Speaker Biographies

Haley Ahlers, Ramboll
hahlers@ramboll.com
Haley Ahlers is a managing consultant in Ramboll’s St. Louis office with seven years of consulting experience focused on Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reporting and auditing as well as air permitting and compliance. Her TRI experience covers multiple sectors, including pipe forging and metal machining, refineries, aerospace manufacturing, poultry processing, pulp and paper mills, specialty chemical manufacturing, and more. Haley has assisted with the submission of over 200 routine TRI reports and has completed over 20 retro-active TRI audits, each of which resulted in up to five years of corrected reports being submitted through self-disclosure using USEPA’s Audit Policy. Her deep understanding of TRI regulations and passion for Environmental Justice allows her to educate clients on how their TRI data are being used and why pollution prevention measures and accurate reporting is becoming ever more important.

Michael Alowitz, GHD
michael.alowitz@ghd.com
Mike has been a consulting engineer for over 20 years. His primary work areas include environmental remediation, Superfund, coal-fired power plants, and NPDES permitting. From his work in the coal-fired power industry Mike has witnessed compliance challenges and energy transition impacts first hand. Closures have presented opportunities for implementation of greener technologies due to existing grid connection infrastructure. Mike is currently manages a large, complex Superfund site in a fractured bedrock environment in Iowa. Mike has a B.S. in Environmental Science from State University of New York at Plattsburgh, and an M.S. Environmental Engineering and an M.B.A. from the University of Iowa.

Samantha Anderson, Peabody Energy
SAnderson2@peabodyenergy.com
Samantha Anderson is the Director of Environmental Policy & ESG for Peabody Energy.  Throughout her career, she has supported mining operations in environmental compliance, permitting and management system development, as well as state and federal environmental policy and ESG program development.  In her current role, she leads the ESG program for Peabody mining operations throughout the US and Australia.  Samantha holds BS and MS degrees in Chemistry from Middle Tennessee State University.

Jay Antle, Johnson County Community College
jantle@jccc.edu
Dr. Jay Antle was born in Texas where he lived for the first 21 years of his life. While at Lee College, he took a field course in Yellowstone National Park that led him to become deeply interested in environmental issues. He completed his undergraduate education in history and then moved on to Arizona State University for his master’s degree and then to the University of Kansas in 1992 for his Ph.D. in American Environmental History. While in graduate school, he participated in an exchange program with Johnson County Community College that ultimately led him to secure a professorship there in 2000 that he still holds. His responsibilities at JCCC have grown to include heading up the college’s Sustainability program as the Executive Director of the college’s Sustainability Center. He is a four time winner of the JCCC Distinguished Service Award. He served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and served on that Board from 2014 to the present. He currently lives in Lawrence and is an avid hiker and storm chaser. He is also a distance runner with over 130 half-marathons and eight marathons to his credit.

Tina Baker, City of Lincoln Nebraska
tbaker@lincoln.ne.gov
Tina Baker has been a member of the City of Lincoln Solid Waste Team for 21 years.  She started as an Equipment Operator and through OJT has worked her way up to her current position of Facilities Operations Coordinator.  Current responsibilities focus on Environmental Compliance, Permitting and Project Management for the Bluff Road Landfill, the N48th Transfer Station, N48th C&D Landfill and Waste Diversion.  Away from work Tina’s enjoys Husker Volleyball, fishing, and spending time with family and friends.

Brittany Barrientos, Stinson
brittany.barrientos@stinson.com
Brittany’s deep understanding of environmental, health and safety laws across the regulatory, transactional and litigation spectrums allows her to find well-rounded and practical solutions to complex issues. She has significant experience assisting clients with environmental, health and safety regulatory requirements arising under the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, solid and hazardous waste laws, Superfund, OSHA and PHMSA, as well as state and local environmental laws and regulations. Brittany’s broad experience gives her the ability to issue-spot across media and type of issue, in a way that provides both continuity and efficiency for her clients. She has worked extensively with municipalities and electric-generating utilities, mobile sources, and clients in the chemical, manufacturing and real estate industries. Her journalism background and endless curiosity also serve her well as she navigates FOIA issues, inspections and information requests, and investigations across sectors. Brittany is also a recent graduate of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s esteemed two-year Centurions Leadership Program, and she is excited to continue to “Learn. Serve. Lead.” in the Community.

