Introduction

[Monty Elder <monty.elder@deq.state.ok.us>]

Hi!  I am Monty Elder from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.  I am the Risk Communication Supervisor for DEQ.  My duties include coordination of public participation across the agency including citizen involvement in permitting and clean-up decisions as well as community right-to-know activities.  Since 1992, I have had the priviledge of participating in over two hundred public meetings, facilitating citizen workgroups, developing outreach materials, and spending many hours one on one with concerned citizens.  DEQ is committed to citizen involvemnt and participation in our processes, and as such, I am always looking for ways to improve and broaden our activities in this area.  I particuarly hope to get new ideas on involving hard to reach segments of the community, how to increase awareness of the initial public notices especially in permitting and siting activities, and how to measure success in public involvment.  My experience is that public involvment has not only produced better decisions by the agency but has also provided me with wonderful opportunities for personal growth and friendships across the state.