Executive Staff

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.

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.

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.

Scott Perry is Deputy Secretary of the Office of Oil and Gas Management at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Mr. Perry directs the Bureaus of Oil and Gas Planning and Program Management and District Oil and Gas Operations, and he oversees the development of departmental policy as well as regulatory and technical guidance on oil and gas activities in Pennsylvania. In addition, Mr. Perry oversees outreach and education for the public and regulatory communities.

Scott has more than 10 years of experience with DEP. Prior to his appointment, he served as Assistant Counsel across a wide range of bureaus and offices within DEP, including the bureaus of Oil and Gas, Laboratories, Water Standards and Facility Regulations, Watershed Management, Waste Management and Radiation Protection, along with the Office of Energy and Technology Deployment and the Right-to-Know Office.

Scott holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in General Arts and Sciences - Economic and Environmental Policy from Penn State University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree and a certificate in Dispute Resolution from Willamette University College of Law. He was admitted before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Federal District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit as an Attorney and Counselor of Law.

Scott lives in Camp Hill with his wife June, and son Nicholas.

Aneca Atkinson serves as Acting Deputy Secretary of Water Programs in addition to her current position as Director for the Bureau of Program Integration. Aneca began working at DEP more than 10 years ago in the Southeast Regional Office as a permit reviewer in the Waterways and Wetlands Program, and was chief of the Stormwater Construction Section in the Bureau of Clean Water before taking on Program Integration.  Prior to joining DEP, Aneca worked for Boucher & James, Inc., an engineering firm in Southeast Pennsylvania. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from Smith College and a M.S. Degree in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering from Villanova University.

George Hartenstein has worked in various capacities with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for 34 years. Most recently, George served as the Director of the Bureau of Environmental Cleanup and Brownfields from 2012 to 2016 and was responsible for the implementation of the Land Recycling cleanup program, brownfield redevelopment, state and federal superfund response, federal facilities restoration, natural resource damage assessment, and aboveground and underground storage tank regulation. George has spent 27 years working in Pennsylvania's remediation programs and seven years in the mining program. He brings to the post his practical approach to solving problems and a strong commitment to serving the public. A native of Pittsburgh, George graduated from Penn State with a Bachelor of Science in Biology.

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.

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 acting 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.