Robert J.

Robert J. Knox Research Institute

The Robert J. Knox Research Institute (RJK) has been established as a project of the African American Environmentalist Association to continue the work that was diligently pursued by its namesake. The RJK Research Institute will publish research papers and other documents that address issues of faith and environmental justice. Mr. Knox was passionate about environmental justice issues and he was very deliberate in working on faith-based initiatives during his career. We are combining his twin interests and hope that researchers will publish thought provoking papers that will be published in a tome entitled "Faith and Environmental Justice."

Bob Knox was a friend and inspiration to AAEA as he was to many other institutions and people all over the country. Mr. Knox was the consummate professional while serving as Associate Director of the Office of Environmental Justice at the Headquarters of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He was the EPA representative at the White House Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Conferences.

Mr. Knox made everyone feel welcome at EPA and although he will be missed, we have established the RJK Research Institute to provide a vehicle to complement his unique insights and intelligence. Bob did not pursue the spotlight or even credit for his many accomplishments, but he was a dynamic force and a true hero. As a member of AAEA, Bob will always serve as an example for all of our members, staff and volunteers. Bob may not be with us anymore, but his spirit will live on through the research others will submit to the institute for publication.

Papers will be published and distributed for others to read. If you would like to submit a paper on Faith and Environmental Justice, please contact us by clicking on the link below:

The Robert J. Knox Research Institute

Faith & Environmental Justice

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Robert J. Knox, deacon, father, grandfather, uncle, cousin, husband, and best friend, died on Friday, September 9, 2008. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 12, 1930, the youngest child of William Knox and Essie Hunter. He was preceded in death by one sister, Linda, and one brother, William. He accepted Jesus Christ at an early age and was baptized and received early Christian education from his Grandmother.	On two separate occasions, Mr. Knox served as Acting Director of EPA’s Office of Civil Rights between 1980 and 1983. He also concurrently held the positions of Acting Director of the Office of Civil Rights and Acting Director of the Office of Small and Disadvantage Business Utilization from 1982-1983.
Mr. Knox had many titles. He was educated in the Philadelphia Public School system and graduated from Bartram High school. He did post graduate work at Bok Vocational High School where he earned a certificate in tailoring. With a goal to become an engineer, he pursued higher education at Temple University where he earned a Certificate in Engineering Technology, Newark College of Engineering, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Engineering Technology, and New Jersey Institute of Technology where he earned a Master of Science in Engineering. Even after retiring from the United States Environmental Protection Agency with 40 years service, he continued his education at Howard University School of Divinity pursuing a Masters of Divinity degree. He is a member of the Tau Alpha Pi National Honor Society.	Mr. Knox was a Charter Member of EPA. He began his career with EPA, accepting the position of Manpower Development and Training Officer at the Environmental Research Laboratory in Athens, Georgia. Under an EPA reorganization plan that created two additional regional offices, New York and Denver, Mr. Knox accepted the position in New York. In 1979, he received EPA’s highest honor, the Gold Medal for Exceptional Service for EPA Region II’s Construction Grants Minority Business Enterprise Program. Mr. Knox was a 1990 recipient of the New Jersey Institute of Technology Alumni of the Year Award for his accomplishments at EPA.
Mr. Knox was also a teacher and instituted a training course in the state of Pennsylvania to certify Waste Water Treatment Operators, which became a model and requirement for many cities throughout the United States. He instituted a training course for Engineer Technicians in the City of Philadelphia. The courses he created are still in use today.	Knox was active in a number of Environmental Justice Organizations and a prolific speaker on the subject of Environmental Protection and Environmental Justice. He served as a member of the Working Group under the Gore-Mbeki Bi-National Commission on Environment and Conservation; served as the Designated Federal Official, National Environmental Justice Advisory Council Public Participation and Accountability Subcommittee that developed the widely acclaimed Model Plan for Public Participation.
He also held the position of visiting Associate Professor, teaching courses in Hazardous Waste Management in the School of Civil Engineering at Howard University and as Adjunct Professor at Indiana University, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Bloomington, Indiana. He served as Manpower Development and Training Officer for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, from 1983-1986. In this position he developed the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Orientation Manual and established the state Agency Hazardous Waste Management Fellowship Program Institute at the University of Wisconsin.	Concurrently, he was the Chairman of the Board of Deacons of the Gethsemane Baptist Church in Washington, DC; Assistant Sunday School Teacher; a Lay Pastor , and a member of the DC Laymen Association.
In 1985, he was the recipient of the Association of Visual Communications Gold Award for his work as the Executive Producer of “EPA: 1984 RCRA Amendments National Teleconference.”	Mr. Knox’s hobby was clothes. He was voted “best dressed boy” in high school and named “Dapper Dan” at Gethsemane. He was always meticulously and appropriately dressed.
Robert J. Knox was the Associate Director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ). He served in this position since the office was created in 1992. He served as EPA’s FIRST Hazardous Waste and Superfund Ombudsman from 1986 to 1992. He was the EPA representative at the White House Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Conferences.	But as busy as he was with his career and his hobby, Robert’s true passion was his family. Everything he did, he did for his family. He is survived by his loving wife, Elizabeth, one son, Gordon (Hadassah), two daughters, Delores Knox-Jones and Patricia Knox-Bonner(Harold), Grandchildren, great-grand children, a host of nieces, cousins and friends.