Andrew Brought, Spencer Fane
abrought@spencerfane.com
Andrew Brought counsels manufacturers, industrial clients, and businesses with complex environmental and workplace safety / OSHA matters. He currently serves on the firm’s Executive Committee and has held other leadership positions at the firm including co-chair of the Environment and Energy practice group. Andrew has extensive experience helping companies with workplace safety incidents and industrial accidents that involve the intersection of health, safety, and environmental regulations and government agencies including OSHA, the EPA, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Board, and the Justice Department. From complex workplace fatalities and injuries to more routine compliance inspections, Andrew is frequently called upon by a variety of industrial sectors to assist in handling crisis management situations, strategic response, and incident investigations. He has a particular focus on chemical accident prevention programs, including EPA’s Risk Management Plan (RMP) program and OSHA’s Process Safety Management (PSM) program and cases involving chemical releases. In connection with his white collar criminal and civil practice, Andrew helps his clients manage and reduce liability through his substantial experience in enforcement matters associated with the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, RCRA, EPCRA, OSHA, and related environmental laws. He also assists his clients by conducting compliance audits and internal investigations as appropriate. And in those situations where win-win outcomes are not achievable, he helps his clients litigate and resolve environmental disputes.

Sam Brown, Hunton Andrews Kurth
slbrown@HuntonAK.com
Sam’s practice focuses on three core areas – navigating federal and state environmental laws, implementing sustainability and climate-related decarbonization strategies, and minimizing legal and reputational risks associated with international project development and operations. He is a former attorney with the EPA, in the Office of Regional Counsel in San Francisco (Region 9) and in New York (Region 2), and the Office of General Counsel in Washington, DC.

Rick Brunetti, KDHE
rick.brunetti@ks.gov
Rick Brunetti is the Director of the Bureau of Air for KDHE. He has been in that position for the past 8 years. Prior to his appointment as Director, he served as the District Environmental Administrator for KDHE’s northcentral district office in Salina. Mr. Brunetti currently resides in Topeka with his wife and three children.

Dru Buntin, Missouri DNR
dru.buntin@dnr.mo.gov
Dru is the Director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Dru was named acting director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in June 2021. He joined the Missouri Department of Natural Resources as deputy director in May 2017, after serving as executive director for the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association for four years. Prior to his time with the UMRBA, he was deputy director for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources from 2009 to 2012. Since rejoining the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in 2017, Dru has led the agency on important river-related issues, including drought relief and flood recovery. He was also instrumental in leading the department’s Red Tape Reduction efforts, which reduced the regulatory burden on Missouri businesses and citizens.

Andrea Collier, Barr
acollier@barr.com
Andrea Collier joined Barr Engineering Company in 2017 as a Senior Environmental Engineer and has more than 20 years of experience in water resource management, stormwater and wastewater infrastructure and permitting; process control; and waste management. Her recent project experience includes water resource planning and design, water quality studies, stormwater management and BMPs, environmental permitting, and watershed and water supply planning. In addition to being a licensed professional engineer, Andrea is certified in Missouri as a drinking water and wastewater operator. Prior to joining Barr, she served as deputy director of the Missouri Geological Survey, as well as director of the Water Resources Center, at the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

David Cozad, US EPA
cozad.david@epa.gov
Dave is the Director of the Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division at US EPA Region 7.

Aimee Davenport, Stinson
aimee.davenport@stinson.com
Aimee assists public and private clients in resolving environmental, energy and administrative law matters with governmental agencies and third-parties. Aimee’s practice involves a keen understanding of administrative agencies and the legal authority under which they operate in areas of rulemaking, permitting and enforcement. Co-chair of the firm’s Environmental practice group, Aimee works closely with experts in state and federal litigation, she helps clients employ informed strategies to achieve long-term resolutions to meet operational needs. Prior to entering private practice, she served as deputy general counsel to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources where she advised the department in governance, contract, environmental, employment and other matters as assigned. Prior to her time with the department, Aimee served as an attorney for the Missouri Public Service Commission where she advised the commissioners and chief law judge in rate, tariff and complaint cases.

