Keri Benscoter - Township Committeewoman

Community Service:

Keri volunteers her time in various organizations. She has served on the Township of Green Brook’s Environmental Commission since 2007, serving as Vice-Chair in 2008 and currently, and as Chair in 2009. While serving on the Environmental Commission, Keri obtained grants for the township’s new Environmental Resources Inventory and a township-wide Energy Audit. Currently, she is inventorying Heritage Trees of the township for inclusion in the ERI. She is a founding member of Green Brook’s Green Design Group, a sub-committee to Township Committee formed to advise township officials and residents on green initiatives and energy conservation measures. The Green Design Group has held numerous public information sessions and three Green Fairs. The 2009 Green Fair attracted over 40 vendors and 650 visitors.

Keri has lived in Green Brook since 1998 with her husband and three children. All of her children have attended the schools in the district.

Education:

Keri received her Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resource Management and Applied Ecology from Rutgers University/Cook College.  She is also a NJ Certified Teacher of High School Science and is certified by The Cloud Institute in Education for Sustainability.

Professional Background:

Keri Benscoter is a Resource Management Specialist at the New Jersey Highlands Council, with a background in rare, threatened and endangered species habitat evaluation and extensive environmental consulting experience. Much of her work was for a range of both government and private sector clients such as the Air Force, Army, New Jersey Turnpike Authority and Department of Energy. The projects she was responsible for included surveys and inventories of project sites for presence of RT&E species as well as full catalogs of fauna and flora. Additional experience includes extensive environmental sampling at locations across the country such as Mississippi, Maine, Hawaii, Colorado, California and New Jersey.

In addition, she performed over 100 Phase I Environmental Assessments for banking clients across the country and numerous asbestos and lead paint investigations.