Chris is the Principal Planner for the New Jersey Highlands Council.  She comes to this position with well over two decades of experience as an environmental scientist and regional land use planner in New Jersey.  Chris began her professional career as an Environmental Water Quality Specialist for IT Corporation, now known as the Shaw Group, located in Edison, NJ. While still at IT Corporation, she was named Senior Environmental Scientist, and served as the Surface Water and Sediment Quality Specialist for New York City’s Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island, NY, as well as a consultant for a broad range of private and public sector clients, including Department of Defense and Department of Energy facilities across the nation.  Most recently, Chris served as a project manager and regional land use planner for the National Center for Neighborhood and Brownfields Redevelopment, a non-profit located at the Edward. J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University.   She specializes in regional land use planning, GIS modeling analysis, community revitalization plans, and utilizing outreach and technology to build community capacity.

A former Trustee of the South Branch Watershed Association, Chris was a recipient of the Association’s “Hermia Lechner” award for outstanding volunteer service. Chris has also published several articles in academic journals focused on environmental and land use issues.  Her most recent publication, “Using a Geographic Information System (GIS) to Help Shape Redevelopment of Small Urban Centers” was featured in Partnerships for Smart Growth, published by M.E. Sharpe in 2005. 

Chris received a B.S. in Biology from Stockton State College, a M.S. in Environmental Science from Rutgers University, Cook College, and a Master of City and Regional Planning from the Bloustein School at Rutgers University.