Alexandra Dunn, Baker Botts
alexandra.dunn@bakerbotts.com
With over 25 years of practice at the local, state, and federal levels of government, Alexandra Dunn brings to clients an extensive institutional knowledge and keen ability to help solve regulatory problems companies may face. Her deep relationships across the nation and reputation for transparency, fairness, and equity, make her a forceful presence in the most difficult of settings. Alexandra previously served as the Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, in which she led the Agency in the creation of national policies implementing federal laws governing chemicals, pesticides, and pollution prevention. Prior to that, she was the EPA Administrator for New England (Region 1). Drawing upon her agency background, Alexandra provides clients with an “EPA insider” perspective on regulations and management of emerging contaminants, particularly integrated per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFOS/PFAS), and has decades of risk communication and risk management experience to offer clients on chemicals of concern.

Jason Flower, Spencer Fane
jflower@spencerfane.com
Jason Flower is an environmental attorney with a nationwide practice focused on assisting corporate clients, especially in the chemical, manufacturing, mining, energy, and agricultural industries, with managing their environmental liabilities.  Previously serving as the Environmental Practice Group Chair at an Am Law 100 firm, Jason takes a team-oriented approach to helping clients strategically navigate an increasingly complex environmental regulatory landscape.  Over his career, Jason has helped clients assess their prospective risks and defended clients in judicial and administrative environmental enforcement actions under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA), and various analogous state environmental laws. Jason regularly helps clients manage legacy liabilities at contaminated sites, whether under Superfund/CERCLA or similar state regulatory regimes.  Jason works with regulators, including EPA and State agencies, and technical teams to assist clients with securing cost-effective and environmental protective remedies for contaminated sites.  In this capacity, Jason negotiates Consent Decrees and administrative settlements/orders with the government and also represents clients in high-profile, high-stakes cost recovery and contribution disputes. Additionally, Jason represents clients in environmental toxic tort litigation related to contaminated sites, including personal injury and property damage lawsuits.

Jaime Gaggero, US EPA Region 7
gaggero.jaime@epa.gov
Jaime Gaggero is the Deputy Director for the  Water Division at EPA Region 7.  She has held this position since January of 2022.  Prior to becoming the Deputy she served as the Branch Supervisor for the Watersheds and Grants Branch responsible for overseeing the Clean Water Act Section 319 program, 404 program and 401 program.  Before joining the Environmental Protection Agency, Jaime worked for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) for almost 20 years.  Jaime has a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Policy and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, both from the University of Kansas.

Ed Galbraith, Barr
egalbraith@barr.com
Ed Galbraith has over 30 years’ experience in environmental regulatory matters, including two decades with the Missouri DNR, most recently as Director of the Division of Environmental. He now helps manufacturing, mining, power, and municipal clients achieve successful outcomes with their water and hazardous waste compliance challenges, including permitting, compliance assistance, planning, evaluations, and studies.

Suzanne Galvin, Thompson Coburn
sgalvin@thompsoncoburn.com
Suzanne is a versatile litigator who finds creative solutions for clients facing difficult and protracted legal battles. She has particular experience in matters involving environmental litigation. Suzanne has been involved in the personal injury aspects of numerous environmental torts, particularly groundwater contamination cases. In one class action, Suzanne led the deposition of the class representative. The 23 year old case was dismissed immediately thereafter. In another case, Suzanne was part of a team that developed a creative way for their client to get dismissed from the class action without pay, saving the company from certain bankruptcy. Suzanne is currently defending a uranium processing facility in Illinois against claims it affected property values and alleged medical issues associated with its facility. Suzanne also consults businesses on environmental regulation and litigation and its implications to business decisions and practices.

Autumn Gentry, Southeast Missouri State University
agentry@semo.edu
Autumn Gentry has 15 years of experience in the environmental health and safety field.   Autumn earned a bachelor’s degree of natural science in 2003 and a master’s degree in natural science with an environmental emphasis in 2006.  She currently works for Southeast Missouri State University in the Facilities Management Department as the safety specialist and manages the majority of the environmental health and safety for the campus.  

