Alexandra Ambrose (BS '21)
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I always knew I loved the environment and wanted to protect it. I also knew I did not want to do field work, which left me feeling a bit lost among my classmates! After a career spotlight session in Dave Wheeler’s Environmental Communications class, I applied on a whim to New Jersey League of Conservation Voters (LCV) for an internship. LCV is a nonprofit that advocates for the environment in both political and non-political ways. My experience there was absolutely transformative. I fell in love with environmental policy and politics, and eventually landed a full-time job as their Policy Assistant. While at LCV, I met with state lawmakers, lobbied members of Congress, testified in front of committees, and shaped environmental policy in the state of New Jersey. I helped pass laws such as the Clean Energy Law, the Flood Reduction Act, and the Preserve New Jersey Act. My background in EENR helped me become invaluable to my organization, as I could take complex scientific and environmental concepts and boil them down to digestible pieces of information that my non-scientist colleagues and our audience could easily understand.
I now proudly work at the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC), and continue to work closely with LCV along with nearly every other environmental organization in the state. I specialize in clean water policy both statewide and in the New Jersey Highlands region. Most recently, I worked to draft language and strengthen provisions in the Plastic Pollution Reduction Law, which bans all single-use plastic bags and styrofoam, and reduces paper bags and plastic straws. I also serve on a stakeholder group with the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to incorporate the effects of climate change into water policy, especially around preventing flooding and pollution. My EENR education helps me understand the DEP’s scientific data and translate it into sound environmental policy that will help our state - and our world - become a cleaner, safer place.
While continuing my work at ANJEC, I plan to pursue my Master’s through the Executive Master’s of Public Administration program at Rutgers Camden. I hope to continue my career as an environmental policy expert and to eventually become a respected advocate of sound environmental policy in the state. It is truly thanks to my undergraduate education at Rutgers that I was able to nurture and grow my love of nature, and that love is the foundation of my entire career.
