Alan J. Steinberg, a former senior federal environmental official and public policy expert, will visit St. Bonaventure University from April 13–24 as the 2026 Lenna Endowed Visiting Professor.

During his visit, Steinberg will deliver the Lenna Lecture “Academic Freedom and Tolerance: The Higher Education Challenge of This Decade” at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 21, in the Doyle Conference Center.

Free and open to the public, the talk is the highlight of Steinberg’s two-week residency, part of the Lenna program sponsored by Jamestown Community College and St. Bonaventure.

Steinberg, who has taught at Monmouth University and Saint Peter’s University, has written columns on academic freedom issues and plans to draw on that work in his lecture.

Dr. Rich Lee, a professor in St. Bonaventure’s Jandoli School of Communication, nominated Steinberg for the professorship.

“Alan has had a long and distinguished career in public policy. St. Bonaventure is fortunate that he is taking time to share his expertise and insight with both campuses and the broader community,” Lee said.

Steinberg served as regional administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 2 from 2005 to 2009, overseeing environmental programs affecting more than 30 million residents across New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and eight federally recognized Indian Nations. He managed a staff of nearly 1,000 professionals and a budget of approximately $750 million, leading major initiatives, including the cleanup of significant waterways, improvements to air and water quality, and advancements in waste management.

He also made history by successfully restoring the Upper Ringwood Mines site in New Jersey to the Superfund National Priorities List — the first time a previously delisted site had been reinstated.

Prior to his EPA leadership, Steinberg held senior roles in federal and New Jersey state government, including regional advocate for the U.S. Small Business Administration and executive director of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission.

A trained attorney, he began his career in the U.S. Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps and later practiced law in both private and corporate settings. He remains an active commentator and writer on public policy and government affairs, including his “The Voice of Dynamic Political Centrism” Substack column and podcast.

During his visit, Steinberg will speak in a number of classes at St. Bonaventure, including management and organizational behavior, environmental education, public policy, sociology and international political economy.

Drawing on his tenure at the EPA, Steinberg will meet with and address St. Bonaventure’s Student Government Association with a talk titled “The Challenge of Earth Day 2026: Accelerating the Pace of Environmental Protection While Maintaining our Nation’s Economic Competitiveness.” In addition, he will hold a professional development session for university students interested in working in public policy, meet with local legislators, and tour the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown.

The Lenna Endowed Visiting Professorship, established in 1990, is funded through gifts from the late Betty S. Lenna Fairbank and Reginald A. Lenna of Jamestown. The program is designed to bring scholars of stature in their field to St. Bonaventure and JCC for public lectures and campus engagement. 

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #8 for value and #19 overall by U.S. News and World Report (2025).