The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton announced four key appointments to leadership positions.
Sanjay Seth was appointed as DEC’s deputy commissioner for climate, air and energy. Seth most recently served as chief of staff and senior advisor for climate and equity for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 1, where he advanced policies and programs that supported climate action and environmental justice in New England. Over his career, Seth also worked on municipal climate resilience projects for the cities of Boston and New York and lectured on climate, urban planning and public policy at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design.
Patrick Foster will continue to serve DEC as our new deputy commissioner for sustainable development. In this role he will now oversee DEC’s Division of Environmental Permits and Regional Affairs in addition to his work overseeing the Divisions of Materials Management, Environmental Remediation and Mineral Resources and the Office of Sustainability. Foster will also serve as executive lead for Special Projects within the Sustainable Development portfolio. He started with DEC in 2013 as an assistant regional attorney in Region 9, before becoming an attorney in DEC’s Central Office, where he helped establish the multidisciplinary Natural Resource Damages Section in the Office of General Counsel. Foster also served as DEC Region 2 regional director and Regional Attorney and recently served as DEC’s acting general counsel.
Logan Hardy was appointed as director of DEC’s Office of State Legislative Affairs. Hardy joined DEC in 2022 as a legislative analyst and has served as deputy director of State Legislative Affairs since 2023. He will oversee managing DEC’s State legislative agenda and advocating for environmental priorities, as well as communicating on behalf of the agency with the New York State Legislature. Over the past year, Hardy was responsible for coordinating DEC’s budget proposals, including the reauthorization of the $1.25 billion State Superfund cleanup program. Prior to joining DEC, Hardy served as a legislative director and analyst to the chair and committee clerk for the State Assembly Judiciary Committee.
Emily Lenney was appointed deputy director of the Office of State Legislative Affairs. Lenney joined DEC as a legislative analyst in 2023. She coordinates with DEC staff to develop draft legislative and administrative positions and communicate with the Legislature on constituent inquiries and updates. Prior to joining DEC, Lenney served as a legislative budget analyst for the New York State Assembly Ways and Means Committee.
Published September 2025
