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Jose Font Selected to Direct EPA’s Caribbean Environmental Protection Division

Release Date: 12/12/2012
Contact Information: Brenda Reyes, 787-977-5869, reyes.brenda@epa.gov; or Mary Mears, 212-637-3673, mears,mary@epa.gov

(San Juan, Puerto Rico) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that Jose Font has been selected to lead the EPA’s Caribbean Environmental Protection Division, covering Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The division serves as the primary liaison on environmental issues and problems with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and Territory of the Virgin Islands governments, as well as with the press, community groups, and regulated industries and authorities. The Caribbean Environmental Protection Division is comprised of about 60 people who conduct inspections, identify violations and develop enforcement actions, and implement clean water, drinking water, air, Superfund, hazardous waste, toxics and other EPA programs in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“I am so pleased to have selected Jose Font, who is truly dedicated to protecting the people and environment in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. “Jose is a remarkable person who has demonstrated that he can work with federal, commonwealth, territory and local governments to work out some of the tough environmental challenges that face the Caribbean. Jose Font will be working on a range of issues, including recycling, improving water quality and cleaning up Vieques.”

Jose Font had served as Deputy Director of the Caribbean Environmental Protection Division since February 1997. He started his career with EPA in July 1984 as a project manager in the Superfund program working in the EPA’s office in New York City. As a project manager, Jose was responsible for the assessment and remediation of Superfund sites in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In March 1987, Jose transferred to the EPA’s Caribbean Field Office where he worked both in the Superfund and enforcement programs.

Since 2000, he has served as an adjunct professor at the Universidad Del Turabo and at the Metropolitan University in Puerto Rico, where he teaches graduate environmental courses. Jose has also been a member of the External Advisory Board for the Civil Engineering Department of Universidad Politecnica de Puerto Rico. He has a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemical Engineering from University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus and a Master’s in Business Administration from Universidad del Turabo.

For more information about the EPA’s work in Puerto Rico, visit
https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/states/pr.html and for more information about the EPA’s work in the U.S. Virgin Islands, visit https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/states/vi.html.

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