An environmental attorney, with experience working for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, has been named as the new director of the Penn State Agriculture and Environment Center, in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

Matthew Royer, of Mount Gretna, who has served as the center's strategic initiatives director for the Lower Susquehanna Basin for the past three years, took the director's reins April 1 from Kristen Sacke Blunk, who is now working in support of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Chesapeake Bay Stewardship program.

Most recently, Royer has served as point man for the center's Conewago Creek Conservation Initiative, an integrated watershed approach to restoring waters to an unimpaired status through collaborative partnerships. He has been working with diverse partners across all landscapes -- agricultural, urban, commercial and municipal -- to develop and implement innovative approaches to reducing pollutant loads.

A former staff attorney with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Pennsylvania office, Royer has also worked as a staff attorney for the Department of Environmental Protection and for a private law firm. He holds a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College and a law degree from Duke University School of Law.

Created in 2008, the Agriculture and Environment Center is an initiative of the College of Agricultural Sciences' Environment and Natural Resources Institute and Penn State Extension. Its goal is to connect science, policy and partnerships to solve problems and resolve issues to improve the balance of agriculture with the environment.

"I am honored to be named director of the Agriculture and Environment Center and excited to take on this new role," Royer said. "I look forward to building upon the successes the center has enjoyed to date and growing its breadth and reach in research, extension and education in the arena of agriculture and the environment."

Royer was clearly the right person for the director's position, according to Jim Shortle, Distinguished Professor of Agricultural and Environmental Economics and director of the Environment and Natural Resources Institute.

"Matt is a leader in building partnerships that engage science and education to help Pennsylvanians solve environmental problems in agriculture," Shortle said. "He will be a tremendous asset to the College of Agricultural Sciences, Penn State and to citizens of Pennsylvania in this new role."

To learn more, visit the Penn State Agriculture and Environment Center webpage.

4/8/2013