U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Recognizes Anahita Williamson

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Anahita Williamson

Anahita Williamson, director of New York State Pollution Prevention Institute at RIT, is being recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for her leadership and significant contributions to greening New York state.

Williamson is the recipient of the EPA’s 2012 Environmental Quality Award.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Environmental and Public Works Committee, congratulated Williamson for winning the award. Gillibrand nominated Williamson this past February.

“I congratulate Dr. Williamson for her dedication to securing a cleaner New York,” says Gillibrand. “From improving the region’s quality of life to successfully reducing our carbon footprint, Dr. Williamson will help lead the way toward a green energy future for our state and our country.”

“We are thrilled to see Anahita receive this important recognition for her efforts to help companies reduce their environmental footprint while at the same time helping them to lower their costs and improve their bottom line,” says Nabil Nasr, assistant provost and director of Golisano Institute of Sustainability. “She has provided exceptional leadership for the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute in the Golisano Institute for Sustainability at RIT and is an outstanding engineer as well as an important role model. I am proud to have her as a colleague. We are very grateful to Senator Gillibrand for nominating Anahita for this prestigious award.”

As director of the NYSP2I, a statewide research and technology transfer center funded by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Williamson has extensive experience in the field of environmental engineering. Prior to joining NYSP2I, she served as a senior engineer at Xerox Corp. where she assisted in implementing companywide sustainability and pollution prevention processes. Williamson has a B.S. in chemical engineering and an M.S. and Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from Clarkson University.

The Rochester Institute of Technology and its partner universities, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Clarkson University, and the University of Buffalo, along with the state’s 10 regional technology development centers together comprise the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute, helping businesses across the state successfully reduce their carbon footprint. The vision for the NYSP2I is to foster the growth of New York’s sustainable businesses and organizations and to make New York a leader in environmental stewardship.

Awards will be formally presented to New York organizations in a ceremony on April 27 at the EPA Regional Headquarters in New York City.