George S. Hawkins Director's Biography  George S. Hawkins is the director of the District Department of the Environment, an $80 million dollar agency with 300 employees. DDOE performs city, county and state environmental functions for the nation's capital. DDOE is responsible for providing energy assistance to District residents; 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. One of the Fenty Administration’s top priorities is the restoration of the Anacostia River. In keeping with this goal, Hawkins is implementing plans to transform one of the most polluted rivers in the country into an environmental gem that will drive economic revitalization in the communities surrounding it. As director of DDOE, Hawkins has led the District's efforts in 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 low-income energy assistance program, including energy conservation and home weatherization. He launched and chairs the Mayor's Green Team, which coordinates the District Government’s internal sustainability program across more than 40 agencies. Most recently, Hawkins launched the Mayor’s Green Summer Job Corps, a group of several hundred District youth who spent the summer of 2008 engaged in environmental cleanups and public education. George serves as the Chair of the Green Building Advisory Council, which oversees the implementation of the nation's most progressive green building law. He is a member of the Mayor's Green Collar Jobs Advisory Committee, and a board member of the DC Water and Sewer Authority (WASA). Prior to coming to the District, Hawkins was 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  While there, George worked with Governor Jon Corzine's office to focus development on transit stations and urban areas. Hawkins also previously served as Executive Director of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association and 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, playing 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 and his wife Tamara have two children.