Outreach and Engagement
The Interagency Council on Climate Resilience (Interagency Council, or IAC) has made significant strides to extend their outreach to diverse audiences across the state. These efforts include developing reports and publications; creating educational materials, such infographics and short videos; hosting virtual and in-person events; and seeking stakeholder input through surveys, focus groups, and other forums to gathering feedback.
The New Jersey Interagency Council on Climate Resilience is proud to announce the release of its first Annual Report. This document highlights the state’s progress toward becoming more resilient to the far-reaching impacts of climate change in 2024.
Listening Sessions
The IAC is hosting a series of “Listening Sessions” to gather feedback from key stakeholders and other interested parties, and to enhance public understanding of the Interagency Council’s efforts. During these Listening Sessions the audience is provided with a summary of the Interagency Council’s purpose and authority, as well as an overview of its structure and current work plan. Following remarks by agency representatives, participants are invited to offer verbal and written responses to the three questions below.
- What would you like to see state agencies do (more of/less of)?
- How can state agencies best support municipal and local-level climate resilience actions?
- What is the one action you believe state agencies should prioritize in the next 5 years to strengthen New Jersey’s overall resilience to climate change?
Kindly reply to the survey in the Listening Sessions Questionnaire tab below to provide your feedback today! Stakeholder feedback is presented to Interagency Council member agencies and statewide executive leadership to inform future IAC activities and commitments.
The first Listening Session hosted by the IAC was held during the NJ Coastal and Climate Resilience Conference in March 2024.
Moderator: Nicholas Angarone, PP/AICP, New Jersey Chief Resilience Officer & Manager, Office of Climate Resilience, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Panelists:
- Pamela DeLosSantos, Director, Technical Services Division, New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency
- Teresa Doss, CERP, Co-Director & Chief Restoration Scientist, Meadowlands Research and Restoration Institute, New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority
- Joseph Livingston, Supervising Engineer, Planning, New Jersey Turnpike Authority
For more information, view the March 2024 Listening Session Summary.
The second Listening Session the IAC hosted was held during the NJ League of Municipalities Annual Conference in November 2024.
Moderator: Nathaly Agosto Filión, Deputy Chief Climate Resilience Officer, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Panelists:
- Sarah Friend, Environmental Scientist, New Jersey Highlands Council
- Pamela Garrett, Director, Division of Environmental Resources, New Jersey Department of Transportation
- Donna Rendeiro, Executive Director, State Planning Commission, Office of Planning Advocacy, NJ Business Action Center, New Jersey Department of State
For more information, view the November 2024 Listening Session Summary and PowerPoint slides
Webinars
The Interagency Council hosts webinars to gather feedback and provide educational opportunities on a variety of topics.
The IAC’s Extreme Heat Coordinated Communications Workgroup has launched a series of webinars on extreme heat, summarized individually in the tabs below. Learn more by visiting Heat Hub NJ, where you can find speaker biographies and a copy of the webinar transcript. Additionally, please check out the YouTube playlist of all webinar recordings in the series.
- Has It Always Been This Hot In NJ?
- What Does A Hotter NJ Mean For Our Health?
- How Can New Jersey Prepare For and Respond To Heat Emergencies?
- How Can We Build Heat Resilient Infrastructure In NJ?
- Does Extreme Heat Threaten NJ's Environmental Justice Goals?
- How Does Extreme Heat Threaten NJ’s Natural World?
On August 13, 2024, New Jersey’s Interagency Council on Climate Resilience hosted a webinar featuring climate and weather experts to discuss how and why NJ’s temperatures have changed over time and what we can expect moving forward.
Moderator: Christine Schell, Program Manager, Office of Environmental and Public Health Analysis, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Panelists:
- Jennifer Brady, Senior Data Analyst & Research Manager, Climate Central
- Sarah Johnson, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, Philadelphia/Mt Holly Weather Forecast Office, National Weather Service
- Dr. David Robinson, NJ State Climatologist & Distinguished Professor of Geography, Rutgers University
- Dan Zarrow, Chief Meteorologist, New Jersey 101.5
For more information, visit Heat Hub NJ summary webpage, or view the recording and transcript
On September 25, 2024, New Jersey’s Interagency Council on Climate Resilience hosted a webinar featuring a panel of health professionals to discuss the impacts that extreme heat has on physical and behavioral health.
