Secretary Shawn M. Garvin today a new appointment to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s leadership structure, naming Dr. Katera Moore as the agency’s – and the state’s – first environmental justice coordinator. Dr. Moore will join DNREC’s Office of the Secretary to work with the state’s underserved communities, who historically have experienced disproportionately adverse human health and environmental impacts to their minority and low-income populations.
An experienced educator who holds a doctorate in Earth and Environmental Sciences with a specialization in geography from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, Dr. Moore is an urban geographer who uses an environmental justice lens to focus on and examine how socio-political structures contribute to disparities that impact everyday life.
“At DNREC, environmental justice is part of our DNA,” Secretary Garvin said. “With her strong and diverse background – and already interacting with Delaware residents across the state in her short time here at DNREC – we look forward to Dr. Moore building on our commitment to expand and strengthen DNREC’s capacity for practicing and promoting a holistic environmental justice approach that benefits all Delawareans.”
Secretary Garvin also announced the launch of a new DNREC environmental justice webpage designed to be an evolving tool for two-way communication between the Department and constituents – especially those residing in the state’s underserved communities, for whom DNREC can help facilitate environmental justice that may be overdue.
“The new online resource is the result of community feedback, but it is a work in progress, so we encourage the community members to give us feedback on how we can make this EJ tool better,” he said of the new page de.gov/dnrecej. “This is a ‘living’ site for engaging Delawareans on their environmental justice concerns – engagement being an overarching tenet of our EJ mission.”
The new environmental justice webpage will also include a mapping tool that DNREC is currently developing that will enable Delawareans to use a wide range of screening criteria for pinpointing areas that have historically been vulnerable to contaminants and other pollution to the state’s land, air and water. Users are encouraged to make comments and suggestions for expanding both online content and capabilities in helping DNREC serve constituents.
“The Department under Governor Carney’s administration aims to be as accessible to the public as possible. We welcome – we want – public feedback on how we can do better at bringing environmental justice to the forefront of our work – feedback from the communities will help inform and strengthen Dr. Moore’s work as DNREC’s and Delaware’s EJ practitioner and advocate,” Secretary Garvin said.
As DNREC’s environmental justice coordinator, Dr. Moore is responsible for developing and leading the implementation of the agency’s strategic vision of environmental justice while seeing that it aligns with federal guidance on EJ issues. To that end, Dr. Moore also serves as DNREC’s Title VI coordinator.
Prior to joining DNREC last year as ombudsman for the DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances, Dr. Moore served as the interim associate director of the Einstein Health Network’s “A Better Start” program, building a strategic plan to address community public health, an overarching symptom of broader environmental injustice. For five years Dr. Moore served in a similar role as the director of the Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships. Dr. Moore received her Master of Environmental Studies and Bachelor of Urban Studies degrees from the University of Pennsylvania.
More information about environmental justice at DNREC – along with an opportunity for the public to share EJ ideas and suggestions on how the Department might better interact with the state’s underserved communities – can be found at de.gov/dnrecej.
DNREC also looks forward to receiving feedback and constructive criticism for helping develop online content that fosters active and meaningful participation on environmental justice issues.
About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.
