The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Chief Executive Dr Allan Freeth is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Fernando Torres-Vélez as the new General Manager, Hazardous Substances and New Organisms.

“I welcome the appointment to this position at a time when we continue to drive improvements to our hazardous substances assessment and I’m looking forward to Dr Torres-Vélez’s leadership of this important area of our EPA work.

“Dr Torres-Vélez has extensive experience and comes to the EPA with a long and distinguished career in infectious disease research and the management of scientific programmes.”

He is currently the director of the Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology at the USA National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Dr Fernando Torres-Vélez, new General Manager, Hazardous Substances and New Organisms

In this role, he provides executive oversight of diagnostics, medical countermeasures research, and emergency response to the most lethal viruses, bacteria, and prion diseases known.

Before joining the CDC, he led the World Health Organization (WHO) Guinea Worm eradication research agenda at The Carter Center. This roadmap accelerated research to stop Guinea worm transmission in humans and animals in sub-Saharan Africa.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in zoology from Colorado State University, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Tuskegee University, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Pathology from the University of Georgia, where he also completed his residency training in veterinary anatomic pathology.

Dr Torres-Vélez joins the EPA in February 2026 after Dr Chris Hill stepped down from the role in

For more information contact:

Email: media@epa.govt.nz

https://www.epa.govt.nz/

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.