August 12, 2024

New Appointees to Serve as Chief Liaisons for Each Borough, Responding to Community Concerns and Promoting DEP Initiatives

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has appointed three Borough Commissioners to serve as chief liaisons for community members, stakeholders and elected officials in Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx.

Alfonso Lopez will serve as Borough Commissioner for Queens, Mario Bruno will serve as Borough Commissioner for Staten Island, and Eleftheria Ardizzone will serve as Borough Commissioner for the Bronx.

These newly created positions will work closely with elected officials, community boards, neighborhood associations, environmental groups, sports and cultural organizations, and other interested stakeholders to address community concerns. They will coordinate with city, state, and federal agencies to deliver services to their constituents while supporting key DEP initiatives, including: the advancement of critical capital projects that address flooding; the monitoring of air and noise issues; and assisting property owners and all DEP customers.

Borough Commissioners will also keep the DEP Commissioner and senior leadership apprised on issues concerning projects, personnel, programs, and facilities within their respective boroughs:

• Alfonso Lopez, Queens—Mr. Lopez most recently served as Chief of Staff for the NYC Mayor’s Office of City Legislative Affairs, where he worked with a variety of agencies to advance mayoral priorities. Before that, he worked for a decade in federal government as a legislative assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives, and as Associate Director for Legislative Affairs for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Queens-related inquires can be sent to QueensDEP@dep.nyc.gov.
• Mario Bruno, Staten Island—Mr. Bruno has served as Assistant Commissioner for Intergovernmental Affairs at DEP since 2013. In this role, he has advised on the development and implementation of agency strategies for critical projects and initiatives. He first joined DEP in 2013 and has been actively involved in the management of DEP-related constituent cases from elected officials, community boards, and civil associations, specifically within Staten Island. Staten Island-related inquires can be sent to StatenIslandDEP@dep.nyc.gov.
• Eleftheria Ardizzone, the Bronx—Ms. Ardizzone currently serves as Deputy Director of Community Affairs at DEP, where she has spent nearly 20 years liaising with local, state, and federal agencies, advisory boards, community boards, civic associations, and environmental groups. She currently handles DEP’s Bronx-specific community affairs and comes to the Borough Commissioner role with strong local stakeholder relationships. Bronx-related inquires can be sent to BronxDEP@dep.nyc.gov.

DEP is still conducting a search for borough commissioners for Brooklyn and Manhattan. Job postings for these positions can be found by going to cityjobs.nyc.gov (Brooklyn Job ID #643175 and Manhattan Job ID #643170).

Brooklyn-related inquires can be sent to BrooklynDEP@dep.nyc.gov.

Manhattan-related inquires can be sent to ManhattanDEP@dep.nyc.gov.

About the NYC Department of Environmental Protection

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing approximately 1 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water each day to nearly 10 million residents, including 8.8 million in New York City. The water is delivered from a watershed that extends more than 125 miles from the city, comprising 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes. Approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels and aqueducts bring water to homes and businesses throughout the five boroughs, and 7,500 miles of sewer lines and 96 pump stations take wastewater to 14 in-city treatment plants. DEP also protects the health and safety of New Yorkers by enforcing the Air and Noise Codes and asbestos rules. DEP has a robust capital program, with a planned $29 billion in investments over the next 10 years. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter.