DEP Citizens’ Advisory Council Appoints New Executive Director

The Citizens’ Advisory Council to the Department of Environmental Protection announced Monday the appointment of Marjorie Hughes as its executive director.
           Hughes, who most recently served as chief of DEP’s Conservation District Support Division in the Bureau of Waterways and Wetlands, starts her new position today. She succeeds Sue Wilson, who retired in December 2011 after serving as executive director for 19 years.
           “As a former member of the Citizens’ Advisory Council myself, I can say that the council’s service is invaluable,” DEP Secretary Mike Krancer said. “Marge’s vast experience will be a tremendous asset, and I look forward to working with her in this capacity.”
           Hughes has more than 35 years of state and local government experience in environmental and transportation public policy development and program implementation. She has served as DEP’s regulatory coordinator as well as an executive assistant and special assistant to several deputy secretaries and chief of several programs at DEP and the Department of Transportation.
          Hughes is a graduate of Slippery Rock University with a multi-disciplinary bachelor’s degree in physical sciences, planning and conservation. She earned a master’s degree in public management from Carnegie Mellon University.
          The Citizens’ Advisory Council was established by the law that created DEP’s predecessor, the Department of Environmental Resources, in 1971. Its 18 appointed members review the agency’s work and key environmental issues facing the commonwealth, then make recommendations to the DEP secretary, governor and General Assembly. The council’s office is in the Rachel Carson State Office Building in Harrisburg.