text: Crotty begins tenure at RPI | News | troyrecord.com
  Crotty begins tenure at RPI
  TROY -- As Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's new director of community relations, Erin Crotty will work to enhance the relationship between the college, it's home city and the Capital District.
  Crotty, the first woman commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, grew up and was educated in Troy. She attended the Emma Willard School and earned her bachelor's degree in political science from Russell Sage College. She earned her master's degree in urban and environmental studies from RPI. She presently resides in Brunswick with her husband, Jay Millington.
  "Erin is widely known for her environmental leadership, but she has always remained a strong supporter of Troy, the Capital Region and Rensselaer," said William Walker, Rensselaer vice president for strategic communications and external relations. "Her history with the university and its communities, and her experience in government and business, will continue to extend the reach of the Institute beyond the borders of the campus, building the connections between Rensselaer and the communities that we all call home."
  When she begins on Monday, she will work with institute leadership to encourage and facilitate an expanded role for faculty, staff, and students in neighborhoods, Walker said. She also will bolster the connections between RPI and local governments and businesses, and foster community involvement with Rensselaer.
  At DEC, Crotty oversaw a staff of 3,300 and a budget of nearly $1 billion. With former Gov. George Pataki, she preserved more than 900,000 acres of open space. She implemented some the nation's toughest acid rain regulations and reached two agreements covering six coal-fired power plants that will achieve the largest reduction in air pollution levels ever attained through settlement.
  Crotty is currently president of the Crotty Group, a consultancy that she founded in 2005.
  Prior to becoming commissioner of DEC, she served as deputy commissioner of DEC's Divisions of Water Quality and Environmental Remediation. She also worked as the director of state and local government relations at Latham-based Plug Power.
  Crotty sits on the boards of the New York State Thruway Authority, Emma Willard School in Troy, and Audubon New York.