. 

“It is a privilege and an honor to take on this vital role at the Permitting Council,” says Segal. “I am excited to use my background in environmental policy and my years of experience on Capitol Hill to improve the federal permitting process, bringing efficiency and accountability to the forefront in order to realize transformational infrastructure across the nation.” 

As the Director of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, Segal will work closely with members of Congress and leaders at the federal, state and local levels in order to make the federal permitting process better coordinated and more collaborative and to achieve the Biden-Harris administration’s ambitious infrastructure goals. Prior to taking on this role Segal served for seven years as a senior policy advisor on Capitol Hill, working on a variety of issues including environmental infrastructure, climate and energy. In 2023 she served as the lead on efforts to secure $442 million to implement U.S. Army Corps of Engineers infrastructure projects in California. 

“One of the most important building blocks for a new agency is securing legislative and intergovernmental affairs expertise,” says Eric Beightel, Executive Director of the Permitting Council. “With Alexis on board I know that our team now has strong capabilities to build and strengthen our relationships on the Hill and with governors and mayors across the country.  Alexis will serve as our primary communications conduit to the authorizers and appropriators of our agency, members with an interest in permitting excellence and with elected officials who are key constituents for the projects covered under FAST-41.” 

Prior to her work on Capitol Hill, Segal worked for the White House Council on Environmental Quality as the Deputy Associate Director for Ecosystems. Her portfolio included various areas of expertise, including management of the administration’s conservation, restoration, and climate resiliency and preparedness initiatives. Segal’s experience also includes serving as the Founder and Executive Director of Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper, Inc. and several years working as an attorney in private practice.

A graduate of the University of Florida Levin College of Law (Master’s Degree in environmental and land use law), Emory University School of Law (Juris Doctor) and Georgetown University (Bachelor of Science in spanish and women’s studies), Alexis Segal began her tenure at the Permitting Council on December 4, 2023. Learn more about the Permitting Council here.