MPCA Commissioner's Office

The MPCA commissioner directs the day-to-day work of the agency's staff.

Paul Aasen, Commissioner

Paul Aasen was appointed commissioner of the MPCA by Gov. Mark Dayton in 2011. Prior to this, he had been with the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, serving as its advocacy director since 2007.

He has also held positions as the Executive Vice President at Global Volunteers, Director of Government Relations and Policy in Gov. Jesse Ventura’s office, Department of Public Safety Assistant Commissioner, Division of Emergency Management Director, Minnesota Emergency Response Commission Executive Director, and was an environmental scientist at the Metropolitan Waste Control Commission.

Paul has a Masters in Environmental Health from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

John Linc Stine, Deputy Commissioner

John Linc Stine joined the MPCA in March 2011 as Deputy Commissioner. In this role, he will serve as overall agency manager, as well as lead MPCA reform efforts including permit streamlining, chemical regulatory reform and assisting with water policy and governance. 

Prior to joining the MPCA, John served as Assistant Commissioner at the Minnesota Department of Health where he was responsible for overseeing the department’s public health emergency preparedness, environmental health, infectious disease prevention/control and the public health laboratory functions. 

John also worked for 25 years with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as a hydrologist and administrator specializing in shoreland, flood plain, and wild and scenic river programs, water resource management and regulation. John also served as Assistant Director of the Trails and Waterways division.

John received a Bachelor of Science degree in soil and water resource management from the University of Minnesota. He is married with two adult sons.

Rebecca Flood, Assistant Commissioner

Rebecca Flood joined the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in October 2008 as the Assistant Commissioner for water policy matters. In this role, she oversees the agency's programs and activities to maintain and improve the quality of Minnesota’s lakes, rivers and streams.

Prior to joining the MPCA, Rebecca was employed by the Metropolitan Council for 30 years in a variety of clean water programs, most recently serving as the Environmental Compliance Manager for the Council’s eight municipal wastewater treatment facilities in the seven-county St. Paul/Minneapolis metropolitan area. In this role, she also represented the Council on a wide variety of statewide water policy committees, and led the development of both the Council’s phosphorus and mercury reduction strategies.

Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Michigan State University.

David Thornton, Assistant Commissioner

Assistant Commissioner David Thornton is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the agency's air policies to improve and maintain air quality in Minnesota.

David joined the MPCA staff in 1980 as the Acid Rain Coordinator. After that, he managed air quality monitoring, data analysis and air policy activities for many years. Most recently he has been involved with implementing federal regional haze regulations, and developing policies to help reduce air emissions, particularly mercury emissions from power plants.

Originally from Texas, David is a graduate of Texas Christian University with a degree in chemistry and attended graduate school at the University of Minnesota where he studied atmospheric chemistry and environmental science.

Michelle Beeman, Assistant Commissioner

Michelle Beeman joined the MPCA in March 2011 as the Assistant Commissioner for Enforcement and Legal Policy. In this role, she brings a strategic focus to the agency’s legal and regulatory affairs. 

Before joining the MPCA, Michelle was the Environment and Natural Resources Director for Dakota County since 2007. In that role she oversaw departments that handled watershed management, groundwater and surface water protection, contaminated lands and brownfields, recycling, waste management and hazardous waste regulation, parks, trails, and land conservation. Prior to that, Michelle was the Conservation Strategies Director for The Nature Conservancy in its Canada program, working with partners on large-scale forest protection projects across Canada. 

Michelle has also worked in state government as the Legislative Policy Director for the Department of Natural Resources, and as an Assistant Attorney General representing the DNR and MPCA in environmental matters. Michelle was appointed as a member of the MPCA’s Citizens’ Board from 2003-2007.

Michelle is originally from New York, received her B.A. in History from Princeton University, and both her M.S. in Environmental Studies/Land Resource Management and J.D. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.