Shawn M. Garvin, Delaware DNREC Secretary

Shawn M. Garvin joined Delaware Gov. John Carney’s cabinet in March 2017 as Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, leading the agency tasked with protecting and managing Delaware’s natural resources, protecting public health, providing outdoor recreational opportunities and educating Delawareans about the environment. Secretary Garvin’s career in intergovernmental affairs spans more than 25 years at the federal, state, and local levels. In November 2009, he was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as Administrator of Region 3 for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), overseeing the agency’s work in the Mid-Atlantic, which includes Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia. Before he was named regional administrator, Secretary Garvin served as the senior state and congressional liaison for EPA Region 3, providing counsel to agency leadership on complex public health and environmental matters. Prior to his service with the EPA, he served as an aide to then-U.S. Senator Joe Biden, and also was executive assistant to former New Castle County Executive Dennis Greenhouse. Secretary Garvin is a Delaware native and graduate of the University of Delaware.

Shawn M. LaTourette, Secretary of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

Appointed by Governor Philip D. Murphy, Shawn M. LaTourette became New Jersey’s Commissioner of Environmental Protection on June 14, 2021. He had served as Acting Commissioner since January 16, 2021. Commissioner LaTourette is responsible for formulating statewide environmental policy while directing programs that protect public health and ensure the quality of New Jersey’s air, land, water, and natural and historic resources.

A lawyer and policymaker with more than 20 years of experience in environmental protection, Commissioner LaTourette began his career defending victims of toxic exposure, including organizing and advocating for the needs of vulnerable New Jersey communities whose drinking water was contaminated by petrochemicals. Throughout a career shaping environmental law and policy, he has served in executive roles and as a trusted adviser to governments, community and non-profit organizations, and leaders in industry and infrastructure, while also litigating high-stakes lawsuits involving environmental, energy and public health concerns.

Commissioner LaTourette first joined the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) as the chief legal and regulatory policy adviser to then-Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe in 2018. He was elevated to DEP Chief of Staff in 2019 and to Deputy Commissioner in 2020. Since 2019, he has been responsible for running DEP’s operations while formulating policy and regulatory reforms to advance Governor Murphy’s environmental, climate change and clean energy priorities. Commissioner LaTourette has developed and led initiatives that prioritize environmental justice while facilitating greenhouse gas emissions reductions, climate change resilience and adaptation, renewable energy deployment, water infrastructure enhancement, brownfields redevelopment, community renewal, and natural resource conservation and restoration.

Guided by a deep commitment to equity and a professional philosophy that uniting economic development and environmental improvement promotes the public good, Commissioner LaTourette has been regarded as a consensus builder adept at achieving balance among competing priorities. His diverse background — in protecting vulnerable communities, facilitating the development of infrastructure and public works, managing business risk, promoting conservationist policies and advocating for equity — has made him a leading force in policy, program and project development, especially those at the complex juncture of economic development, energy and environmental protection.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Commissioner LaTourette graduated magna cum laude from Rutgers University and earned his law degree summa cum laude from Rutgers Law School, where he was the class salutatorian and the recipient of multiple environmental and governance awards, and published scholarship on environmental law, natural resource damage and climate issues.

Rohit T. Aggarwala, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection

Rohit T. “Rit” Aggarwala is a widely recognized expert on urban sustainability, technology, and mobility. He led the creation of the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability under Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, founded the environmental grantmaking program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, and served as president of the Board of Directors of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. He was part of the founding team at Sidewalk Labs—Google’s urban technology startup—and more recently was a senior urban tech fellow at the Jacobs Cornell-Technion Institute. He has provided advice and assistance to a number of foundations and impact investment funds and chaired the Regional Plan Association’s Fourth Regional Plan for the New York region. Aggarwala holds a PhD, MBA, and BA from Columbia University and an MA from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

Adam Ortiz, Regional Administrator, USEPA Region 3

Adam Ortiz serves as EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator where he oversees federal environmental and public health protections in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, the District of Columbia, and seven federally recognized tribes. Working with state partners and local stakeholders, Adam is focused on infrastructure, enforcement, climate change, environmental justice, and restoring the Chesapeake Bay.

Before coming to EPA, Adam was the Director of the Montgomery County, Maryland Department of Environmental Protection, where he launched programs boosting recycling, curbside compost collection, building energy efficiency standards, and watershed restoration projects with a focus on equity.

Previously, Adam was the Director of the Department of Environment for Prince George’s County, Maryland, where he led the county to the highest recycling rate in the state and led a $100M public-private green infrastructure construction program focusing on small and minority business development. He also oversaw the construction and operation of the region’s largest organics composting facility. Before that he served in the Maryland Lt. Governor’s Office and at the state’s Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

As Mayor of the Town of Edmonston, Maryland for three terms, Adam ended years of chronic flooding through water infrastructure improvements, spearheaded the east coast’s first “Complete Green Street” that successfully captures and filters stormwater runoff, enables bike and pedestrian access, and has improved the quality of life of the town’s diverse residents. In his spare time he enjoys getting outside to paddle and hike throughout the mid-Atlantic region. He grew up in New York’s Hudson Valley and graduated from Goucher College in Maryland.