Full-disclosure: ultimately, if you follow my work office chain-of-command, this man is my boss. His name is Basil Seggos and he is the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, a position from which he recently announced he will be stepping down. He easily earns this Dazzler of the Day because his eight-plus years as our Commissioner is, quite literally, a record-breaking run: Seggos has served in this position for longer than anyone else ever has. During that time, he’s had to deal with increasing challenges and complexities as the world grapples with climate change, environmental justice, and the constant intertwining of politics that is part of every state agency. Throughout it all, he’s maintained a focus fixed on the mission of our agency, while keeping an eye and a helpful push toward diversifying our work-force. In the few meetings I’ve had with him, he’s always been open to different ideas and viewpoints. In a recent interview with ‘City & State NY’ he said, “When we hit that point when we’re representative of New York state, we’re gonna be more effective as an agency because people will see themselves in us and want to be part of this agency and ultimately make us better as we do our important work in every community in their state.”
Being a commissioner is a tough balancing act, and there will always be contingents and people who have an issue or critique of how things are handled; Seggos has been open to those criticisms, and even set up open-door office hours where employees were free to discuss whatever they wanted with him. While he’s been coy about what’s next, his love for the state of New York and the mission of environmental conservation will surely play a part in whatever lucky entity ends up utilizing his talents.
{Requisite Personnel plug: if you’re looking for a rewarding career in Environmental Conservation, please visit the employment page of the DEC website here.}
