Karen Chytalo

Karen Chytalo works at the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation as the Assistant Director of the Division of Marine Resources. She received her Master of Science in Marine Sciences from Stony Brook University and a Bachelor of Science in Botany and minor in Oceanography from the University of New Hampshire. As Assistant Director, she oversees the Department's ocean program including offshore wind and oil and gas planning and development, as well as marine licensing, GIS services and administration. She represents the DEC on the Mid Atlantic Regional Planning Body and chairs their Indicator Work Group. Presently, she is also overseeing the design and construction of a new Marine Resources Headquarters on Long Island. In the past, she represented the DEC on the Long Island Sound Study, Peconic Estuary Program, NY/NJ Harbor Program, chaired the NYS Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Task Force and co-chaired the NYS Climate Change Marine Habitat Work Group, and directed the state's Tidal Wetlands Program.