APCD Director Retires-New Director Appointed

SANTA BARBARA, CA — The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) announced today the retirement of Director Doug Allard, and the appointment of new Director Terry Dressler, approved by the APCD Board on March 18. Allard’s retirement is effective March 26.

Dressler is currently APCD Major Source Division Manager. He has extensive experience in the air pollution field, including nine years working for the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District and San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District prior to joining APCD in 1987. He was appointed a Division Manager at APCD in 1990, and has managed the air monitoring, information technology, modeling, compliance, rule development, and major source permitting programs at various times at APCD as a Division Manager (see attached biography).

Allard joined the APCD in 1987, and has been Director, also known as Air Pollution Control Officer, since 1993. Santa Barbara County recently achieved a major clean-air milestone: attainment of the federal one-hour ozone standard, the goal of more then three decades working for clean air. However, county air continues to violate the state ozone standard, and is only barely in attainment of the newer federal eight-hour ozone standard. Remarked Allard, “I’m leaving APCD in good hands, with the appointment of Terry Dressler — and I’m looking forward to the pleasures of retirement.”

Said Dressler: “I look forward to continuing our commitment to clean air working closely with our community partners.”

New APCD Director Terry Dressler

Terry Dressler was born in Spokane, Washington in 1954. The son of an Air Force officer, he grew up in the West Coast and Midwestern United States, Europe, Asia, and Hawaii. His father retired to Ventura, California, and Terry graduated from Ventura High School.

He attended the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 1977. He began his air pollution control career as an inspector at the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District in 1978. He also worked for eight years at the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District.

He has worked at the Santa Barbara County APCD since 1987, and was a division manager between 1990 and his appointment as the Director, or Air Pollution Control Officer. At various times during his tenure as a division manager, he managed the air monitoring, information technology, modeling, compliance, rule development, and major source permitting programs at the district.

Terry’s hobbies include hiking, swimming, listening to classical music, and reading philosophy, politics, history, and literature. He is married (Janis), has two daughters (Melanie & Terra), and lives in Goleta.

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