Ramez Ziadeh started his career in DEP in 1994, and has 24 years of experience in water resource management, hydraulic modeling and design, construction management, water resource permitting, and water resource policy and regulatory rule-making. Ramez is a licensed professional engineer, and received his B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.

Darrin Bodner is the Executive Deputy Secretary for Administration and Management at DEP. In this capacity, Darrin oversees the agency's budget, human resources, information technology, and business process management.

Darrin brings expertise in technology, financial management and organizational administration to DEP, having served most recently as director of operations for Oblong Industries, a new technology firm in Los Angeles, Calif. For five years there, he led the finance, administration, legal affairs and assets management units. Prior to that, he co-created Media Matters for America and served in its senior management from its incorporation in 2003 through 2008.

Darrin's background includes extensive experience in governmental affairs and political campaigning in both non-profit and corporate environments.

Darrin holds a bachelor of arts in both Economics and Dramatic Arts from Dickinson College.

Diana Stares was appointed Acting Chief Counsel for the Department of Environmental Protection in September 2020, after having served as the Litigation Coordinator for DEP from 2016 to 2020. She started her career as a lawyer for the Department of Environmental Resources in 1980 and served as the Regional Counsel for the agency’s Southwest Regional Office from 1990 to 2011. In 2011, she was appointed as the inaugural Director of the Center for Energy Policy and Management at Washington & Jefferson College and served in that capacity until 2016. Diana is a 1977 graduate of Hofstra University and a 1980 graduate of Duquesne University School of Law.

Joe Adams started his DEP career in 2004 and has worked in the Field Operations, Water, and Oil & Gas deputates. Most recently, he served as the Regional Director for the Southcentral Regional Office.  Joe has a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Penn State University and is a licensed professional engineer in Pennsylvania. Originally from Cambria County, Joe resides in Camp Hill, PA, with his wife Sarah and daughter Cleo.

Lisa Daniels has been with DEP in various roles since 1989, and has most recently served as the Director of Safe Drinking Water, where she has overseen the development of the first Maximum Contaminant Level set by Pennsylvania for PFOS and PFOA. She has also been integral in the efforts to improve the staff capacity in the Safe Drinking Water Program, and promote lead-free drinking water across the commonwealth. Lisa serves on the U.S. EPA’s National Drinking Water Advisory Council, which she has chaired since 2021. She is also a past president of the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators.

Lisa graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Biology.

John Stefanko serves as the Deputy Secretary for the Office of Active and Abandoned Mine Operations at DEP. As Deputy Secretary he oversees the bureaus of Mining Programs, Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Mine Safety, and the District Mining Operations.

John has been with the Department since 1987. Prior to his recent appointment John was the Executive Assistant and served as the senior advisor to the previous Deputy Secretary until his retirement in December 2010. He has also served as the Chief of DEP's Division of Contracts, Procurement and Bonding within the Bureau of Office Services, where he managed bidding, awarding and management of the activities of all construction contracts and the procurement of goods and services for the Department. Prior to that, he was a Project Designer for the Department's Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Division of Acid Mine Drainage Abatement, where he reviewed and created engineering designs for departmental mine reclamation, water supply replacements, mine fire control, subsidence control, abandoned mine lands projects and other associated facilities.

John holds an Associate Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University, Altoona Campus and Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering Technology from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.

Kurt Klapkowski serves as the Acting Deputy Secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Oil and Gas Management. Prior to accepting this position, Kurt served as the Director of the Bureau of Oil and Gas Planning and Program Management from March 2012 until February 2022. As the Bureau Director, Kurt oversaw coordination of the Department’s development of policy, regulatory, technical guidance and legislative documents relating to oil and gas development, as well as providing on-going education and outreach to the public and regulated communities. The Bureau consists of three Divisions responsible for Subsurface Activities, Surface Activities and Compliance and Information Management, respectively. Each Division works closely with their counterparts in the various District Offices around the Commonwealth.

Prior to joining the Office of Oil and Gas Management, he worked with the Department’s Bureau of Regulatory Counsel for more than 18 years, including service as the counsel to the Oil and Gas Program for four years. Other program clients included Pennsylvania’s Storage Tank program, the Land Recycling Program (brownfields/remediation), the Office of Energy and Technology Deployment, the Division of Hazardous Waste Management, the Division of Nuclear Safety and the Office of Pollution Prevention and Compliance Assistance. 

