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DNREC announces new deputy secretary, chief of staff

December 15, 2017

Secretary Shawn M. Garvin has announced that the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control welcomed two new staff members Dec. 11: Deputy Secretary Lisa Borin Ogden, and a new chief of staff to the DNREC secretary, Kristin Barnekov-Short, who both bring with them extensive experience in the fields of the environment and government.

Most recently, Ogden worked as the director of the Victims' Compensation Assistance Program and a deputy attorney general in the Delaware Department of Justice. In that role, she advised the attorney general on funding and proposed legislation, and worked with the General Assembly, the community and the courts.

Prior to her service with the State of Delaware, Ogden worked as a special assistant to President Obama, advising the president and senior leadership on presidential appointments to the departments of Energy, Transportation and Interior, as well as in several independent agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Council on Environmental Quality, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the National Transportation Safety Board.

She served for nine years as a legislative assistant to then-Sen. Joseph R. Biden, focusing on energy, the environment, transportation and agriculture. Earlier in her career, she was general counsel and director of development for a nonprofit corporation. Ogden earned her Juris Doctor Degree from Syracuse University School of Law, and a bachelor of arts from Emory University.

Barnekov-Short received her master's degree in public administration, specializing in environmental policy, from the University of Delaware, College of Urban Affairs and Public Policy. She is an administrative professional with more than 23 years of experience in the areas of management and operations of a Delaware-based business.

Barnekov-Short also worked as a legislative aide to the Delaware State Senate, a management analyst for DNREC, and a research assistant to the Delaware Public Administration Institute. She will be responsible for the coordinating daily operations for the Office of the Secretary, working closely with division directors and outside stakeholders.

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