2019 Secretary's Employee Recognition Awards
Dedication Award
This award recognizes an employee whose overall performance is consistently excellent or has accomplished great success in any special project or assignment.
Recipient: Jineen K. Boyle
Job Title: Watershed Manager
Location: Waterways and Wetlands, Southcentral regional Office
Description: Jineen has been a part of DEP since 1986. She has served as an Environmental Education Specialist, Water Quality Specialist, Solid Waste Specialist, Environmental Protection Compliance Specialist, and most recently, Watershed Manager.
Working with the dedicated, professional staff at South-Central Region, as well as the County Conservation District Watershed Specialists, who do a wonderful job, was something that Jineen looked forward to. She also enjoyed returning to the site of a completed Growing Greener restoration grant several years later, to see it matured and improving the stream and water quality.
Dedication Award
Recipient: Lisa Bufo
Job Title: Administrative Assistant
Location: ECB/Storage Tanks, Southeast Regional Office
Description: Lisa has been at DEP for 39 years. Some of the positions that she has held are Clerk Typist 2, Clerk Typist 3, Clerical Supervisor 2 and she is currently an Administrative Assistant 1.
Some of the things that Lisa enjoys are solving problems or work changes by coming up with the most efficient ways to get the job done and the technical aspects of her position. Lisa is also proud of the fact that she is a person that her co-workers come to for help them with a variety of issues. Inclusiveness by her co-workers, especially immediate work unit and supervisor, Tom Canigiani, are motivating for Lisa – they truly function as a team.
Dedication Award
Recipient: Jennifer Fesler
Job Title: Laboratory Quality Systems Specialist
Location: Bureau of Laboratories
Description:
Jennifer has worked at DEP for 7 years. Over that time, she has served as a Chemist 1 & Chemist 2 in the Radiation Measurements Section and moved into her current position as Chemist 4 in the Quality Assurance and Safety Section as the Manager in January of 2019.
Jennifer’s main goal in her career is to make a difference. Through her daily interactions, she knows that what she and her co-workers do at the Bureau of Laboratories impacts the commonwealth on a larger scale and is one of the greatest rewards of her job.
Dedication Award
Recipient: Michael A. Haney
Job Title: Licensed Professional Geologist
Location: AAMO / District Mining Operations, Ebensburg
Description: Michael has been a part of DEP for six years. He has served as a Professional Geologist in the Greensburg, New Stanton, and Cambria District Mining Offices for the DEP, performing as a lead reviewer for surface mining permit applications, assisting in development of policy implementation, advising DMO compliance section staff in enforcement, and leading hydrogeological investigations in mining situations where water supplies and/or waters of the Commonwealth are affected.
The variety of tasks of his position, facing challenges, and different job settings across the state are all things that Michael looks forward to working at DEP. He is also appreciative of his many co-workers who always make effort to share information and cooperate for the good of the projects they work on together, and the opportunities to use his experience and influence to help people in Pennsylvania with very real needs. A special highlight for Michael has been recently helping form a contract to reclaim about 27 acres (300,000 tons) of abandoned coal refuse in his hometown of Northern Cambria, PA.
Community Service Award
This award recognizes an employee whose performance included a continued, recognizable service that has been performed for the greater good and benefit of her or his local community without a loss in normal job performance. This could include community involvement within or outside the employee’s assigned duties.
Recipient: Troy Wolfgang
Job Title: Program Manager
Location: Mine Safety, Pottsville
Description: Troy has worked at DEP for 19.5 years as an Anthracite Underground Mine Inspector, Anthracite Underground Inspector Supervisor, and currently, Program Manager for Anthracite & Industrial Minerals Mine Safety Division.
Troy enjoys the fact that he has been able to retain longevity in the industry that he started his career in. He went from laboring at a mine, to owning and operating a mine; from regulating several mines, to managing a division of the DEP that regulates all underground mines. Troy has done all of this while working continuously to ensure the mines and miners are safe and compliant.
Outstanding Team Award
This award is presented to a team whose performance resulted in an outstanding achievement over the past year.
Recipients: Andrew Sinclair, Benjamin Russel, Dustin Huner, Brian Glass, Robert Fogel, Lena Harper, Stephan Brown, Justin Dula, C. David Brown, Ronald Estel, Sarah McCarthy, Gina Thomas, Virginia Cain, and Rex Miller
Location: Water Management, Assistant Regional Directors Office, Legislative Office, Environmental Cleanup Program, Office of Chief Counsel, Communications, Radiation Protection, and Environmental Justice in SERO
Leadership Award
This award recognizes an employee who displays outstanding qualities in problem-solving and goal attainment.
Recipient: Megan Lehman
Job Title: Community Relations Coordinator
Location: Communications, Northcentral Regional Office (NCRO)
Description: Megan joined DEP as a Community Relations Coordinator three years ago after working for eight years in environmental and community planning at the county level in her region. She feels most fulfilled when she can reach people in an impactful way to advance DEP’s mission. Planning and executing public outreach events and site tours are particularly rewarding for Megan because she can see the interest and excitement as people absorb and exchange new information and perspectives in real time.
Megan loves working with DEP’s expert program staff to better understand the variety of critical duties they perform and translate the information into media statements, public outreach materials, videos, story maps, social media posts, etc. Megan is grateful for the opportunity to continue contributing to the Chesapeake Bay recovery effort, a focus of her professional life since 2008, through various committees and projects.
Outstanding Achievement Award
This award recognizes an employee whose performance resulted in an outstanding achievement over the past year.
Recipient: Jeremy D. Miller
Job Title: Wastewater Treatment Operations Advisor
Location: Bureau of Clean Water, Northeast Regional Office
Description: Jeremy has been with the DEP for 19 years in various roles, starting in the Air Quality Program in DEP’s Northeast Regional Office as an Air Quality Specialist; then an Environmental Protection Compliance Specialist in the Air Quality Program and the Environmental Cleanup Program. He later moved to the Clean Water Program as a Water Quality Specialist. In 2018, he worked as an Aquatic Biologist in the Clean Water Program. Jeremy’s latest role is the Wastewater Treatment Operations Advisor for the Bureau of Clean Water.
Jeremy enjoys educating others on the biological and chemical processes involved in wastewater treatment. He also likes the challenge of troubleshooting each unique treatment facility, helping the facility achieve compliance with an NPDES Permit and seeing the associated improvements to the waters of the Commonwealth as a result.