After more than 25 years of service to the university, Larry Parsons has been appointed director of UCSB’s Environmental Health and Safety Dept.

EHS creates and implements emergency response and management plans in the event of natural disasters or accidents on campus. The department is also responsible for ensuring that the university follows all federal and state laws regarding occupational safety and health.

“Larry Parsons brings impressive credentials and on-the-job-experience to this position,” Chancellor Henry Yang said. “He has been part of our Environmental Health and Safety staff since 1977, serving as manager of occupational and construction safety, campus emergency planner, and, since April 2001, acting director of Environmental Health and Safety.

Yang said that Parsons served in the Air Force as a control and munitions safety officer and as an air division safety officer before joining UCSB.

Parsons holds a B.S. in industrial management from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s from the California Institute of the Arts. He replaces former director David Coon, who retired in April 2001 after 30 years of “distinguished service and leadership,” Yang said.

Parsons has been involved in developing emergency preparedness and safety programs in addition to forming partnerships with a variety of government and community agencies. Yang said Parsons successfully extended a cooperative agreement between the Community Environmental Council and UCSB to provide hazardous waste disposal services to the community.

According to the CEC website, the Hazardous Waste Collection Center, housed at UCSB, was established by the unique public/private partnership between the university, CEC and Santa Barbara County in 1993.

The drop-off collection center was established to keep toxic materials such as paint, paint thinner, automotive fluids, pesticides, aerosol cans, cleaners and batteries from being illegally dumped or deposited in the Santa Barbara County Tajiguas Landfill. The center receives 650,000 pounds of hazardous waste from households and small businesses each year.

“Parsons is a dedicated and respected member of our campus community,” Yang said. “We look forward to his continued leadership of EHS.”