Lee M. Thomas was born in 1944. He received a BA in psychology from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee and a M.Ed. from the University of South Carolina. He served two consecutive terms as chairman of the National Criminal Justice Association, and was a councilman on the Ridgeway, South Carolina town council. He also served as Director of the Division of Public Safety Programs for the Governor of South Carolina. From 1981 to 1983, he served as the Executive Deputy Director and the Associate Director for State and Local Programs and Support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). On February 24, 1983, he joined the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as Acting Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response and later Acting Deputy Administrator. On June 7, 1983, he became Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response at EPA. He served as EPA Administrator from February 8, 1985 to January 20, 1989. Following government service, he became the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Law Companies Environmental Group Inc. He was then employed starting in 1993, as the Senior Vice President, Environmental and Government Affairs for the Georgia-Pacific Corporation, and later became President of Building Products and Distribution.
From the description of Thomas, Lee M., 1944- (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration). naId: 10569815