Tom Grever, Shook, Hardy & Bacon
TGREVER@shb.com
Tom counsels and litigates in all aspects of environmental law, including air, water, hazardous waste, Superfund and natural resource damages. He assists clients in negotiating and obtaining environmental permits from state and federal environmental agencies and defending these permits from legal challenges. His practice includes significant focus on Clean Air Act permitting and enforcement, including new source review, Title V operating permits, and hazardous air pollutants. Tom works with clients in a broad range of industries, including utility, cement, agricultural products, mining and chemical manufacturing. Tom’s environmental litigation experience includes successful arguments in federal and state courts of appeal. In addition, Tom counsels clients on occupational health and safety issues and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliance.
Tom began his career as an assistant attorney general in the Ohio Attorney General’s environmental enforcement section, representing the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in civil and criminal enforcement, permit appeals, and development of environmental regulations.

Jon Grosshans, US EPA
grosshans.jon@epa.gov
JON GROSSHANS AICP, LEED-AP, is a senior advisor with the US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Policy in Washington, DC. He works to align policies and resources that support environmental protection and community revitalization alongside City, County, State, and Federal partners. Much of this coordination focuses on recent Executive Orders and strategic initiatives such as coal and power plant community revitalization, supply chains, energy, critical minerals, and infrastructure.

Jennifer Hackman
jhackman@shb.com
Jennifer is a senior associate attorney at Shook, Hardy and Bacon LLP. She focuses her practice on environmental, toxic tort and exposure litigation. She has extensive experience in the field, having served as Assistant District counsel for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and as Environmental Counsel for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). Jennifer has handled CERCLA, CWA permitting and RCRA matters. She has worked with geologists, hydrogeologists, chemists and engineers on remediation matters, provided counsel on solid waste and hazardous waste enforcement actions, and negotiated complex environmental settlements and cleanup ventures alongside the U.S. Department of Justice. Jennifer uses her past experience as both a state and federal regulator to formulate effective defense strategies, often based on regulatory nuances and technical arguments. Since joining Shook Hardy & Bacon, Jennifer has assisted with the favorable negotiation and settlement of multi-state litigations, obtaining complete defense verdicts in complex toxic tort trials, and resolving matters at the motion-to-dismiss stage. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Missouri Chapter of the Women’s Energy Network and the LGTBQ+ Bar Association of Kansas City. She received her J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law, where she was a Shook, Hardy & Bacon Scholar and recipient of a Rocky Mountain Mineral Foundation Scholarship.

Stephen Hall, Missouri DNR
stephen.hall@dnr.mo.gov
Stephen Hall was appointed staff director of the Air Pollution Control Program on Aug. 25, 2021. Stephen has worked for the department for 20 years; the last 10 years in the Air Program. Most recently, he served as the chief of the program’s Air Quality Analysis Section. Stephen has a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Mathematics and a Master’s in Business Administration.

Mary Hauner Davis, Burns & McDonnell
mhauner@burnsmcd.com
Mary Hauner-Davis is a department manager at Burns & McDonnell, where she specializes in air permitting, noise control, regulatory compliance and sustainability services. With over 23 years of experience, she has assisted numerous industrial and power facilities with preparing permitting strategies to obtain complex permits and regulatory compliance. She also assists clients with greenhouse gas and ESG evaluation and planning. She graduated from Cornell College with a BA in Chemistry and obtained a master degree from University of Iowa in Environmental Engineering. She has served on the Midwest Section Air and Waste Management Association board for numerous years and has participated in conferences in industry panel discussions related to greenhouse gas emissions and sustainability.

Leo Henning, KDHE
Leo.Henning@ks.gov
Leo G. Henning is the Director of Environment for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). He directs all environmental program activities and oversees a staff of approximately 450 employees. Leo has worked for KDHE for 25 years. During his career Leo has directed the Bureau of Environmental Remediation, the Kansas Health and Environmental Laboratory and the Bureau of Environmental Field Services. Mr. Henning received a bachelor and master degree in Geology from Wichita State University and is a licensed professional geologist.

Bryan Higgins, Trinity Consultants
bhiggins@trinityconsultants.com
Bryan Higgins is a senior consultant in Trinity’s St. Louis office located in Ellisville, Missouri. Since 2013, he has developed expertise in air quality permitting projects, regulatory applicability assessments, annual environmental reporting, and environmental auditing. As a senior consultant, Bryan manages projects for clients representing a variety of industries including petroleum refining, secondary metals production, flexible packaging and printing, telecommunications, power generation, petroleum storage, general manufacturing, and several more. Bryan’s favorite projects involve complex permitting and navigating complicated compliance situations.

