Wolf appoints reviewers for DEP, DCNR, DOH and PUC

Susan Phillips

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Susan Phillips tells stories about the consequences of political decisions on people's every day lives. She has worked as a reporter for WHYY since 2004. Susan's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election resulted in a story on the front page of the New York Times. In 2010 she traveled to Haiti to cover the earthquake. That same year she produced an award-winning series on Pennsylvania's natural gas rush called "The Shale Game." She received a 2013 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Journalism Award for her work covering natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania. She has also won several Edward R. Murrow awards for her work with StateImpact. In 2013/14 she spent a year at MIT as a Knight Science Journalism Fellow. She has also been a Metcalf Fellow, an MBL Logan Science Journalism Fellow and reported from Marrakech on the 2016 climate talks as an International Reporting Project Fellow. A graduate of Columbia School of Journalism, she earned her Bachelor's degree in International Relations from George Washington University.

December 11, 2014 | 2:39 PM

Democrat Tom Wolf talks to reporters at the WHYY studio in Philadelphia.

Pennsylvania Governor-elect Tom Wolf has appointed a number of people to review departments and issues ahead of the January 20 inauguration. The reviewers will work with the current Corbett administration to “better understand the issues and challenges that face the executive branch,” according to a release.
Wolf’s spokesperson Jeff Sheridan said the goal would be to find out what works and what doesn’t work before Wolf takes office next month.

Christina Simeone and Robb Fox have been appointed to report back about the Department of Environmental Protection. Simeone used to work for the environmental group PennFuture, and is now at the Kleinman Energy Policy Center at University of Pennsylvania. Robb Fox is an environmental lawyer and partner at Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox.
Wolf has chosen Caren Glotfelty to review the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Glotfelty worked for the Department of Environmental Resources, a precursor to DEP and DCNR, under Governor Casey. She now runs the Allegheny County Parks Foundation.
Rachel Levine and Karen Hacker will review the Department of Health. Dr. Levine is a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the Penn State College of Medicine. Dr. Hacker taught at Harvard Medical School and the School of Public Health, and now runs the Allegheny County Health Department.
Wolf has also appointed someone from the renewable energy field to review the Public Utilities Commission. Brent Alderfer is CEO and co-founder of Community Energy, and was a Colorado Public Utility commissioner.