NJ Department of Environmental Protection

To commemorate AAPI Heritage Month (Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month), DEP colleagues gathered on May 23 to observe the agency’s yearly celebration.  The keynote address was delivered by Sundeep Iyer, Director of the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, who shared his thoughts on what being a part of the AAPI community means to him and how it has shaped his career path. He later took questions from the audience of DEP colleagues, who asked about enforcement strategies, discrimination and public accountability. To complete the celebration, attendees also enjoyed a sampling of AAPI dishes! The event was organized by DEP’s Association for the Advancement of Asian Americans (4A) employee resource group and the DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) team.  #aapi #aapiheritagemonth  

Neurodiversity – the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways – was the subject of a virtual presentation for DEP staffers as the Department debuts it Neurodiversity employee resource group. The event explored the concept of neurodiversity and, as importantly, why it matters for our agency. DEP colleagues Lisa Congiu and Peter Revilla, who took part in the presentation, will co-chair the new ERG. They were joined by Rowan University’s Chiara Latimer and Serena Powell; Latimer is co-director of the Center for Neurodiversity and Coordinator of the Autism PATH Program at Rowan, while Powell, an Electronic Resources Specialist at Rowan University Libraries, founded and facilitates Rowan’s Neurodivergent Employee Resource Community. The mission of the Neurodiversity ERG is to expand inclusion to neurodivergent individuals and neurotypical allies, accelerate awareness through education, create a community that amplifies neurodivergent voices, and to be open to discussing nontraditional modes of operation, while also honoring privacy when preferred.

Join our Payroll team at DEP! 🌿 Seeking a detail-oriented team player who wants to grow within the payroll space. If you excel in diligent tasks and want to learn about government payroll processes, we want to hear from you! Must-have skills: Microsoft Suite proficiency, especially Excel To learn more about this position: https://lnkd.in/eB-6XyRP

It’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and here, at DEP, we are shining a spotlight on Sundeep Iyer, who will deliver the keynote speech at our upcoming AAPI Heritage Month celebration. Iyer is Director of the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, overseeing the state agency charged with protecting the civil rights of all New Jerseyans. Appointed in January 2023, he has spearheaded the expansion of the Division’s strategic enforcement, with a focus on combating housing discrimination, holding institutions of public trust accountable for violating civil rights laws and protecting students from discrimination in schools.   Prior to joining the state’s Office of the Attorney General, Iyer was a senior associate at Hogan Lovells US LLP. While there, he served as a special attorney for the State of Minnesota in the prosecution of four former police officers charged in connection with the death of George Floyd.  The DEP’s AAPI Heritage Month celebration is being hosted by our 4A (the Association for Advancement of Asian Americans) employee resource group. 

Join us on June 4 for the Mercer County Environmental Justice Community Engagement Session! 🌿🗣️ DEP Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette and EPA Region 2 Deputy Regional Administrator Alyssa Arcaya will be there to discuss residents' environmental justice concerns. Register now at tinyurl.com/mercer-ej. In-person and virtual attendance options are available. Spanish/Haitian Creole interpretation provided. #MercerCountyEJ #CommunityEngagement #EnvironmentalJustice

NJDEP is modernizing land resource protection rules to better support New Jersey communities, residents, and businesses in building their resilience to sea-level rise, extreme weather, chronic flooding, and other impacts of our changing climate.   The rule proposal, known as REAL (because climate change is real!), will make New Jersey the first state in the nation to initiate a comprehensive update of land resource protection regulations to address the current and future impacts of a changing climate.   Join us for a series of webinars to learn more about the proposed rulemaking: Session 1: Sea Level Rise & Inundation Risk Zone: 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday, May 20 Session 2: Environmental Enhancements: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 22 Session 3: Coastal Climate Protection: 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, May 23 Session 4: Stormwater: 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 29 🔗You can find the links to join these webinars here: https://lnkd.in/eztCxi4a

One DEP employee's trash is another DEP employee's treasure 🏆 The Sustainability Action Group for the Environment (SAGE) hosted another one of their Freecycle events this afternoon at DEP headquarters. Employees were asked to bring in any unwanted, gently used items before being invited to browse the entire area. And the best part- everything is free! All leftover items are being donated to a local nonprofit organization. #NJDEP #Freecycle

How we think. How we learn. How we process information. How we channel creativity. How we solve problems. These are tasks that all of us do, but not all in the same way. As DEP works to make the Department ever more inclusive, neurodiversity is one of the topics it is exploring. DEP colleagues and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are launching a Neurodiversity Employee Resource Group to expand inclusion to neurodivergent individuals and neurotypical allies; accelerate awareness through education; create a community that amplifies neurodivergent voices; and be open to discussing nontraditional modes of operation, while also honoring privacy when preferred. On Wednesday, May 15, DEP staffers will be joined by Chiara Latimer and Serena P. (pictured), of Rowan University, for a virtual discussion about diversity in the workplace. Latimer is co-director of the Center for Neurodiversity and coordinator of the Autism PATH Program at Rowan. Chiara served as inaugural co-chair of the Neurodiversity Affinity Group for the Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers. In 2022, she was recognized by ROI-NJ as a Diversity & Inclusion influencer. Powell is an electronic resources specialist at Rowan University Libraries and a graduate of Rowan’s M.A. in Higher Education Administration program. She founded and facilitates Rowan’s Neurodivergent Employee Resource Group.

NJDEP is modernizing land resource protection rules to better support New Jersey communities, residents, and businesses in building their resilience to sea-level rise, extreme weather, chronic flooding, and other impacts of our changing climate. Almost two-thirds of New Jersey’s coastline is already at high or very high risk to coastal erosion and 98% of the coastline is projected at medium or very high risk to sea level rise. Over half a million acres of New Jersey land are highly vulnerable to coastal hazards. REAL is part of the New Jersey Protecting Against Climate Threats (NJPACT) initiative directed by Governor Phil Murphy's Executive Order 100 (Jan. 2020). Through amendments to existing land resource protection rules, REAL will bolster our resilience to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. The reform will address sea-level rise, coastal storm surge, flooding, and stormwater management concerns while improving water quality, protecting natural resources, and streamlining permitting processes that will expedite resilient investments in New Jersey's communities and economy. News release at http://bit.ly/3ymH34i

Yesterday, more than 400 state employees who were lauded at the 2024 State Employee Recognition Day award ceremony at the War Memorial in Trenton as part of Public Service Recognition Week. 🎉 Congrats to DEP staff that received an award: ▪ John Dotterweich, Environmental Scientist, Division of Waste & UST Compliance & Enforcement   ▪ Helen Rancan, Division of Water Supply and Geoscience ▪ Jeffrey MacMullen, Division of Health, Safety and Facility Management/Director - Management & Budget program and, ▪ Reinventing HR/Recruitment Strategies Team, Division of Human Resources