John Stefanko is the Executive Deputy Secretary for Programs at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Mr. Stefanko previously served as the Deputy Secretary for the Office of Active and Abandoned Mine Operations at DEP. As Deputy Secretary he oversaw the bureaus of Mining Programs, Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Mine Safety, and the District Mining Operations.

Mr. Stefanko 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.

Mr. Stefanko 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.

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.

Deputy Secretary
Office of Water Programs
Dana Aunkst
Dana Aunkst is currently the Deputy Secretary for the Office of Water Programs at the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). He is responsible for overseeing the operations of the bureaus of Waterways Engineering and Wetlands, Safe Drinking Water, and Clean Water, and will oversee the Chesapeake Bay Office. Mr. Aunkst previously has served as the Acting Secretary, the Executive Deputy Secretary for Programs and the Deputy Secretary for Field Operations and served as the Director for the Bureau of Water Standards and Facility Regulation at DEP. There he was responsible for planning, directing and coordinating the Department's programs and regulations related to water quality standards, drinking water facilities, and sewage and industrial wastewater treatment facilities.

 

 

Mr. Aunkst started with DER in 1985 as an environmental engineer in the Meadville regional office. He also worked for a period of time in the Williamsport regional office. He has been with the Department off and on for 23 years and has worked in environmental protection, in both the private and public sectors, for 31 years.

 

 

Mr. Aunkst has also worked in private practice as a consulting environmental engineer, an industrial plant engineer, and for local government as a Public Works Manager. Mr. Aunkst holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Penn State University and is a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania.

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.

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.

Mr. Perry 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.

Mr. Perry 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.

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

 

Julie is responsible for managing the department's statewide communications efforts including strategic planning, media relations and educational outreach.

For the past six years, Julie was Director of Affiliate Partnerships for National Wildlife Federation. Prior to that, she served as Vice-President of Communications and Advocacy for 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, focusing on community revitalization and land use protection; and as Vice-President of Public Affairs at Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, where she directed the public policy and communications programs. A native of Lehigh County, she earned a BA in journalism from The Pennsylvania State University.