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Hugh McDiarmid Jr.
Communications Manager
Hugh McDiarmid Jr. is communications manager for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), overseeing the Office of Public Information, including media relations and both internal and external communications.
EGLE's communications team strives to provide timely, factual, and easy-to-understand information to the public, journalists, and stakeholders to promote full transparency and build trust in and support for the agency's mission of protecting the environment and public health. The team works closely with EGLE's executive staff, divisions, offices, and Environmental Support Division. It also serves as the communications liaison with other state, federal, and local agencies as well as nongovernmental organizations invested in EGLE's mission.
Hugh spent 22 years as a Michigan journalist before moving to serve in numerous roles communicating environmental policy. He has served as the environmental reporter for the Detroit Free Press, public affairs officer with the International Joint Commission, and communications director with the Michigan Environmental Council. Just before joining EGLE in 2019, Hugh was a communications officer with The Kresge Foundation, embedded with Kresge's Environment Program with a focus on building climate resilience in urban Environmental Justice communities.
He is a graduate of Albion College with a degree in English and a concentration in philosophy, and he completed an Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources Great Lakes Fellowship.
Spending as much time as possible at his family's northern Michigan cottage and exploring the state's woods and waterways is Hugh's passion. He lives in Farmington with his wife, Karen, and has two adult children and a grandson who live nearby.