Biography
Olivia Glenn was appointed as EPA Region 2’s Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor for Equity in March 2022. In these roles, Ms. Glenn helps oversee regional staff and guides EPA Region 2’s efforts to embed environmental justice and diversity goals into all of its work.
Prior to EPA, Ms. Glenn most recently served as Deputy Commissioner of Environmental Justice and Equity for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. At NJDEP, Olivia previously led the department’s Division of Parks and Forestry, appointed in 2018 as its director and managing its 450,000 acres of natural and historic resources. From 2003 to 2009, she worked as the Division’s Urban Initiatives and Outreach Coordinator and subsequently served as special assistant to the DEP Deputy Commissioner. Olivia later was a member of the DEP’s Environmental Justice Advisory Council, leading its efforts in outreach, education and land management.
Olivia also has worked with the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, making outdoor spaces and trails more readily available to Greater Philadelphia residents, especially people living in Camden. In 2018, the Camden Collaborative Initiative honored her with the Camden Environmental Hero Award. As an NJDEP Deputy Commissioner, Olivia was responsible for advancing state environmental justice and diversity, equity and inclusion goals.
A longtime advocate of ensuring underserved communities have access to the outdoors, Olivia believes all people have a right to experience and enjoy the benefits of nature.
Olivia earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Dartmouth College. She holds a master’s degree from the Yale School of the Environment, where she wrote her master's thesis on park revitalization in Camden. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors, as well as singing and playing the flute, piano and bassoon. Olivia is married and has three children.