George S. Hawkins Director's Biography  George S. Hawkins is the Director of the District Department of the Environment for the District of Columbia. He is responsible for an $80 million dollar agency with 300 employees that provides city, county and state environmental services to the nation's capital. The Department is responsible for reviewing development applications for compliance with environmental requirements; monitoring and enforcing air and water quality standards; regulating the use and disposal of toxic substances; preserving the District's natural habitat for fish and wildlife; and developing and implementing stormwater management regulations to minimize runoff pollution into District waterways. As Director, George has identified as one of the Department's top priorities the restoration of water quality and natural resources to the Anacostia River and its surrounding neighborhoods, with the unabashed goal of transforming one of the most polluted rivers in the country into an environmental gem that will drive economic revitalization in the communities surrounding it. As the Director of DDOE, George has led the District's response to reducing childhood exposure to lead hazards. He negotiated, and now oversees the implementation of, the nation's most stringent federal permit to reduce pollutants from stormwater runoff. He manages the nation's most successful program to provide support for low income residents for energy costs - including energy conservation and home weatherization. And he launched and chairs the Mayor's Green Team, which coordinates the District's sustainability program across more than 40 agencies. George serves as the Chair of the Green Building Advisory Council, which oversees the implementation of the nation's most progressive green building law, one that requires LEED Silver for all District-owned and -financed buildings - and, as of 2011, requiring the same standard for private development. He is a member of the Mayor's Green Collar Jobs Advisory Committee, and is a board member of the Washington Area Sewer Authority (WASA), which runs the world's largest advanced wastewater treatment plant. Prior to coming to the District, George was the Executive Director of New Jersey Future, a non-profit organization which, under his leadership, came to be recognized as the state's foremost advocacy group promoting Smart Growth - a comprehensive, integrated approach to land use development that emphasizes the economic revitalization of urban centers; the provision of multi-modal transportation options to reduce the use of cars; the location of affordable housing near jobs, retail and cultural amenities; and the protection of critical natural resources, habitat and farm fields from sprawling development. While there, George managed the development of the "Four Ways to Prosperity" campaign; launched the successful annual Redevelopment Forum; and worked with Governor Jon Corzine's office to focus development on transit stations and urban areas. George also previously served as Executive Director of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association; and in seven years transformed it into the largest community watershed association in the country - adding award-winning programs to work with communities on zoning and master plans to preserve ecological resources and target growth. Before going to New Jersey, George held senior positions with the US Environmental Protection Agency, including Senior Assistant Regional Counsel and Special Assistant to the Regional Administrator. He served Vice President Gore on the National Performance Review, and while there, played an integral role in streamlining and strengthening environmental protection programs at USEPA and OSHA. George began his career practicing law for the Boston firm Ropes & Gray, and is a member of the Bar in Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. George graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in 1983 and cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1987. Since 1999, George has taught Environmental Law and Policy for the Princeton Environment Institute at Princeton University George has two children with his wife Tamara, with whom he managed a livestock farm - in addition to his other occupations - for the ten years prior to his appointment as Director of DDOE.