♦ Sustainable Long Island announced today the appointment of Amy Engel as its new Executive Director; responsible for overseeing and managing the organization’s staff and day-to-day operations, including programs, finance, public relations, and fundraising. Engel, whose appointment is effective immediately, is the third full-time Executive Director in Sustainable Long Island’s history.
“Amy has the combination of skills, experience, and dedication to lead Sustainable Long Island in advancing economic development, environmental health, and social equity across the region” said Ruth Negron-Gaines, Sustainable Long Island Board President. “We are thrilled to have such a capable and deeply committed Executive Director moving us forward as the premier community planning organization on Long Island.”
Engel most recently worked at the Suffolk County Executive Office as a Senior Management Analyst for the Executive Budget Office and as the County Executive Assistant to the Chief Deputy County Executive.
As Senior Management Analyst, Engel’s responsibilities included researching policy directives and preparing cost benefit analyses for new initiatives, writing, monitoring, and approving requisitions, contracts, conferences, transfers, grant appropriations, and collaborating on development of the Operating and Capital budgets.
As County Executive Assistant to the Chief Deputy County Executive, Engel successfully advanced community development projects and facilitated municipal interaction, land use and development initiatives, and streamlined grant administration processes. She also has experience in advocacy; developing state and federal legislative agendas for the County, as well as special event planning and fundraising.
“As someone who has worked both inside and outside of government, I have long appreciated Sustainable Long Island’s unique role and impressive accomplishments of bringing together community members and government officials,” said Engel. “I’m excited and eager to begin what I believe will be a long and fulfilling journey advancing sustainable development across Long Island.”
Prior to her employment at the County, Engel held additional important and responsible positions including being Consultant of Community Development for the KeySpan Corporation, the Executive Director of the Greater Long Island Clean Cities Coalition, and the Deputy Director of Government Affairs with the Long Island Association. Engel holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Dowling College and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She succeeds Interim Executive Director, Rosalba M. Messina and former Executive Director, Sarah Lansdale; who held the position for seven years after following Patrick Duggan as the initial Executive Director of the organization.
Sustainable Long Island facilitates downtown revitalization efforts in numerous communities, advises elected officials at all levels, links tens of millions of dollars in investment with communities in need, and has emerged as the regional leader in brownfield redevelopment and food access projects. Most consistently, Sustainable Long Island continues to promote the concept of sustainable development – a model of economic growth that will protect Long Island’s diverse people and resources– to thousands of Long Islanders.
