TRENTON, N.J. – Governor Jon S. Corzine and Department of Community Affairs Acting Commissioner Susan Bass Levin today announced the appointment of Eileen Swan as the Director of New Jersey’s Office of Smart Growth, a division of DCA.

“Eileen Swan is a leader in the environmental community,” said Corzine. “Her experience as a mayor and planning board member will be a key asset in her new role.”

“Eileen is a strong environmentalist and a results-oriented leader with a deep understanding of the issues facing New Jersey,” Acting Commissioner Levin said. “Having worked with her for three years, first in her role in local government and then on the Highlands Task Force, I am confident that her knowledge of land use and conservation makes her the ideal choice to lead DCA’s Office of Smart Growth.”

Prior to her appointment, Swan served as a consultant to the New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF), where she collaborated with the Department of Environmental Protection on Garden State Greenways, a web-based GIS planning tool that promotes statewide open space and farmland preservation. As the Lebanon Township Open Space and Farmland Preservation Coordinator, Swan served as a liaison to the Hunterdon County Agricultural Development Board and was responsible for all aspects of open space and farmland acquisition in the township.

“I am very grateful to Governor Corzine and Commissioner Levin for the trust they have placed in me to be the leader of the Smart Growth team,” Swan said. “I am a firm believer in regional planning and look forward to working with all the agencies involved. My experience with municipalities should be of benefit in dealing with the many issues where Smart Growth works with them. Governor Corzine's leadership will make the difference in facing the challenges that lie ahead as we do what is best for the State of New Jersey’s citizens.”

Among her previous roles, Swan served as Lebanon Township Committeewoman from 1999 to 2004, and was the Township’s Mayor in 2000 and 2004. She has also been a member of the Lebanon Township Planning Board, the Highlands Task Force, and the League of Municipalities Environmental and Land Use Legislative Committee.

Swan co-chaired the environmental policy team for Governor Corzine’s transition team. She was also Treasurer on the Board of Directors for the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust Fund and served on the Highlands Water Planning and Protection Council, where she chaired the council’s Land Conservation sub-committee.

A resident of Lebanon Township, Swan has a post graduate education diploma and bachelor’s degrees in english literature and history from the University College of Dublin, Ireland. She is the recipient of numerous accolades including the 2005 New Jersey DEP Award for Government Leadership in Land Preservation and the 2003 New Jersey Planning Officials Award for Leadership in Land Conservation.