Johnny Vermillion joined Spirit Environmental following his retirement from a 28-year career at the TCEQ. During his time at TCEQ, Johnny served in a large number of roles within the Office of Air with the majority of his time spent as a senior technical specialist and as a project/team leader. Johnny’s technical specialist activities consisted of both direct technical support and program support and coordination. Direct technical support involved technical unit reviews and evaluations, supporting permit staff, and various levels of management. His main focus, however, was in program support and coordination, where he helped develop and coordinate permit program approaches, such as flexible permits, qualified facility flexibility (the Senate Bill 1126), voluntary emission reduction permits, and existing facility permits. The bulk of Johnny’s TCEQ career consisted of working on or helping strategize major challenging projects and permitting program issues. Needless to say, Johnny has “touched” nearly every air permitting program and industry in Texas!
Beyond technical support, Johnny was responsible for training and mentoring a new generation of regulators. He has consistently presented at TCEQ events such as the Environmental Trade Fair and the Advanced Air Permitting Seminar. Even when he was simply watching from the audience, he would often get put to work by being asked questions from other audience members. In addition to his internally-focused roles at the TCEQ, Johnny was the main liaison between the TCEQ Office of Air and the EPA. He fulfilled this function for over 14 years and retains strong relationships with the EPA.
Johnny is excited to share the knowledge that he has accumulated over the years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University and he is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas. In his free time, Johnny enjoys camping and exploring with his family.
What is your favorite city to which you’ve traveled?
Colonial Williamsburg
What is your favorite sports team?
Philadelphia Eagles (Don’t judge!)
What is your favorite food?
Beef fajitas or blackened flounder
Why do you like working at Spirit?
Spirit is a dynamic and growing organization that specializes in numerous areas of the environmental sciences and regulatory expertise. I have the ability to share knowledge while learning new things at the same time. That is a powerful combination!
