Former top Philly official Rich Negrin is Josh Shapiro’s pick to lead the Pa. Department of Environmental Protection

Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro on Tuesday named a onetime top official in former Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter’s administration to lead the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Rich Negrin would be the first Latino secretary of the DEP, a cabinet-level position, Shapiro said. Negrin served as managing director and deputy mayor of administration under Nutter from 2010 to 2016.

Shapiro, a Democrat, on Tuesday also nominated the current secretaries of the Departments of Agriculture and Conservation and Natural Resources — Russell Redding and Cindy Dunn, respectively — to continue in those positions.

“Our Commonwealth needs leaders who can manage these agencies’ critical work — from protecting Pennsylvania’s beautiful state parks, forests, and trails, to carrying out a bold, comprehensive climate and energy plan that will grow our economy, protect and create jobs, and safeguard Pennsylvanians’ constitutional right to clean air and pure water,” Shapiro said in a statement.

Negrin most recently worked as a vice president at Commonwealth Edison, the largest electric utility in Illinois, handling regulatory policy and strategy. In a news release, Shapiro’s transition team said Negrin “led efforts to increase the use of renewable energy, spur the adoption of electric vehicles, and increase energy efficiency.”

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Negrin is likely to face scrutiny from the GOP-controlled Senate over Shapiro’s position on Pennsylvania’s potential participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a multistate program that imposes prices on power plants’ carbon dioxide emissions.

Outgoing Gov. Tom Wolf joined the carbon emissions compact, but GOP leaders and power plants sued to fight the regulation. The litigation is pending. During the gubernatorial campaign, Shapiro expressed concern that Wolf’s plan could hurt the state’s energy industry and job creation. As attorney general in 2021, Shapiro found Wolf’s plan was lawful, drawing criticism from Republicans.

In a statement, Negrin said he would “work diligently to bring people together and ensure the Department works efficiently and we effectively serve all Pennsylvanians in pursuit of a safer, healthier future.”

Negrin is the son of Cuban immigrants who fled Fidel Castro’s regime in 1961. He graduated from Rutgers University for law school and worked as an assistant prosecutor in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office from 1995 to 2000. Negrin ran unsuccessfully for DA in 2017.

Nutter first appointed Negrin interim executive director of the city’s Board of Revision of Taxes, where he overhauled the agency’s management structure.

As managing director, he oversaw an array of departments dealing with human resources, fleet management, public property, and Philly Rising, a program aimed at helping neighborhoods experiencing significant crime.

Patrick McDonnell, a former DEP secretary under Wolf who’s now CEO of the nonprofit PennFuture, said Negrin’s “municipal policy and clean energy expertise will be vital toward developing a sustainable climate future that is equitable and supports family-sustaining jobs.”

McDonnell also praised Shapiro for retaining Dunn and Redding as secretaries of their respective departments, saying it shows “a dedication to continuing the Commonwealth’s significant progress conserving our natural resources, funding clean water initiatives, and supporting farmers in the transition to more sustainable management practices.”

Cabinet nominees are subject to confirmation by the state Senate.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the departments led by Russell Redding and Cindy Dunn.