Kurt received his J.D. in 1993 from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Washington and Jefferson College in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He lives in Camp Hill, PA with his wife and two children.

A dedicated 38-year DEP employee, Krishnan Ramamurthy began his career with DEP in 1980 as an air pollution control engineer in the Southcentral Regional Office before joining the Bureau of Air Quality in 1985. Krishnan has served as the Director of the Bureau of Air Quality since 2016. He has also served in numerous important roles, including the NOx subject coordinator for the Ozone Transport Commission and regulatory advisor for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers committee for Qualification of Resource Recovery Facility Projects. He was a key member of the commonwealth's team for developing the state plan to implement the EPA's Clean Power Plan. He has received numerous DEP Awards of Excellence. Krishnan has his Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Chemical Engineering. 

Jessica Shirley is the Policy Director for DEP. The Policy Office is a highly specialized executive office that works closely with all DEP programs and the Governor's Office of Policy and Planning. The office is responsible for engaging the public in meaningful dialogue and coordinating the Department's initiatives through its many advisory committees. The Policy Office also manages the agency's regulatory development, review and approval process, and is responsible for principal administration of the Environmental Quality Board and Board of Coal Mine Safety.

Jessica also oversees the Office of Pollution Prevention and Energy Assistance (OPPEA), which performs and administers the functions of the Pennsylvania Energy Office. OPPEA works with citizen's groups, businesses, trade organizations, local governments and communities to help them reduce pollution and save energy. The office works to foster and develop alternative energy solutions.

Jessica joined the DEP Policy Office in 2011 after spending a year in the Department of Labor & Industry's Office of Policy, Planning and Development. Jessica received her Master's Degree in Public Administration from Penn State University and her Bachelor's Degree in Economics and Political Science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Justin Dula currently serves as the Director for the Office of Environmental Justice at DEP, focusing on outreach to communities facing disproportionate environmental impacts. Justin started with the Office in 2008 as the Eastern Regional Coordinator, which allowed him to work with a variety of communities ranging from historic towns in anthracite coal country to suburban communities near Philadelphia. In 2020, he completed the courses and attained the status a Climate Change Professional (CC-P).

Justin formerly served as the manager of community and regional planning at the Delaware County Planning Department. He has continued to be involved with planning and other issues around the built-environment through being a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). He is the Vice President of the American Planning Association (APA) Pennsylvania Chapter and the Secretary/Treasurer of APA’s LGBTQ and Planning Division, and also serves as the Past Chair of the APA Pennsylvania Southeast Section Council. He is also on the board of the Pennsylvania Downtown Center and the board of the Bywood Community Association, which works to further the neighborhood of Bywood in Upper Darby Township, Delaware County. Justin received his Master of City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Arts with a focus on International Area Studies from Kalamazoo College.

Neil Shader is the Director of Communications for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, where he oversees communications and outreach efforts across the Department, including media outreach, strategic communications, and our online and social media presence. Neil began his career with the Department in 2015 as Press Secretary, and brings more than a decade of experience in media and public relations to the role. 

Prior to joining the Department, Neil worked for The Wilderness Society and Ducks Unlimited. Originally from Washington County in Pennsylvania, he received a Bachelor of Science in communications from Ohio University, and a Master of Arts in political science from American University. He enjoys hiking, fishing, and hunting in Penn’s Woods, and can often be found watching the peregrine falcons circling the Rachel Carson State Office Building. 

Gregory Kauffman is the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.  The Office of Legislative Affairs serves as the liaison with the General Assembly, helping members better serve their constituents by assisting with DEP-related inquiries, providing information on Department programs and activities, and collaborating on legislation.  The Office also develops and implements legislative strategy and advises the Department on legislative issues affecting the agency.

Greg joined DEP’s Office of Legislative Affairs in 2015 as a Legislative Liaison and has previously served as acting Director of Legislative Affairs at DEP and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.  Prior to joining DEP, Greg served as a Research Analyst in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Greg holds a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business with a secondary major in Spanish from Lebanon Valley College.