LSPA Presents Paul Locke, Assistant Commissioner, MassDEP with its Contribution to the Practice Award
Before an audience of over 200 people on a Zoom videoconference, the LSP Association (LSPA) honored (and surprised!) Paul Locke, Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), with its Contribution to the Practice Award.
The LSPA presents this award to an individual or organization from the public, non-profit, or private sector for outstanding contributions to the practice and advancing the profession over the previous year.
Michele Paul, LSP, LSPA President and Director of Resilience and Environmental Stewardship for the City of New Bedford said,
"Paul has long been recognized for his superb leadership skills. He is articulate, and provides clear explanations of the Department’s decisions; his thought processes, for sorting out what does and does not matter in terms of regulations, are solid; and he presents his decisions with grace and humor.
What has made this year particularly noteworthy from our perspective regarding Paul, has been his ongoing effort to help us all cope with the personally isolating and professionally challenging effects of the pandemic by maintaining contact with LSPs and other MCP stakeholders through weekly DEP “office hours.” These Thursday morning Zoom meetings provide an opportunity for participants to not only question Paul and Liz Callahan (and some of the regional directors) about issues of concern to the practice, but also to keep the lines of communication open - wide open – during these tough times."
For both continuing to exemplify practical approaches to regulatory compliance and going the extra distance to keep the MCP program alive and responsive, Paul Locke deserves this year’s Contribution to the Practice Award.
Along with some of Paul’s family, many of his MassDEP colleagues were in attendance. In addition to a reportedly “delicious with just the right about of celery” lobster roll delivered before the presentation, Paul received an award plaque from the LSPA with this inscription:
Congratulations Paul!