Gov. Phil Scott on Wednesday announced two new leadership appointments of state environmental departments.
Jason Batchelder, who most recently served as the commissioner of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, is set to become commissioner of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. Having previously served as colonel of Fish & Wildlife’s warden service, Batchelder replaces interim Commissioner Andrea Shortsleeve.
“I’m truly humbled to be asked to rejoin this group of mission-driven individuals who live their work, day in and day out,” Batchelder said in a Wednesday press release.
Scott selected Misty Sinsigalli to replace Batchelder as commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. She joins the department having previously worked as a disaster recovery lead for the water and environmental programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, according to the release.
“Misty’s experience at the federal level, as well as her lived experience growing up in Vermont, will be important as we balance conservation with the housing we desperately need in the state,” Scott said in the release.
Sinsigalli said in the release that she was grateful to lead the department during a challenging time, noting uncertainty in both the physical environment and Washington, D.C.
Scott also appointed Sara Teachout to the Green Mountain Care Board, a key health care regulator in the state. Teachout most recently worked as a lobbyist for BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont, a health insurer the care board regulates. Care board members are chosen from a list of candidates submitted by the board’s nominating committee.
Teachout told VTDigger on Thursday that she had resigned from BlueCross and would not participate in this year’s health insurance rate review process. She has almost 20 years of experience in health care policy and fiscal analysis, according to the release.
