County's Former Environmental Protection Head Dies In Car Crash

ROCKVILLE, MD — Lisa Feldt, a former EPA administrator who once led Montgomery County's environmental protection department, died Thursday in a car crash in Anne Arundel County. She was 60.

"It is with sadness that I acknowledge the loss of a longtime environmental leader in the fight against climate change, former Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Director Lisa Feldt who died on Sept. 17 in a traffic accident," Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said in a statement.

Feldt's career in the environmental field spanned more than 30 years and included several stints at the EPA before she came to Montgomery County to serve as DEP director in 2015.

"She was a natural choice for the job; and, as I worked with her, I got to know her and appreciate her deep understanding of the need for environmental protection," Elrich said. "I enjoyed working with her, and I knew that she was driven by deep-seated values that were apparent in her leadership."

At the DEP, Feldt oversaw nearly 200 employees who were responsible for initiatives that supported water and air quality, green business development, noise ordinance, and oversight of industrial operations, according to her LinkedIn profile.

She left the DEP in 2017 and served as Vice President of Environmental Protection & Restoration at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, a large nonprofit based in Annapolis.

"Lisa was deeply committed to the environment and the Bay. She will be missed. We are keeping her and her family in our thoughts during this difficult time," the foundation tweeted.

According to Anne Arundel County officials, Feldt was killed Thursday morning in West River after her car was struck by a Jeep Grand Cherokee. A preliminary investigation found that the driver of the Jeep Grand Cherokee failed to obey a steady red traffic signal at the intersection.