Gov. Tom Wolf, D-Pa., recently honored Mark Hand, energy program specialist at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), with a Governor’s Award for Excellence for his leadership in preparing the commonwealth for broader use of electric vehicles (EVs).
Hand developed, managed and chaired the Drive Electric PA Coalition – comprising more than 100 federal, state and local stakeholders – to help prepare state agencies, governments, businesses and residents for an expected wave of EVs and charging infrastructure.
“This coalition was a first of its kind for DEP’s Energy Programs Office and directly resulted in valuable input that will undoubtedly guide state agencies, utility programs and local governments that are developing electric vehicle strategies. Pennsylvania is more prepared to support EV technology, which will combat climate change and make the air in our commonwealth cleaner,” says Patrick McDonnell, DEP secretary. “I’m extremely proud of Mark’s leadership and his contributions to our department, and I want to congratulate him for receiving this prestigious and much-deserved award.”
Hand oversaw the creation and delivery of the “Pennsylvania Electric Vehicle Roadmap,” a multi-sector strategy designed to enable Pennsylvania to maximize the environmental and economic benefits of widespread EV adoption. He worked with the coalition to ensure the plan reflected the input of a broad range of stakeholders and policymakers.
Additionally, Hand has taken a leadership role as the common point of contact in Pennsylvania for Alternative Fuel Vehicle incentive programs and for the designation of alternative fuel corridors in Pennsylvania by the Federal Highway Administration. He also has served as a state representative to the National Governors Association Regional Electric Vehicle Workgroups and the Transportation Climate Initiative’s Technical Workgroup.
Wolf presented Governor’s Awards for Excellence to 49 employees representing eight commonwealth agencies. The awards recognize employees for exemplary job performance or service that reflects initiative, leadership, innovation and increased efficiency.
