About the Regional Administrator for EPA's Region 9 Office in San Francisco

Josh F.W. Cook

Josh F.W. Cook began his tenure as Regional Administrator of EPA’s Pacific Southwest on March 17, 2025. Before joining the EPA, Josh was an Advisor to the Tribal Council of the Mooretown Rancheria of Concow Maidu Indians, where he designed a decades-long large-scale forest resiliency initiative through government-to-government agreements with Tribes, National Parks, and multiple U.S. Forests in California and Nevada. Previously, Cook served as Chief of Staff to the Minority Caucus in the California Legislature. His previous environmental service includes appointments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Interior Resource Advisory Councils and tenure as a City Planning Commissioner.

Cook is a Veteran of the California State Guard and an Associate Professor and lecturer at the University of Southern California. He earned an Associate's Degree in Languages from Butte College, a Bachelor’s of Science from Charter Oak State College and a Master’s of Science from Cal State University East Bay. Josh and his wife Robin have been married 32 years and are the parents of five children. They reside in Chico, CA, where they actively engage in their church and community.