The DEP Citizens Advisory Council Tuesday announced the appointment of Lee Ann Murray as its new Executive Director starting May 1.  She succeeds Katie Hetherington Cunfer who has served as temporary Executive Director since October of 2015.

Since 2010, Lee Ann has served as the Assistant Director and Staff Attorney for the Pennsylvania Office of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation helping to set office priorities and serving as an advocate for Bay policies with the General Assembly, state agencies and other groups.

She has also served as Legal Counsel to the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and in the Office of Chief Counsel for the Majority Leader and the Democratic Caucus in the House.

Lee Ann was Assistant Counsel in the Department of Environmental Protection’s  Southcentral Regional Office for five years and as a private attorney in the firm of McNees, Wallace & Nurick in Harrisburg.

She also served as Project Coordinator for the PA Wildlife Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs Important Mammal Area Project.

Lee Ann received her law degree from The Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle and has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.

The Executive Director coordinates functions on behalf of the 18-member Citizens Advisory Council, including conducting research and investigations related to environmental protection, conservation and resource management issues, as well as issuing recommendations involving policies, procedures, plans, and goals for protecting the environment and natural resources of the Commonwealth.

Act 7 signed into law in February of 2016 gives the Council independent authority to hire its own Executive Director.

For more information, visit the DEP Citizens Advisory Council webpage.

[Posted: April 20, 2017]

4/24/2017