HARRISBURG – Gov. Edward G. Rendell has announced the nomination of John Quigley to be the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Quigley has served with DCNR for the past four years, most recently as the chief of staff and prior to that as the director of Legislation and Strategic Initiatives and of Operations.
The governor also announced that Karen Miller of Reading, a former secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community Affairs, will serve as the DCNR chief of staff.
“John has closely guided some of DCNR’s priority projects over the past several years, most importantly working through the department to help Pennsylvania address the impacts of climate change, which is the biggest potential threat to the health of our natural resources,” Rendell said.
“With a diverse career in the not-for-profit, public, and private sectors and a deep knowledge about the issues, goals and work of DCNR, John will be able to hit the ground running. I have great faith that he will build upon the efforts to improve the management of our state parks and forests, and continue to expand our efforts to encourage sustainable communities and create outdoor connections for citizens and visitors.
“We also are very fortunate to be able to fill the vacancy created by John’s move with Karen Miller, who has tremendous experience in the area of sustainable growth and community vitality and will be a great asset to DCNR’s efforts to tie natural resource protection with economic revitalization,” the governor added.
Quigley was an instrumental figure in leading DCNR’s work on alternative energy initiatives, including the impact of windmills on wildlife; the use of biomass as an alternative fuel; and most recently efforts to determine if there are suitable underground areas in the state for the geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide.
“The staff at DCNR have worked tirelessly to be good stewards not only or our public lands, but of all of the resources of the commonwealth,” Quigley said. “I want to thank Governor Rendell for the opportunity to continue to serve and to work with them on the issues that are critical to the quality of life and economic future of our state.”
Prior to joining DCNR, Quigley served as government relations manager with PennFuture, a statewide public interest organization based in Harrisburg.
Quigley was the founding executive director of a non-profit economic development corporation in Hazleton, and then served eight years as mayor of the City of Hazleton. He has held a number of management positions with two industry-leading companies in the private sector, and was an evening instructor in economics at the Hazleton campus of the Pennsylvania State University.
He holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from Bloomsburg University, and a Master of Public Administration degree from Lehigh University.
Quigley lives in Hampden Township, Cumberland County, with his wife and son.
Miller currently serves as Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Outreach Project for the Berks County Community Foundation. Prior to that, she held positions with the Pennsylvania Economy League and served as the Secretary’s Representative, Mid-Atlantic Region for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
As Secretary of Community Affairs for the Commonwealth from January 1987 to January 1994, Miller led a staff responsible for administering 20 state and federal community development and housing programs. In 1996, the Department of Community Affairs was combined with the Department of Commerce to form the Department of Community and Economic Development.
Prior to joining state government, Miller served two terms as mayor of the City of Reading.
Miller is a graduate of Indiana University (Bloomington) and received a Doctor of Laws degree honoris causa from Albright College. She currently lives in Reading with her husband.
