Kathleen Moser named assistant DEC commissioner

A longtime conservationist has been named assistant commissioner for natural resources at the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Kathleen Moser was picked to replace Christopher Amato, who left the post earlier this month after four and a half years on the job.

Moser’s new responsibilities include oversight of the Forest Preserve in the Adirondacks and Catskills.

Adirondack Council spokesman John Sheehan applauded the appointment.

“She’s a capable person and has a good knowledge of the Forest Preserve, especially in the Adirondacks,” he said.

Neil Woodworth, executive director of the Adirondack Mountain Club, got to know Moser when she was head of the eastern New York chapter of the Nature Conservancy.

“She worked very hard with us to promote the Environmental Protection Fund and was an important ally as we tried to secure funds for land protection,” Woodworth said.

In recent years, Moser has worked for the World Wildlife Fund as well, according to her LinkedIn profile. Just before taking the DEC job, she had served on the boards of the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy and the Capital District chapter of the New York League of Conservation Voters.

Moser has two degrees from Duke University, a bachelor’s in botany and a master’s in forest productivity.