LINCOLN, NE – On September 26, 2024, Governor Jim Pillen announced the appointment of Kara Valentine as interim director for the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE). She will start Monday, Sept. 30.

Valentine has been a deputy director at NDEE for the past eight years, where she oversees two divisions: Inspection/Compliance and Planning and Aid. She previously worked as an environmental attorney with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, as well as general counsel for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Valentine is a graduate of Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and has a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

Valentine replaces acting Interim Director Than Fineran, who was recently promoted to the rank of brigadier general in the U.S. Army and is leaving Nebraska for an out-of-state post.