Michelle DiBrita, Town of Brookhaven
Michelle DiBrita serves as a designated representative for the Town of Brookhaven Supervisor and Commission Member Dan Panico. Currently serving as chief deputy commissioner for the Town of Brookhaven's Department of Planning, Environmental Protection and Land Management (PELM), DiBrita oversees daily operations, personnel and budgets, implementing strategic programs for optimal efficiency. She is also responsible for overseeing the environmental protection division at the Town of Brookhaven, ensuring the implementation of sustainable policies and practices for a greener future.
Over the course of her 16 years with the Town of Brookhaven, DiBrita has developed a comprehensive understanding of the fields of planning and environmental protection, with leadership roles managing special districts and spearheading long-range planning initiatives. Prior to working for PELM, DiBrita served for seven years as executive secretary to the commissioner of the Town of Brookhaven's Department of Waste Management as well as several years as chief of staff to Councilman Michael Loguercio.
Matthew Charters, Town of Riverhead
Matthew Charters serves as a designated representative for Town of Riverhead Supervisor and Commission Member Tim Hubbard. A North Fork Native, Charters currently serves as senior planner for the Town of Riverhead, where he has worked as a planner since 2017. He has also in the past been a planner for the Town of Southampton. A recipient of the 2018 Arthur Kunz Memorial Scholarship, which allowed him to attend the 2018 National Planning Conference in New Orleans, Charters also advises the Town of Riverhead’s Architectural Review Board, Planning Board, Town Board and Climate Smart Communities Task Force. He holds dual degrees from Stony Brook University: a Bachelor of Arts in history; and a Master of Arts in public policy, graduating summa cum laude and studying under Dr. Lee Koppelman.
Janice Scherer, Town of Southampton
Janice Scherer serves as a designated representative for Southampton Town Supervisor and Commission Member Maria Z. Moore. She is the Town Planning & Development Administrator for the Town of Southampton. She has served for the town in various capacities since 2003, including on the town’s Sustainability Committee, Dark Skies Committee and newly-established Water Quality Advisory Committee. Prior to her work for the town, Scherer worked for the Town of Smithtown and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Janice’s educational background in environmental science/biological science applications is from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science & Forestry program and Syracuse University. In her spare time, Scherer serves on the Board of Directors for the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, is a planning advisor to the Lake Agawam Conservancy and co-chairs the Downtown Revitalization Committee for the Town of Riverhead.
Martin Shea, Town of Southampton
Martin Shea serves as a designated representative for Southampton Town Supervisor and Commission Member Maria Z. Moore. He is Chief Environmental Analyst for the Town of Southampton. Shea has 37 years of professional and technical experience and expertise in wetland and natural resource protection and management, including comprehensive planning, biological inventory, environmental impact review, wetland permitting, wildlife habitat restoration, reforestation, plant identification, rare and endangered species protection, land preservation, coastal erosion hazard areas, native landscaping, invasive species, water quality improvement and public/private landowner education. He formerly worked for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and has degrees in wildlife science and communications/print journalism.
David A. Wilcox, Jr., Town of Southampton
David Wilcox serves as a designated representative for Southampton Town Supervisor and Commission Member Maria Z. Moore. He has served the Town’s Planning Division in various capacities since 1982 and was appointed Town Planning Director in 2006. Wilcox is also the manager of the town’s Development Right program and currently acts as liaison to the town Trail’s Advisory Committee, Agricultural Advisory Committee and Landmarks and Historic Districts Board.
Wilcox was a representative of the Town of Southampton in the preparation of the Central Pine Barrens Comprehensive Land Use Plan and a member of the Trails Working Group. In June 1993, he was one of four individuals who completed the inaugural through hike of the Paumanok Path from Rocky Point to Montauk Point over a six-day period. Outside of his professional career, Wilcox has served on the Boards of Directors of the Westhampton Beach Historical Society, the Southampton Trails Preservation Society and the Long Island Greenbelt Trails Conference. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in natural resources and environmental studies from Cornell University and completed graduate degree requirements in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University.
Jennifer Juengst, Suffolk County
Jennifer Juengst serves as a designated representative for Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine. Currently serving as Deputy County Executive for Administration, Juengst is charged with overseeing the ongoing implementation of numerous county sewer projects, the cesspool and septic replacement program and the management of a new County Wastewater Management District for all county sewers. Within the first 30 days of the new administration, Juengst worked with state and county elected officials to forge an agreement seeking amendments to provisions of the Water Quality Restoration Act. The legislation secured the public’s right to vote on a ballot measure to add a 1/8 percent sales tax and extend the current 1/4 percent sales tax to create a funding stream that will help Suffolk County make sewers and innovative alternative septic systems a reality. Juengst also represents the County Executive on other environmental matters such as coastal erosion; protection of the county’s bays, marshes, tidal areas and open space; development and infrastructure; offshore wind and solar energy; and solid waste.
Juengst has been a practicing attorney for 33 years, representing various civic organizations, neighborhood groups and the Long Island Pine Barrens Society. She served for nearly ten years as an Assistant Town Attorney for the Town of Smithtown, where she handled land use and development issues and drafted town codes addressing important policy and legal concerns. Juengst argued an important home rule and public safety case before the N.Y.S. Court of Appeals involving the state’s authority to reduce bow hunting discharge setbacks.
Juengst is a graduate of Hofstra Law School and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She is a life-long resident of Suffolk County.
Sarah Lansdale, Suffolk County
Sarah Lansdale serves as a designated representative for Suffolk County Executive and Commission Member Ed Romaine. She is the director of the Division of Planning and Environment in the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning.