Commissioner Potosnak highlighted the progress toward greater efficiency the department has made through Operation FAST (Facilitated Approvals for Sustainable Transformation), including faster, more efficient reviews of clean energy projects that will help build energy infrastructure and deliver ratepayer relief.

He also noted steps the agency has taken to streamline permitting and review processes, including work to significantly reduce a backlog in the issuing of Letters of Interpretation for wetlands rules determinations and efforts to work with local communities and stakeholders to balance efficiency within the framework of the REAL rules.

Commissioner Potosnak, who has served as Acting Commissioner since January, will have the support of an experienced leadership team that includes Deputy Commissioner Joseph Seebode, Chief of Staff Henry Gajda, Chief Advisor and Chief Enforcement Officer Kim Cahall, Chief Communications Officer Kelley Heck, and Chief Strategy Officer Kati Angarone.

The senior leadership team:

Deputy Commissioner Joseph Seebode serves as second in command for the DEP and is responsible for advancing the agency’s environmental priorities, with a focus on enhancing department efficiencies and responsiveness. Seebode previously served as the Deputy District Engineer for the New York District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, dedicating more than 35 years to advancing coastal resilience, environmental restoration and sustainable water management. During his career with the Army Corps, he helped guide post-Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts and other major projects, such as the deepening of the Port of New York and New Jersey. Seebode served as a DEP Assistant Commissioner from 2004 to 2006, overseeing contaminated site remediation, brownfields redevelopment, emergency response, and solid and hazardous waste management.

Chief of Staff Henry Gajda is responsible for overseeing and managing day-to-day DEP operations and is charged with guiding the department in advancing the Sherrill Administration’s environmental goals. He previously served as Chief of External Affairs at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, where he oversaw the Divisions of Communication, Legislative Affairs and Ombudsperson, as well as Deputy Chief of Staff. Prior to his state service, Henry acted as Public Policy Director for a climate and clean energy advocacy group, driving environmental legislation and action through strategic advocacy, lobbying and coordinated coalition building.

Chief Advisor and Chief Enforcement Officer Kimberly Cahall serves as Chief Advisor to DEP’s Legal & Regulatory Team. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing legal matters involving the DEP and coordinating legal activities with the state’s Office of Attorney General. She also oversees the offices of Legal Affairs, Administrative Hearings & Dispute Resolution and Transactions & Public Land Administration. Furthermore, she serves as Chief Enforcement Officer, leading the Office of Enforcement Policy. Cahall previously served as Senior Director of the Capital Compliance and Project Risk Office at NJ Transit. She also served as a Deputy Attorney General and was Director of the Superstorm Sandy Compliance Unit within the state Attorney General’s Office.

Chief Communications Officer Kelley Heck leads DEP’s external and internal communications, outreach and public education initiatives. She has more than two decades of experience working with corporate, nonprofit and government leaders, and has also served in other senior communications roles within state government. Her roles have included Press Secretary to Governor Richard Codey, Vice President for Communications at the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, Communications Director at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, and Deputy Communications Director for the Senate Majority Office.

Chief Strategy Officer Kati Angarone is responsible for providing executive-level leadership and guidance for the implementation of priority policies and projects. In addition, she oversees the Division of Science and Research and Office of Environmental and Public Health Analysis. Angarone has more than 25 years of experience in various roles at DEP, from watershed protection and restoration to land use, habitat protection, climate science and water policy. For nearly a decade, her work at the executive level has focused on developing science-based and protective environmental policy that is informed by the communities DEP serves.

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