Pamela Houston, US EPA Region 7
Houston.Pamela@epa.gov
Pamela is the Acting Chief of the Communities Section in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, Office of the Regional Administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7. She previously served as an EPA Community Involvement Coordinator for almost 10 years, working tirelessly with environmental justice communities. Pamela served as the Lead Region Environmental Justice Coordinator from 2016 to 2018. She has over 15 years of experience with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), coordinating with EPA Remedial Project Managers since 2007.

Leslie Humphrey, US EPA Region 7
humphrey.leslie@epa.gov
Leslie has served as Regional Counsel for EPA Region 7 since July, 2020.  She has been with EPA for over 30 years and served in a variety of roles in the Office of Regional Counsel during that time.  The Office of Regional Counsel provides legal counseling and support for compliance and enforcement activities in Region 7.

Ryan Russell Kemper, Thompson Coburn
rkemper@thompsoncoburn.com
Ryan has a broad and diverse practice serving clients navigating sophisticated matters related to air, water, land, energy, agriculture, emergency response and climate issues. He serves as a vice-chair of Thompson Coburn’s Environmental Law Group and has successfully handled cases across the country under the full spectrum of federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations. Ryan has nearly two decades of experience in litigation, regulatory and counseling work. Ryan also counsels clients on climate, ESG, and environmental justice issues. He has handled significant air and climate issues and has advised clients with regard to major source permitting, carbon sequestration, GHG reporting and accounting, and the environmental aspects of government incentive programs for carbon offsets and credits, including clients in the energy sector. Prior to entering private practice, Ryan worked on environment and energy issues as committee staff in the Illinois State Senate and on Capitol Hill.

Joseph Kunes, KTL
jckunes@goktl.com
As an Information Technology (IT) Project Management Consultant, Joseph manages and supports KTL’s ongoing Microsoft SharePoint, dynaQ™, and database projects. He works with the KTL team to identify opportunities for integrating technology into solutions to further improve clients’ business productivity and efficiency. Further, he is bilingual in English and French and is able to provide business translation, as needed. Joseph works extensively with clients to ensure the successful implementation of data management solutions. These responsibilities include client service management, onsite project deployment and training, and continued customer outreach and service.

Matt Leopold, Hunton Andrews Kurth
mleopold@hunton.com
Matt Leopold is a Partner with Hunton Andrews Kurth. He is the former General Counsel for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, former General Counsel for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and a former environmental litigator at the U.S. Department of Justice. Matt has experience in an array of major federal environmental statutes, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), as well as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). While at EPA he worked directly on a number of Clean Air Act rulemakings dealing with GHGs, including the first rule adopting GHG standards for aircraft.

Tina Liu, Geosyntec
TLiu@geosyntec.com
Tina Liu is a senior environmental engineer with Geosyntec Consultants. She has worked on a broad range of civil and environmental projects, specializing in remedial investigation and design, industrial wastewater, environmental compliance, emerging contaminants, and project controls. Tina is the co-chair of the Geosyntec microplastics initiative and is actively tracking current events, regulations, and academic research on microplastics. She is also a contributing member of the Interstate Technology Regulatory Council (ITRC) Microplastics Team that is developing microplastics guidance documents and training materials. Tina has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Maryland – College Park and a master’s degree in environmental engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is a licensed professional engineer in Missouri and Illinois.

Jim Macy, NDEQ
jim.macy@nebraska.gov
Mr. Macy was appointed Director of the NDEQ in March, 2015. Since then, he has implemented an on-line application and approval process for Construction Stormwater permits and 4 categories of Air Construction permits, reducing the process from months to 1 day. He also has implemented a short-form compliance determination notice that is reviewed at the conclusion of inspections. He has introduced Permit Assistance Visits for new or modified facilities.

