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Acting Commissioner Ed Potosnak

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Ed Potosnak was nominated to become Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection by Governor Mikie Sherrill on Jan. 16, 2026. He leads the state’s efforts to protect the environment and public health, while growing the economy.

Supporting the environmental priorities of the Sherrill-Caldwell Administration, the Acting Commissioner is responsible for continuing DEP’s progress to advance New Jersey’s resilience to flooding and extreme weather, addressing toxic chemicals such as PFAS and cleaning up contaminated sites. As part of Governor Sherrill’s Mission to Deliver, the Acting Commissioner is working to streamline the environmental permitting process, so that government is responsive to job creators while safeguarding the state’s air, land, water and natural resources.

Acting Commissioner Potosnak previously served as executive director of the New Jersey LCV, guiding the environmental group for 14 years. During his tenure, he led efforts to constitutionally dedicate Natural Resource Damage settlements into a lockbox for the communities harmed; to establish a permanent, predictable and reliable funding source for open space preservation; and advanced measures to protect public health on issues including PFAS and lead in drinking water, and cleaning up toxic sites.

The Acting Commissioner was co-chair of the New Jersey Keep It Green Coalition and the New Jersey State Lead of the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed. He was a council member in Franklin Township, Somerset County, from 2022 through 2025 and earlier served on his local school board and as its president. The Acting Commissioner also formerly was a member of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Board, a post he was appointed to by former Governor Phil Murphy.

Before his career in environmental policy, the Acting Commissioner taught high school chemistry, during which time he earned the prestigious Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship, which took him to Capitol Hill to help craft national science, energy and education policy. While teaching, he started a successful home improvement company as a licensed contractor to supplement his teaching income.

Most recently, he served as a lecturer at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at his alma mater, Rutgers University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a master’s degree in education.

Born and raised in New Jersey, the Acting Commissioner gained a love for the environment while fishing with his dad, and camping, hiking and swimming with his family and friends.

Ed Potosnak, Acting Commissioner
401 E. State St.
7th Floor, East Wing
P.O. Box 402
Trenton, NJ 08625-0402
phone: (609) 292-2885
fax: (609) 292-7695

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