Myra Reece serves as Interim Director of the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES), overseeing bureaus of Air Quality, Coastal Management, Land and Waste Management, Regional and Laboratory Services, and Water. As Interim Director, Myra works collaboratively with state and federal agencies, local governments, businesses and communities to ensure protection of South Carolina’s natural resources while balancing the state’s economic and environmental interests.  

Myra served in leadership roles with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) for more than 30 years. She was Regional Office Director and Chief of the Bureau of Air Quality prior to becoming DHEC’s Director of Environmental Affairs. 

In the summer of 2022, Myra was named president of the Environmental Council of States (ECOS), the national non-profit, non-partisan association of state and territorial environmental agency leaders. ECOS plays a critical role in facilitating a quality relationship among federal and state agencies across the country. Myra previously served in leadership roles with ECOS as Planning Committee Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, and Vice President. As “past-president” of ECOS, she continues to be a part of important national conversations about successes and challenges of protecting human health and the environment.   

Myra received a bachelor's degree in microbiology from Clemson University and a master's degree in public health from the University of South Carolina. She is also a graduate of the Management Academy for Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a graduate of the Southern Center of Excellence in Environmental Health at Emory University and has obtained professional certification as a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager.