NEPA Environmental Partners Announce Dinner Keynote Speaker and Master of Ceremonies

The Northeast Pennsylvania Environmental Partners (Northeast Office of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Northeast Pennsylvania Alliance, PPL Corporation, The Procter & Gamble Paper Products Company, Wilkes University, PA DEP and PA DCNR) are pleased to announce that Joanne Denworth of the Governor’s Policy Office will be this year’s Keynote Speaker and Joseph G. DeMarco will be the Master of Ceremonies for the Twentieth Annual Environmental Partnership Awards and Dinner.

The dinner will be held on Thursday, October 14, 2010
at the Woodlands Inn and Resort, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Joanne Denworth: Joanne Denworth is a land use and environmental lawyer, who has been working in Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell’s Office of Policy since March, 2003. She has responsibility for working with state agencies on policy issues relating to land use, community development, environmental protection, conservation and recreation, transportation, water and sewer infrastructure, agriculture, and historic preservation. For the prior four years she was founder and president of a statewide initiative, 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, dedicated to revitalizing cities and towns, conserving rural lands, and reducing sprawl.

Before founding 10,000 Friends in 1999, she was president of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council for 12 years, where she spearheaded coalitions for land use law reform, enhancement of urban environments, and regional action to promote open space protection and resource-conserving development. As a practicing lawyer, she worked on community development and redevelopment projects, as well as environmental matters.

Joanne is co-author and editor of Guiding Growth (1993), a growth management handbook for municipalities, and primary author of Planning Beyond Boundaries (2002), a manual on multi-municipal planning and implementation. She has written numerous articles on land use and environmental issues, served as a judge on the Environmental Hearing Board of Pennsylvania, been a township solicitor, and taught at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of City and Regional Planning. She served on the 21st Century Environment Commission’s Land Use Team and Governor Ridge’s Sound Land Use Advisory Committee. She has been active in a number of civic organizations in Philadelphia where she lives. She is a graduate of Vassar College and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Joseph G. DeMarco: During his tenure with Proctor and Gamble Paper Products -Mehoopany, Mr. Demarco was a strong environmental advocate who knew that a strong healthy business and healthy environment are additive, not competitive. Mr. DeMarco created a forest management plan and sustainable logging program, administered gypsy moth control programs without using chemical applications, built a nature trail, and was an Earth Day advocate.

Mr. DeMarco was the Chairperson for the Board of Audubon Pennsylvania for many years. During this time, Mr. DeMarco guided the organization through a time of change. According to Tim Schaeffer, a former Executive Director of PA Audubon, “Joe Demarco was a compass, a rudder, and a sail all rolled into one for Audubon Pennsylvania. He helped to set the course and define the vision for the organization through multiple planning efforts, kept staff and programs steady and on track through difficult times, and gave everyone the push and motivation they needed to move forward”. Additionally, Mr. DeMarco volunteered many hours for the annual Bird-a-thon, a fundraising event for Audubon as well as assisted in the development of the Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas.

Mr. Demarco also served as a Board Member for the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) for over ten years. Mr. Demarco brought his experience in corporate America and provided insights on how to better integrate environmental programs and projects with business interests. Mr. Demarco also dedicated an enormous amount of volunteer effort as the chairman of the Dinner for the Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Environment, both during his time at P&G and for many years after his retirement. Most recently, Mr. DeMarco volunteers on the Advisory Board of the Countryside Conservancy and is working with the Endless Mountains Nature Center to organize and conduct bird walks.

The Environmental Partnership and the Thomas P. Shelburne Environmental Leadership Award Recipients will be honored during the Dinner. To receive an invitation to this event, please contact PEC at 570-718-6507.
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For Editorial Comment, Please Contact: JULIE MCMONAGLE OR ANGELA VITKOSKI AT 570-718-6507 – Pennsylvania Environmental Council