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Jack Bowen has worked for more than three decades to protect the environment, and now he is the Maryland Department of the Environment’s Employee of the Year.
Bowen, Manager of Regulatory Programs in MDE’s Water Management Administration, has played a key role in the Department’s efforts to make its compliance program more consistent and effective. Bowen, who was one of four finalists for the honor, learned that he had been named Employee of the Year during a ceremony October 6 at MDE’s Baltimore headquarters.
“This was a wonderful surprise and great honor for me and is certainly the highlight of my 36-year career with the State in environmental regulatory programs,” Bowen said. “Any success I may have is due in large part to the support of my family and coworkers, which has enabled me to do the work that was needed during all the years on the job.”
He was honored for helping to develop and implement standard, Department-wide procedures for compliance, among other accomplishments. He worked with staff in MDE's Water Supply and Dam Safety programs to implement inspection procedures, and he provided crucial guidance in the Department's move to better utilize electronic data.
MDE has made a consistent baseline of enforcement activity a priority, in order to ensure a level playing field for Maryland's regulated community.
Bowen received a Bachelor’s degree in forestry from the University of Tennessee. He began his career with the Department of Natural Resources, where he performed inspection and compliance activities in the areas of oil control, erosion and sediment control, stormwater management, and waterway construction. He joined MDE when the agency was created in 1987 and was Administrator of the Compliance Program from 1988 to 2006. He was then tapped to use his experience and knowledge more broadly in the Water Management Administration.
Three other outstanding employees were also recognized as nominees for the award:
Yen-Der Cheng, an engineer and Division Chief in the Water Management Administration whose expertise has significantly contributed to addressing permit issues relating to the waterway pollution diets known as Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs).
Donald (Lee) Currey, an engineer and Program Manager in the Science Services Administration who provides watershed modeling expertise and has played a key role in developing Maryland’s plan to restore the Chesapeake Bay by 2020.
Roger Thunell, an engineer and Division Chief in the Air & Radiation Management Administration, who is widely recognized as an expert in air pollution emissions inventories.
More than 250 other MDE employees were recognized for reaching milestone years of service with state government. Topping this list was Carolyn Kuciara, an administrative assistant in the Department’s fiscal services office, who was honored for her 45 years of service.
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