Commissioner Biography

Commissioner Emma Pokon

Emma Pokon joined DEC in February 2020 from the Alaska Department of Law where she most recently served as a Senior Assistant Attorney General assigned to support DEC. In her time with the Department of Law, she worked as a Special Assistant to the Attorney General, and she worked closely with the Department of Natural Resources and the Regulatory Commission of Alaska. Previously, Ms. Pokon represented the North Slope Borough in natural resource and environmental matters, and she served as a law clerk for the Fairbanks Superior Court. She earned a bachelor's degree in history with a minor in chemistry from Hamilton College. She also achieved a JD and a Master of Studies in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School.

Deputy Commissioner Christina Carpenter

Christina Carpenter has served in various roles at DEC since 2012, most recently as the Environmental Health Division Director since 2016. In her time with the Department, she has provided strategic direction and leadership across multiple programs that comprise the Division, including drinking water, solid waste, hazardous waste, nuclear facility siting, pesticides, and Alaska’s Environmental Health Laboratory. Christina previously served as Operations Manager for the Division and was responsible for guiding resource allocation across the Division’s programs to meet state-wide environmental health and protection goals. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Business Administration.