Metro 4 About Us

Metro 4 Corporate Structure

Metro 4, Inc. is a Tennessee charitable, tax-exempt corporation organized under the United States Code, Title 26, Subtitle A, Chapter 1, Subchapter F, Part 1, Section 501(c)(6). Metro 4 does not engage in for-profit activities nor does it use federal funds to influence legislation. Metro 4 was incorporated March 29, 1996.

Governance

Metro 4 is governed by a five-person Board of Directors consisting of a president, vice president, secretary/treasurer, and two at-large Board members.  Please see the Governance section for more information.

The Board of Directors of Metro 4 consists of annually-elected directors of the southeastern local air pollution control agencies who serve as president, vice president, secretary/treasurer, and two at-large directors.

METRO 4 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The FY 2023 Metro Board of Directors consists of the following officers and directors:

  • President - Minor Barnette; Forsyth County, North Carolina
  • Vice President - Sheila Schneider; Pinellas County, Florida
  • Secretary/Treasurer - Susana Palomino; Miami-Dade County, Florida
  • Director (2nd year) - Jason Howanitz; Jefferson County, Alabama
  • Director (1st year) - Diana Lee; Hillsborough County, Florida

 

History

Metro 4 is a Tennessee corporation incorporated March 29, 1996 with the intent of providing a voice for local air pollution control agencies in the Southeast - EPA's Region 4.  Local agencies in five southeastern states were charter members.  More recently, in the mid-2000s, Orange County, Florida became the 17th member of Metro 4.

Prior to the formation of Metro 4, the locals operated under a less formal organization called the "Metro 4 Association."

In its earliest years, Metro 4 operated with assistance of a training coordinator under a partnership with the University of Florida to administer a training grant for the southeastern agencies. In 2001, Metro 4 determined that it was desirable to establish permanent offices in the Atlanta, Georgia area in collaboration with its sister agency, Southeastern States Air Resource Managers, Inc. (SESARM).  In November of 2001, Metro 4 and SESARM voted to hire a full-time executive director and other necessary staff in the Atlanta area to support the needs of their member agencies. In early 2002, Metro 4/SESARM’s offices were temporarily located in the offices of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s Air Protection Branch. Beginning June 1, 2002, Metro 4/SESARM occupied their first free-standing offices in Forest Park, Georgia.  After more than a decade at that location, Metro 4 and SESARM moved to Stockbridge, Georgia in 2013 where they remained until September 30, 2020 when the existing physical office closed and its contents were liquidated.  On October 1, 2020, the official offices moved to Brandon, Mississippi.  From this point forward, the Boards' intent is for Metro 4/SESARM administrative staff to operate in a decentralized fashion out of residential locations.

Throughout its history, Metro 4's mission has remained constant - to help the staff of local air pollution control agencies to improve their knowledge and effectiveness in management of air quality through advocacy, facilitating communications, scheduling and hosting directors' meetings, program manager workshops, and training courses, conducting technical air quality analyses, and providing other agency support.

Membership

Metro 4 represents seventeen southeastern local (city, county, and metropolitan) air pollution control agencies located in:

  • Huntsville, Alabama
  • Jefferson County, Alabama (Birmingham area)
  • Broward County, Florida (Fort Lauderdale area)
  • Hillsborough County, Florida (Tampa area)
  • Jacksonville, Florida (metro)
  • Miami-Dade County, Florida (metro)
  • Orange County, Florida (Orlando area)
  • Palm Beach County, Florida (West Palm Beach area)
  • Pinellas County, Florida (Clearwater/St. Petersburg area)
  • Louisville, Kentucky (metro)
  • Forsyth County, North Carolina (Winston-Salem area)
  • Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (Charlotte area)
  • Western North Carolina (Asheville area)
  • Chattanooga-Hamilton County, Tennessee
  • Knox County, Tennessee (Knoxville area)
  • Nashville, Tennessee (metro)
  • Shelby County, Tennessee (Memphis area)