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SRBC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PAUL SWARTZ HONORED FOR EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP AS WATER RESOURCE MANAGER
SRBC Executive Director Paul Swartz was honored in late July with the Leadership Excellence Award from the State Conservation Commission (SCC), an office of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Swartz, a native and resident of Hummelstown, was recognized for his outstanding leadership in water resource management spanning back to 1974.
“Paul is among the most respected and dedicated water resource leaders, and it has been my privilege both professionally and personally to work with him over the years,” said SRBC Chairman Kenneth Lynch, New York State. “SRBC and the citizens of the Susquehanna watershed directly benefit daily from his untiring commitment to quality and service to the public. This leadership award is well deserved.”
SCC establishes policies for Pennsylvania’s county conservation districts. The conservation commission annually recognizes individuals and organizations throughout Pennsylvania that have dedicated themselves to protecting the state’s natural resources. In announcing this year’s award recipients, SCC Vice Chairman Ted Kuckuck noted that Pennsylvania is fortunate to have committed men and women who work each day to conserve our natural resources.
Swartz was selected as this year’s SCC leadership recipient for his more than 35 years on the front lines of conservation issues, beginning as the first full-time Executive Director of the Dauphin County Conservation District from 1974 to 1981. Swartz then served 10 years as SCC’s Executive Secretary, while at the same time directing the Bureau of Soil and Water Conservation in the state Department of Environmental Resources.
"The foundation for many of the programs and activities in which Pennsylvania's conservation districts are involved today was established during Paul's tenure as the Executive Secretary of the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission during the 1980s,” said SCC Executive Secretary Karl Brown. “We are indebted to the leadership Paul provided in advancing the districts' interests at the state level."
In 1999, Swartz was appointed as SRBC’s Executive Director. He directs the agency’s wide-ranging water resource responsibilities from regulating water withdrawals and consumptive uses, mitigating flood damages, coordinating drought management activities and assisting its members in numerous water quality programs, including nutrient and sediment monitoring, assessment, and restoration and protection projects.
