July 11, 2018

Mayor Bhalla Appoints Environmental Services Department Director

Hoboken, NJ - Tuesday, July 10th, 2018

Hoboken Mayor Ravinder S. Bhalla announced on Tuesday the appointment of Jennifer Gonzalez to lead the Environmental Services department as its Director. Gonzalez currently serves as the City’s Chief Sustainability Officer and a Principal Planner.

Gonzalez will oversee City parks, public property, and sanitation, as well as storm water and drinking water infrastructure projects. The Department is currently run by Leo Pellegrini, who is also the Director of the Health and Human Services Department. Pellegrini will continue in his role as HHS Director. Ms. Gonzalez will continue in her role as the City’s Chief Sustainability Officer.

“Jennifer Gonzalez has a proven track record of great vision and excellent results, and I know she will continue to build on her successes,” said Bhalla. “I also want to thank Director Pellegrini for his tireless work of pulling double duty as the Director of two departments for five years. I believe this adjustment will allow all departments to work more efficiently.”

“I am both humbled and excited for the opportunity to continue my service to Hoboken as the Director of Environmental Services,” said Gonzalez. “I look forward to improving our parks and public spaces by incorporating asset management technology and philanthropy, while increasing the fiscal and environmental sustainability of municipal operations.”

Gonzalez will serve as Acting Director until her confirmation before the City Council. Her confirmation can take place as early as July 11, at the discretion of the Council President. Otherwise, the confirmation vote will be put on the agenda for the August 1 Council meeting. Because an existing salaried employee has been appointed, the impact on the City budget is minimal.

About Jennifer Gonzalez:

As the Chief Sustainability Officer and a Principal Planner, Gonzalez advances capital projects in areas including rainfall flood mitigation, energy, drinking water, natural resources, and composting. She manages the Northwest Resiliency Park design process and priority upgrades in Hoboken’s aging drinking water system.

Before joining the City of Hoboken in 2016, Gonzalez was a Principal Planner with the consulting firm Louis Berger, where she helped to develop the Hoboken Green Infrastructure Strategic Plan and post-Hurricane Sandy resiliency plans for communities throughout New York. She also served as an Environmental Planner with the County of Passaic, New Jersey.

Gonzalez earned her M.A. in Environmental Policy from Lehigh University. She is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), a licensed professional planner (PP) in the state of New Jersey, and a Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM).