HeplerBroom is pleased to announce that Alec Messina, immediate past Director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, has joined the firm as a partner in its Springfield office.

Messina will focus on HeplerBroom’s Government Affairs Practice Group in which he will assist and counsel clients on their interactions with local, state, and federal government by drawing on his extensive experience to craft innovative solutions to their problems and the issues that are important to them.

Messina has 20 years of experience in environmental law, policy development and implementation, and legislative advocacy. He has worked closely with corporate senior executives, law firms, consultants, lobbyists, government affairs staff, and business development organizations to secure the necessary environmental permits and other authorizations for companies expanding in or relocating to Illinois. He also has vast experience testifying before the Illinois General Assembly on the impacts of environmental legislation and policy matters.

“We’re excited to have Alec join us,” said Katherine D. Hodge, a partner in the firm’s Springfield office and head of HeplerBroom’s Environmental Practice Group. “Alec is highly skilled in building collaborative relationships in both the regulatory and legislative arenas and has been instrumental in bringing about significant environmental and energy reforms. He has also successfully developed business coalitions to advocate for policy and legislative action.”

Messina is licensed to practice law in Illinois. He is a 1998 graduate of Southern Illinois University School of Law and also holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

Prior to his appointment and unanimous confirmation as Director of the Illinois EPA, Messina served as Policy Adviser for Environment and Energy in the Office of the Governor, where he oversaw policy development and implementation for six state agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture, Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Commerce Commission, Illinois Pollution Control Board, and Illinois Power Agency.

Before joining the Governor’s Office, Messina worked as Executive Director of the Illinois Environmental Regulatory Group, a company-based association with the primary mission of influencing the development of policy, regulatory, and legislative environmental matters in Illinois. In this role, he worked closely with plant managers, environmental professionals, and government affairs staff for company-members of the association, as well as companies affiliated with the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, the Illinois Manufacturers Association, the Chemical Industry Council of Illinois, the Illinois Petroleum Council, the Illinois Energy Association, the National Waste and Recycling Association, and numerous other groups. He previously served as Chief Legal Counsel for the Illinois EPA and the Office of the State Fire Marshal, and has held various other positions inside and outside of state government.