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Janet McCabe, an environmental policy expert with a distinguished career in public service, law and academia, will rejoin the faculty at Indiana University for a yearlong appointment beginning July 1. McCabe will serve at the IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law, the IU Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the IU Environmental Resilience Institute.

“I am so pleased to be returning to Indiana University,” McCabe said. “The opportunity to work with students, faculty and researchers in the law and public policy schools, and with the amazing staff at the IU Environmental Resilience Institute, brings together so many issues and ideas that I have spent my career working on. It takes both law and public policy to effect change for the benefit of society, especially in the challenging area of climate change, and IU is training the best of the best to make a difference.”

McCabe will serve as a distinguished scholar at IU McKinney.

“Her exemplary career in environmental policy perfectly aligns with environmental sustainability — the cause closest to the heart of the law school’s benefactor, Robert H. McKinney,” Dean Karen E. Bravo said. “We know Janet will be a tremendous resource for our students and for our faculty. And we trust that her work will help to enhance our collaborations with other IU units during her time with us.”

McCabe’s appointment also includes a role at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs in both Indianapolis and Bloomington, where she will serve as a visiting professor. She will also be an executive in residence within the school’s O’Neill Center for Leadership in Public Service. She will lead guest lectures and seminars, offer professional coaching to students and help build relationships with key stakeholders.

“Janet McCabe’s work throughout her career has been a testament to the power of public service, and her passion for protecting both people and the planet is truly inspiring,” said Siân Mooney, dean of the O’Neill School. “We’re thrilled she is returning to IU to share her invaluable experience with our students.”

As senior policy advisor at the Environmental Resilience Institute, McCabe will advance several projects critical for the state, including a relaunch of the Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment, and further build out the institute’s network of municipal partners.

“Janet is a bridge builder who understands how to bring people together to address environmental threats and improve the health and safety of communities,” Environmental Resilience Institute Executive Director Gabe Filippelli said. “As a former Environmental Resilience Institute director, she forged relationships with local governments across the state that led to one of the most innovative community-based climate action models in the country and expanded opportunities for IU students to get a head start on their sustainability careers. The institute is thrilled to welcome Janet back to IU as we expand efforts to assist Hoosier communities with their climate goals.”

As deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from April 2021 to October 2024, McCabe played a key role in shaping the nation’s environmental policies and oversaw all management aspects of the agency and its workforce. She was a professor of practice at IU McKinney and directed the Environmental Resilience Institute from 2017 to 2021.

McCabe began her service at the EPA in 2009 in the Office of Air and Radiation. Before her work at the EPA, McCabe was executive director of Improving Kids’ Environment, an Indianapolis environmental health advocacy organization focused on children’s health. She’s also held various leadership roles in the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s Office of Air Quality.