New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced four appointments to new and existing leadership positions with DEC’s Executive and Regional teams.

"I am excited to announce key DEC leadership additions and changes that are critical to sustaining the success of New York’s environmental protection policies and programs,” Commissioner Seggos said. “Suzanna Randall and Peter Reuben are bringing extensive experience and skills to two new and critically important agency roles that focus on enhancing resiliency and strengthening relationships with Indigenous Nations. Dereth Glance will continue bringing her energy and passion to a different role leading DEC’s presence in Central New York and the Southern Tier, and Cecilia Walsh will help guide our extensive engagement with the media to inform the public. DEC is strengthening our team to bolster our efforts to meet the unique challenges and opportunities before New York State."

Suzanna Randall was appointed DEC’s first Chief Resiliency Officer. Randall will be responsible for administering the State’s landmark Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022, leading the development and implementation of all major components of the program. Randall most recently served as Deputy Director of Project Delivery for the Office of Resilient Homes and Communities, formerly the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery. Additional experience includes serving as Special Projects and Sustainability Coordinator with the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation, where she led the award-winning Green Innovation Grant Program, and Water Resources Planner at Philadelphia Water Department’s Office of Watersheds.

Peter Reuben was named the first-ever Director of DEC’s Office of Indian Nation Affairs. Reuben has more than a decade of experience with DEC, most recently as the Regional Spills Supervisor in Western New York, as well as more than 15 years working closely with Indian Nations on a wide range of environmental projects and issues. Previously, Reuben served as Brownfield Program Manager for the Seneca Nation of Indians Environmental Protection Department, worked as a consultant to the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force, and Tonawanda, Seneca, and Tuscarora Nations. In 2012, Peter was elected Vice-Chair of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Tribal Waste and Response Assistance Program’s National Steering Committee.

Dereth Glance was named Regional Director in DEC’s Region 7, which covers Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, Oswego, Tioga, and Tompkins counties. Glance most recently served as DEC’s Deputy Commissioner for Environmental Remediation and Materials Management, where she oversaw DEC's divisions of Environmental Remediation, Materials Management, and Mineral Resources. Prior to joining DEC, Glance served as Executive Director of the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency and was appointed by President Obama as U.S. Commissioner at the International Joint Commission. Glance’s experience also includes work with Citizens Campaign for the Environment, New York State's Great Lakes Basin Advisory Council, Clean Water Network, and Onondaga Lake Partnership Outreach Committee, among other roles.

Cecilia Walsh was appointed DEC’s Director of Media Relations. Walsh will oversee DEC’s Press Office to ensure the effective communication of the agency’s actions to statewide and national media outlets and the public. Most recently, Walsh served as Project Coordinator for the Cannabis Education and Employment Development Program with the New York State Department of Labor. Previously, Walsh was Director of Communications with the Albany County District Attorney’s Office for more than a decade where she oversaw all media and public relations for the office and District Attorney.