Moderator: Steve Crimando, Director of Training for Disaster and Terrorism Branch, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, New Jersey Department of Human Services
Panelists:
- Dr. Elizabeth Cercero, MD, FACP, FHM, Associate Professor of Medicine & Director of Climate Health, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
- Dr. Jeanne Craft, MD, FAAP, CMQ, Regional Vice President of Health Informatics & Pediatric Intensivist, RWJBarnabas Health
- Robert Kley, Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, NJ Mental Health Association
For more information, visit Heat Hub NJ summary webpage, or view the recording and transcript
On April 24, 2025, New Jersey’s Interagency Council on Climate Resilience hosted a webinar featuring a panel of emergency management and public health professionals to discuss heat wave preparedness and emergency management.
Moderator: Laura Connolly, Public Information Officer, Office of Emergency Management, New Jersey State Police.
Panelists:
- Brayden Fahey, Public Safety Director & OEM Coordinator, Hunterdon County
- Steve Sarinelli, Director of Emergency Preparedness & Business Continuity, Atlantic Health Systems
- Rebecca Sleeter, Health Officer, Department of Health & Human Services, Salem County
For more information, visit Heat Hub NJ summary webpage, or view the recording and transcript
On May 20th, 2025, at 11 A.M., New Jersey’s Interagency Council on Climate Resilience will host a webinar featuring a panel of infrastructure, energy, and transportation professionals to explore how extreme heat affects critical infrastructure systems across the state.
Moderator: Jonathan Gordon, Deputy Director, Office of Clean Energy Equity, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
Panelists:
- Dr. Thomas Bennert, Director, Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation Rutgers Asphalt Pavement Lab
- Chris Linn, Manager, Office of Climate and Environment, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
- Ed Gray, Vice President of Asset Management and Planning, Public Service Enterprise Group
To register, visit: https://njdepwptest.net/iac-built-infrastructure-webinar.
On June 18th, 2025, at 11 A.M., New Jersey’s Interagency Council on Climate Resilience will host a webinar featuring a panel of climate equity and urban sustainability experts to discuss how overburdened communities are impacted by excessive heat and strategies these communities are implementing to diminish harm.
Moderator: Kandyce Perry, Director, Office of Environmental Justice, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Panelists:
- Jackie Park Albaum, Director of Urban Agriculture, Groundwork Elizabeth
- Dr. Clint Andrews, Research Director, Center for Urban Policy Research, Rutgers University
- Nicole Hewitt Cabral, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Newark
To register, visit: https://njdepwptest.net/iac-enviro-justice-webinar.
On July 24th, 2025, at 11 A.M., New Jersey’s Interagency Council on Climate Resilience will host a webinar featuring a panel of ecology and natural resource experts to discuss the impact that extreme heat has on NJ’s ecosystems and natural spaces, specifically plants and wildlife, terrestrial and marine ecosystems, disease carrying vectors, and natural resources.
Moderator: Terry Doss, CERP, Co-Director & Chief Restoration Scientist, Meadowlands Research & Restoration Institute, New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority
Panelists:
- Dr. Samir Patel, Senior Research Biologist, Coonamessett Farm Foundation
- Dr. Jennifer Krumins, Science Director, Pinelands Preservation Alliance
- Dr. Dina Fonseca, Chair, Department of Entomology, Rutgers University
To register, visit: https://njdepwptest.net/iac-heat-eco-webinar.
The 2024 Annual Report highlights the Interagency Council’s continued efforts to implement the Climate Change Resilience Strategy. For more details, refer to the accompanying press release.
Since the release of the Climate Change Resilience Strategy in October 2021, the Interagency Council implemented activities, programs, and policies to turn that vision into action. These efforts have been summarized in the Two-Year Anniversary Accomplishments Report , published in October 2023. For more information on this publication, please see the accompanying press release.
Climate Resilience Email List
The Climate Resilience email list creates and opportunity for interested stakeholders to stay informed on all topics and projects related to Climate Resilience.
Contact
Phone Number
609-322-9500
climateresilience@dep.nj.gov
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