Acting Secretary
John Quigley

John Quigley was named Acting Secretary of DCNR by Governor Edward G. Rendell on April 3, 2009.

Quigley joined DCNR as Director of Operations in February 2005, and was named Director of Legislation and Strategic Initiatives in July 2006. He assumed the responsibilities of Chief of Staff in March 2008.

During his first four years with DCNR, Quigley closely guided some of the department’s priority projects, most importantly working to help Pennsylvania address the impacts of climate change, which is the biggest potential threat to the health of our natural resources. Quigley was an instrumental figure on alternative energy initiatives, including the impact of windmills on wildlife; the use of biomass as an alternative fuel; and most recently efforts to determine if there are suitable underground areas in the state for the geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide.

Quigley has had a diverse career in the not-for-profit, public, and private sectors. He was the founding executive director of a non-profit economic development corporation in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, and then served eight years as Mayor of the City of Hazleton. He has held a number of management positions with two industry-leading companies in the private sector, and was an evening instructor in Economics at the Hazleton Campus of the Pennsylvania State University. He also wrote a weekly public affairs column for the Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Times-Leader newspaper.

Immediately prior to joining DCNR, Quigley served as Government Relations Manager with Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture), a statewide public interest organization based in Harrisburg.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Bloomsburg University, and a Master of Public Administration degree from Lehigh University. He has done additional graduate work in business and economics.