Meet EH&S Executive Director Alicia Bihler

November 19, 2025

Alicia Bihler stepped into the role of Executive Director of EH&S on July 1, 2025. Since 2023, she has led the department as Acting Director, guiding EH&S through a period of sustained focus on campus safety, regulatory compliance, and emergency preparedness.

Alicia brings more than 15 years of experience in environmental and sustainability services, including over nine years with UC Berkeley EH&S. Her leadership at Berkeley includes managing environmental programs, overseeing remediation and restoration projects at the Richmond Field Station, and spearheading development of the 2017 EH&S strategic plan.

We asked her about her origin story, her priorities as executive director, and what gets her fired up to come to work in the morning.

Tell us about your background.

I came to this position with a science background. I got my degree in integrative biology from Berkeley, taught some high school science, volunteered at research nonprofits, and then headed to Duke for my master's in environmental management.

I started my environmental career in private consulting, primarily working on large federal projects across the country and occasionally overseas. While I really enjoyed the travel and working with a variety of teams and experts, eventually I was ready for a change. I wanted something closer to home, and something that allowed more time for my personal interests, like hiking and climbing, and volunteer work. So I found my way back to UC Berkeley. Growing up in the Bay Area and being a Berkeley grad made coming back to campus as a staff member really special.

My own path in EH&S was a bit circuitous. I started out as a project manager in the administrative team, but eventually I landed back in my comfort zone and took over the Richmond Field Station work, implementing that remediation and restoration program. From there, I became the team manager, then moved into various acting and interim roles, and finally secured the executive director role. Beyond my professional life, you can often find me out exploring the Sierras, reading a book, or relaxing at home with my family and two cats.

Alicia Bihler

What are your top priorities as Executive Director?

I have several, both internal and external.

Internally, the focus is on filling vacancies, and completing our strategic plan. Lately, filling vacancies, across all levels of the organization, has been top of mind. The downstream impact of a position remaining vacant for too long is significant. It can take a long time to return back to baseline once a position is filled. So this is a priority right now.

So is completing the strategic plan. We haven't had an update in eight years, so completing the new plan will help clarify some priorities. It will also provide a road map for engaging more strategically with our partners on campus, and also engaging more informally, building community and strengthening partnerships in support of shared goals.

It's important to support our amazing team in all the work they do to strengthen our campus's safety culture and compliance. And we cannot move the needle here without the staff and campus partnerships mentioned above.

Externally, The MAQ (maximum allowable quantities) project is an additional priority. This project comes with a presidential directive impacting practically every space on campus, it will entail millions of dollars of investment, and the 2030 deadline puts us on a short timeline.

What do you see as the program's greatest strengths?

This is very easy to answer: the people. The people that we hire are all incredible. They're smart, they're capable, they're responsive, they're collaborative, and they're experts in their field. When we do check-ins with people, they frequently say their peers are what they like best about their work. It's also what I like best about my work, and I think it's our greatest strength.

Which aspects of EH&S's mission are you most passionate about?

Coming up through the environmental arm of EH&S, I have to say that's my bread and butter. It's where I came from. But I also love learning new things and growing in new areas. And I'm supported by the most amazing set of managers, and staff who are all experts in their own right. So it's a privilege to support them in a way that respects their role and authority, to help get barriers out of their way, to elevate their message and advocate appropriately.

What gets you fired up to come to work in the morning?

It is a mix of the big and the small. On any given day there can be a very specific issue that rises to the top. Just because the scope and timeline are small doesn't necessarily mean the impact is small, and solving them requires detail and attention. Simultaneously, we have in the background these large multi-year projects, and seeing those get resolved after extended work is also very inspiring and encouraging. We have two large ones right now. I already mentioned the MAQ project. The other is implementing the final phase of the Richmond Field Station remediation work, which is approaching 30 years in length. It would be amazing if that was wrapped up during my tenure.

Anything else you would like to add?

I do want to meet people. If you see me, feel free to say hi and talk with me. I'm out there. I want to hear what you have to say.