Heather McTeer Toney

In 2004, Toney became the first woman, first African American, and youngest person to serve as mayor of Greenville[8] defeating Democratic incumbent mayor Paul Artman Jr. in the primary[9] and then independent DeWitt "Buddy" Tucker with 4,393 votes compared to 393 for Tucker in the December 8, 2003 general election.[10] Located in the Mississippi Delta, the poverty rate of Greenville is almost three times the national average.[11] During her tenure as mayor, she was credited with helping the city resolve its debt crisis.[12] Toney is a past president of the National Conference of Black Mayors.[1] As mayor, she prioritized environmental issues, specifically with regards to protecting the local water supply.[13] She did not seek reelection in the December 2011 election instead deciding to run for Mississippi's 2nd District congressional seat in the November 2012 election.[14] She was succeeded by Chuck Jordan who defeated Carl McGee.[14]

She was defeated by Bennie Thompson in the March 2012 Democratic primary for Mississippi's 2nd congressional district seat.[15]

In 2009, Toney was nominated by then-EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson to serve as chairwoman of the EPA's Local Government Advisory Committee.[16] Jackson was impressed by Toney's work combatting water pollution in Greenville.[17] In 2014, Toney was nominated by President Obama to serve as Regional EPA Administrator for Region 4,[18] consisting of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and six tribal nations. Region 4 has been referred to as a "historically troubled" region plagued by "energy apartheid,"[19] and the promotion of former Regional Administrator Gwen Keyes Fleming to the position of EPA Chief of Staff led to the position being vacant for a time prior to Toney's appointment.[20]

Toney has been mentioned as a potential future administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.[21][22][23]

Since leaving the EPA in 2017, Toney has involved herself in environmental justice organizing.[24] Toney is the national field director for Moms Clean Air Force,[25][12] which focuses on combatting air pollution. In 2019, Toney authored an op-ed for The New York Times where she argued that the need to combat climate change and protect the environment is a racial justice issue.[26] Toney has criticized the mainstream environmental movement for ignoring the concerns of communities of color.[27]