Richard Negrin is the Secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the first Latino to serve in that role.
In his time with DEP, Mr. Negrin has developed a plan to reform and improve DEP permitting, has overseen the promotion of Environmental Justice, worked to ensure a stable and swift recovery for Pennsylvanians impacted by the East Palestine train derailment and has held polluters accountable while helping to obtain historic amounts of support for community funds to remediate and support impacted communities. Every day he works across stakeholders to ensure that all Pennsylvanians have their right to clean air, pure water and the preservation of the environment and our natural resources.
Prior to leading DEP, Rich served as the Vice President of Regulatory Policy and Strategy and head of external affairs at Commonwealth Edison, where he led efforts to develop clean energy regulatory policies and worked to encourage the use of renewable energy, spur the adoption of electric vehicles, increase energy efficiency and support vulnerable populations impacted by climate change and extreme weather events.
Negrin’s extensive track record also includes serving as Deputy Mayor and City Manager of the City of Philadelphia. He led the creation of the City’s first Municipal Innovation Lab and the City’s first Center of Excellence, was architect of PhillyRising, an award winning neighborhood quality of life program and also served as a member and leader of several community- based organizations including serving as President of the Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania.
His programs have received a White House Champion of Change Award and he has been recognized as National Lawyer of the Year by the Hispanic National Bar Association. He has received the Visionary Leadership Award from Neighborworks USA and the Community Champion Award from the Friends of the Free Library.
Mr. Negrin graduated from Rutgers University School of Law and received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Wagner College. During college he was a consensus football All-American and served as captain of the football team, leading them to the Small College National Championship in 1987. After college, he played briefly in the National Football League, signing contracts with the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets.