A 29-year veteran of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Mark Lowery has served as a climate policy analyst in DEC’s Office of Climate Change since its formation in 2007. He previously worked as a senior wildlife biologist, regional citizen participation specialist and chief of DEC’s Bureau of Public Outreach. Since joining the Office of Climate Change, his principal areas of responsibility have included leading public outreach for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Sea Level Rise Task Force and climate action planning. Mark currently serves as the coordinator of the Office of Climate Change’s Adaptation and Municipal Support Group, which includes oversight of the Climate Smart Communities program and implementation of the Community Risk and Resiliency Act. Mark holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pa. and a master’s degree in environmental and forest biology from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, N.Y.