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Patrick Foster
Deputy Commissioner for Sustainable Development
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Patrick Foster is an attorney and Deputy Commissioner for Sustainable Development for the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). In this role, Patrick supports the Office of Sustainability, Regional Affairs and Divisions of Environmental Remediation, Materials Management, Mineral Resources, and Environmental Permits at DEC. He has held multiple roles at DEC, including Acting General Counsel , Regional Director for Region 2, covering the five boroughs of New York City, Regional Attorney in Region 2, and Chief of the Natural Resource Damages Section in the Office of General Counsel. Patrick has taught environmental policy at St. John’s University and Administrative Law at CUNY School of Law where he currently teaches Environmental Law. He is a graduate of Indiana University, Bloomington and received his J.D. and M.A. from the City University of New York.