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Environmental Justice Advisory Council
2026 Membership Application
Application Deadline: April 24, 2026

Description

The purpose of the Environmental Justice Advisory Council (“Council” or “EJAC”) is to advise the NJ Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner on issues involving environmental justice in New Jersey and to coordinate with the Department and the Department’s Office of Environmental Justice in providing advice and guidance on environmental justice to the Executive Branch departments and agencies. The Council shall consist of eighteen members who represent a diverse range of sectors and viewpoints including four representatives of local grassroots or community groups, two representatives of Statewide social justice/civil rights or labor organizations, two representatives of Statewide environmental justice or environmental advocacy organizations, two representatives of faith-based organizations or State or Federally recognized tribal governments or indigenous groups, two county or municipal government or planning professionals, two representatives of academia, two representatives of the public health sector, and two representatives of the business or industry sectors.

Please review the EJAC Membership Solicitation FAQs for more information.

Vacancies

DEP is seeking applications from interested individuals to fill six (6) vacancies terms for 3-year terms through 2029. Vacancies are anticipated to be filled by June 2026. Current council members may reapply when their term expires to be considered for an additional 3-year term.

To maintain the representation outlined by AO No. 2020-02, members will be selected to represent the following stakeholder sectors:

  • Statewide EJ or Environmental Advocacy Organization (2 vacancies)
    • Advocacy organizations that operate to address environmental and/or environmental justice issues statewide.
  • Statewide Social Justice/Civil Rights or Labor(1 vacancy)
    • Organizations whose main initiatives focus on promoting equity, civil, and/or labor rights for historically marginalized groups
  • Local Grassroots or Community Group (1 vacancy)
    • Self-organized associations formed by residents within a specific area, such as a municipality or borough, driven by shared interests or concerns, and operating at the grassroots level to address local issues.
  • County or Municipal Government or Planning (1 vacancy)
    • Employed by a local government authority or is in a profession relating to municipal, county, and/or regional planning that involves the design and regulation of the use of space relating to environmental, economic, transportation, and/or social functions
  • Academia (1 vacancy)
    • Professionals who are affiliated with public or private colleges, universities or research institutions and whose area of focus is related to environment and or environmental justice.

To be considered for a sector, you must have a current connection to said sector. A connection can be a current employment, volunteer position, or other type of active participation. To promote geographic diversity, no more than one EJAC member representing the same municipality may serve within the same sector.

Application Guidelines

Individuals interested in being considered for membership must complete the application below and submit it along with a resume or curriculum vitae (CV), outside employment questionnaire as required by the State Ethics Commission, and one letter of recommendation by the application deadline.

Any person or organization may prepare the letter of recommendation to accompany the candidate’s application.

The DEP values and welcomes diversity; therefore, applications from individuals of all racial, gender, religious, and ethnic groups, and all geographic areas of New Jersey are encouraged.

All candidates will be considered fully, but vacancies will be filled by the specific sector representation sought in this nomination cycle as outlined above.

In addition, DEP is seeking candidates from those sectors with knowledge and experience in one or more of the priority issues listed below:

  • Emerging contaminants
  • Climate change and renewable energy
  • Community sustainability, resiliency, and green jobs
  • Environmental education and communication
  • Evaluation of environmental impacts and public health disparities
  • Green infrastructure
  • Issues specific to sub-populations such as migrant workers, immigrants, veterans, and homeless and incarcerated populations
  • Land use and equitable development
  • Lead exposure
  • Natural and urban ecosystems, ecosystem function, and nature deficit disorder
  • Place-based community revitalization initiatives
  • Youth perspectives and youth development

Other criteria used to evaluate candidates will include:

  • the background and experience that would contribute to the diversity of perspectives on the council (e.g., geographic, economic, social, cultural, linguistic, educational background and professional/organizational affiliations) and demonstrated experience with environmental justice issues at the New Jersey state, New Jersey local, tribal, or national level
  • excellent written, oral, interpersonal, and consensus-building skills
  • ability to attend EJAC meetings, participate in working group calls, and complete EJAC tasks (approximately 6 – 8 hours workload per month).

All appointments will be at the discretion of the DEP Commissioner.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][gravityform id=”5″ title=”false” description=”false” ajax=”false”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Completed submissions must be sent by 5:00pm on the application deadline.

If you have any questions regarding this application, please contact the Office of Environmental Justice at join_EJAC@deptest.nj.gov or 609-292-2908.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]