[G]ov. Phil Scott filled two high-level spots in his administration Tuesday afternoon, naming Emily Boedecker as commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation and Riley Allen as deputy commissioner at the Department of Public Service.
Boedecker comes most recently from the Burlington-based nonprofit Local Motion, a statewide group that advocates for cyclists and pedestrians.
Allen hails from the Regulatory Assistance Project, where he served as a senior adviser for the clean-energy advocacy organization based in Montpelier.
Now approaching the end of his second month in office, Scott acknowledged Friday that he’d had a challenging time finding good candidate for the positions who also possessed the “right chemistry.”
Boedecker previously worked for 10 years in various positions at The Nature Conservancy of Vermont, including a stint as acting state director. She has also held development and management positions for Hewlett-Packard and VeriFone, according to her Local Motion biography.
Allen is an economist who is returning to employment with Vermont state government. He has been a senior policy adviser and hearing officer at the Vermont Public Service Board and director of utility planning at the Public Service Department, according to his RAP biography.
Scott said Boedecker’s skill at building consensus and at management will prove a valuable asset at the DEC.
The department oversees water and air quality, solid and hazardous wastes, and a range of research, education and conservation programs.
The Public Service Department’s charge is to uphold the public interest in the areas of energy, telecommunications, and water and wastewater utilities.
Allen fills a spot formerly occupied by Jon Copans, who now directs the Vermont Council on Rural Development’s Climate Economy Model Communities Program.
Boedecker will take up a position formerly held by Alyssa Schuren, who is now a senior policy adviser in the office of the state treasurer.
