Senate Approves Barrington's Coit for DEM Director

Barrington’s Janet Coit has been approved unanimously by the state Senate as the new director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

The Senate approved Coit’s nomination by Gov. Lincoln Chafee on Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 15. The approval completes her transition from state director of the Rhode Island chapter of The Nature Conservancy to acting director since early January to director of the DEM.

"I didn't know what to expect," Coit said of the approval process. "I really had no expectations."

She added, though: "I enjoyed it, and found it very valuable" to get to know many of the legislators. "It was very fair and very positive."

Barrington Sen. David Bates made the motion to approve her nomination, Coit said.

Coit, 47, has lived on Telford Road in the Country Club Plat for more than 10 years. Her husband, Peter Regan, teaches and runs an M.B.A. math-preparation program out of an office in Warren. They have two children at the Barrington Middle School, Joe, 14, and Nina, 12.

Coit earned her law degree at Stanford University in California in 1994. She earned a B.A. in English at Dartmouth College in 1985.

Coit has ties to the Chafee family that date back to working as a legal counsel for the late Sen. John Chafee on the Committee on Environment and Public Works in Washington, D.C.  She then worked in a similar role for the governor when he was elected to fill his father's Senate seat.

Coit began working for The Nature Conservancy in 2001. She became its state director in 2003, and grew very familiar with DEM and its staff over the years.

"I worked closely with DEM because our goals were similar,” she said soon after she was nominated by Gov. Chafee last December. “Preserve habitat for wildlife. Make sure there is plenty of clean water. Manage public land."

As acting director, Coit said, she has found that the "DEM staff is really devoted" with a lot of "positive energy" despite seeing the budget cut and staff shrunk in recent years.

The environmental agency has a staff of 392; oversees 123 natural sites, including state parks, beaches, and campgrounds, and has a budget of $93 million.

Coit believes her strengths include more than 20 years of working on environmental issues, particularly environmental policy, and her familiarity with managing processes.

Coit also feels strongly that the state's environment is not a luxury for everyone just to enjoy. She sees it as an integral component of the economy, particularly the state’s fishing, tourism, agriculture, and renewable energy industries.