Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Erin Stretz is focused on water quality issues on a day-to-day basis in her position as the assistant director of Science and Stewarship at the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association.
But soon, Stretz will find out about other, equally pressing issues confronting New Jersey as she takes part in a series of “Lead New Jersey” seminars next year. She has been accepted into Lead New Jersey’s Class of 2018 as a fellow.
Lead New Jersey offers a year’s worth of monthly seminars that examine the problems and possible solutions facing the state. The goal is to sharpen the knowledge and responses of the participants through discussions with current leaders.
The sessions are held around the state, including the State House, a maximum security prison, the Pinelands and Jersey City’s port.
The fellows, as the Lead New Jersey participants are called, will gain new perspectives on the issues. They will have a chance to debate, review case studies and talk with policy and leadership experts from around the state.
The program heightens the fellows’ awareness of the breadth and depth of the issues facing New Jersey, with the goal of developing the next generation of leaders who are willing to tackle the issues.
Stretz is the third staffer from the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association to be named a fellow in Lead New Jersey. Development Director Jenny-Ann Kershner and Municipal Policy Specialist Ed DiFiglia also are Lead New Jersey alumni.
Stretz, who oversees a water quality monitoring program with citizen-scientists who volunteer their time at the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, said she appreciated the chance to become a fellow.
“Especially during these politically-turbulent times, I am grateful for the opportunity to engage in open discussions about New Jersey’s most pressing issues with such a diverse group of dynamic and influential people,” she said.
“I hope to bring water quality concerns to the forefront while gaining some perspective on other complex state issues,” Stretz said, adding that like all of the 2018 fellows, she is entering the program “with an open mind and curiosity.”
