Niki Lemin
Niki Lemin was appointed Chief of the Office of Environmental Innovation in July 2024. In this role, Niki leads environmental innovation efforts across the agency, as well as public and private sector engagement to advance sustainability and environmental health for all Ohioans.
Niki joined Ohio EPA in 2022 to serve as Chief of the Division of Materials and Waste Management and has over 25 years of experience in environmental public health. Prior to joining the Ohio EPA, Niki served in a variety of state and local positions, most recently as Assistant Health Commissioner/Environmental Health Director at Franklin County Public Health in Columbus, OH.
Niki earned her Master of Science in Environmental, Health and Safety Management from The University of Findlay and Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from Ohio Northern University. She is a Registered Environmental Health Specialist with the State of Ohio and with the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA). Niki currently serves on the NEHA Board of Directors as Region 6 Regional Vice President, representing Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Michigan, as well as co-chair of the International Code Council/NEHA Pandemic Task Force.
Dale Arnold
Dale Arnold is Director of Energy, Utility and Local Government Policy for the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF). For close to four decades he has managed education, outreach and technical assistance projects addressing energy generation, transmission and distribution issues. These efforts include power siting, pipelines and transmission lines, oil & gas exploration, coal and aggregate mining, compact nuclear development, carbon sequestration, wind & solar energy, biomass reactors, utility interconnection, regulations, tariffs and smart grid projects.
Ohio and the nation's energy infrastructure are undergoing the greatest period of transformation since power generation, transmission and distribution projects were first established almost a century ago. Farmers, rural residents and local government officials want to explore how these projects will impact their neighborhoods. He works with utilities, energy service providers, regulators, local governments and community organizations to best determine if and how projects should be considered in rural communities.
With many developers seeking open, rural and suburban areas to accommodate projects, farmers and their neighbors are on the “front lines" of energy development. Regulations govern basic power siting; however, leases, easements and surface agreements often engender greater impact between landowners and service providers. Dale helps community stakeholders access the resources they need to interpret and negotiate on-site legal, environmental, socioeconomic and aesthetic issues in these agreements.
Dale works with Farm Bureau leaders to create effective energy policy on local, state and national levels. He has authored papers advocating a Diversified Energy Portfolio using domestic oil and coal resources, nuclear and renewable technologies. He is a graduate of Ohio Dominican University, where he earned his B.A. Degree in Communications in 1982.
Dale is a native of Knox County, where his family can trace their involvement in Ohio agriculture starting in the 1820's.