It’s getting to that time of year again. The Jersey Coast Anglers Association will be hosting its annual “Sportsperson-of-the-Year” awards dinner/dance as a fundraiser on Sunday, November 19, 2006 from 4:00-9:00 p.m. at the Crystal Point Yacht Club, RT. 70 & River Rd, Point Pleasant, NJ. We will honor this year and past years' recipients of our “Sportsperson-of-the-Year” award. Past honorees include legislators, environmental leaders, outdoor writers and other worthy recipients.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Lisa Jackson, Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection.

About the Commissioner by Tom Fote

The first time I met Lisa Jackson, she and her husband were fishing with their children at Pequest Hatchery on the opening day of trout season.  Mark Taylor and I had an opportunity to fish with her and her family.  This year at the Governor’s Tournament Lisa brought not only her own family but seven more children and their parents.  What a treat to have a commissioner who understands that fishing is a great family activity! 

As Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Lisa P. Jackson leads a staff of 3,400 professionals dedicated to protecting, sustaining and enhancing New Jersey’s water, air and land, and preserving its wealth of natural and historic resources.

Before her nomination by Governor Jon S. Corzine, Jackson served as the DEP’s Assistant Commissioner for Land Use Management during 2005. Jackson joined the DEP in March 2002 as Assistant Commissioner of Compliance and Enforcement after 16 years with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), initially at its headquarters in Washington and more recently at its regional office in New York City.

As the state’s chief environmental enforcer, Jackson led groundbreaking compliance sweeps in Camden and Paterson, communities in which the effects of pollution on public health had long been neglected. She launched the environmental initiative following multicultural outreach efforts to inform and involve community residents and businesses. Working with county officials, State Police and the EPA, the DEP then mobilized more than 70 inspectors to conduct upward of 1,000 compliance investigations in the two cities, the first of a series of enforcement sweeps.  During her tenure at the EPA, Jackson worked in the federal Superfund site remediation program, developing key hazardous waste cleanup regulations, overseeing hazardous waste cleanup projects throughout central New Jersey and directing multimillion-dollar cleanup operations.

A native of New Orleans, Jackson earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Princeton University. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Tulane University’s School of Chemical Engineering.  Jackson resides in East Windsor. She is married to Kenny Jackson and is the proud mother of two wonderful sons.

Individual tickets are $60 each and tables of 10 are $500, which is a $100 savings. This gala event will accommodate 300 supporters and friends for a semi-formal sit-down dinner with choice of entrees and cash bar. So get a group together from your club or organization and come to the dinner/dance and have a great time. Don’t forget your partner. That’s right. Treat your mate (you know the one who waits for you at home or on the dock all summer) to an evening to remember at the beautiful Crystal Point Yacht Club. Enjoy an excellent three-course meal, Door Prizes and a DJ. Share stories of fishing and bid on one of the many fantastic theme baskets on display.

We need door prizes and Chinese Auction and Silent Auction prizes, so if you or your club would like to donate a prize, please contact me, Paul Turi, at (609) 597-3193.  Dan Miller will be co-chairing the event and tickets can be obtained by calling Dan at (609) 641-7821.