Tyler Marshall
marshalltyler@stanleygroup.com
Tyler Marshall, P.E., is a principal environmental engineer and Stanley Consultants’ environmental technical lead. In this role, Tyler is responsible for providing innovative leadership across all aspects of environmental and water resources engineering services and serving as an advocate for emerging environmental areas of focus. He serves as a trusted advisor on several industry and regulatory workgroups for the development and implementation of a range of new environmental initiatives, policies and laws.
Tyler maintains a broad civil and environmental engineering background, including regulatory compliance, environmental planning and design of systems to achieve regulatory goals. He has extensive experience in almost all varieties of NPDES permitting. He has worked with a wide range of facilities and regulators in many states through all phases of the NPDES process.

Meg McCollister, US EPA Region 7
McCollister.Meg@epa.gov
Meg McCollister has a strong advisory and advocacy background with nearly two decades of experience serving nonprofits, candidates for public office, and public policy campaigns. Born in Kansas and raised in both Kansas and Missouri, she received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas before attending the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, where she earned her Juris Doctorate with an emphasis in urban, land use and environmental law. After law school, McCollister and her husband moved to Sonoma County, California, where she served on the Board of Directors for Sonoma County Conservation Action and worked on environmental campaigns and in local government. Upon her return to the Midwest, she has continued to serve as an advisor and strategic thinker in areas including environmental, health, and social improvement initiatives as well as communication strategies. McCollister resides in Kansas City with her husband, three children, and rescued greyhound. She enjoys running, hiking, and exploring the outdoors.

Jessie Merrigan
jmerrigan@spencerfane.com
Jessica Merrigan counsels clients on environmental matters regarding regulatory requirements and represents them in litigation of environmental claims, including contribution claims under the federal Superfund law. She has significant experience helping clients in administrative negotiations with both the Environmental Protection Agency and state agencies, advises them on additional or equivalent state law requirements, and assists clients with facility audits, compliance initiatives and waste reduction programs. Throughout her career, Jessica has worked with clients to monitor the ongoing changes in chemical regulations and implement programs to manage evolving state, local and federal requirements for chemical management, disclosure and research. Jessica also helps clients with environmental issues involved in property redevelopment and real estate transactions. Her work includes review of environmental assessments, evaluation of potential environmental liabilities associated with real estate transactions including those created by CERCLA, and evaluation of eligibility for federal and state Brownfields assistance programs. In addition, she works with clients to transfer and maintain permits, through the completion of appropriate plans and applications and coordination with responsible agencies. Her experience has included national, regional and local projects ranging from single site sales to transactions involving hundreds of millions and up to $2 billion in assets.

Kyra Moore, Missouri DNR
kyra.moore@dnr.mo.gov
Kyra began her career with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in 1999. She has served in different roles within the department, including Deputy Director of the Division of Environmental Quality for nearly four years and Director of the department’s Air Pollution Control Program for seven years. Kyra holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Missouri – Columbia.

Rob Morrison, Barr
RMorrison@barr.com
Rob has over 30 years of experience in water resources & environmental engineering. His background includes water permitting, water quality science, total maximum daily load studies, anti-degradation procedures, and compliance assistance. He has assisted clients with NPDES permit renewals ranging from coal combustion power plants to municipal wastewater treatment facilities. He has led & participated in the design of domestic wastewater & industrial water treatment projects. Rob worked for 24 years at MDNR, where he led RCRA Permits & Corrective Action Section & the Water Pollution Control Branch.

Dalton Mott, Shook, Hardy & Bacon
Dmott@shb.com
Dalton is an attorney with the Environmental and Toxic Tort practice group for Shook, Hardy & Bacon. He represents clients in environmental matters with an emphasis on superfund and toxic tort litigation. He also represents clients in environmental regulatory matters and disputes. He has largely worked in the energy and defense industries.

Chris Neaville, The Doe Run Company
cneaville@doerun.com
Chris Neaville, asset development director for The Doe Run Company (Doe Run) is an alumnus of Missouri S&T, where he earned a degree in geological engineering. His career includes nearly 35 years of experience in site remediation and repurposing industrial properties. Neaville joined Doe Run in 2011, where he leads remediation, manages property transactions and minerals acquisition, and advises on energy consumption and efficiency. During the past 10 years, he has managed approximately $100 million in remediation projects for Doe Run, including successfully transitioning the company’s former lead smelter site into a riverport and industrial park.

Minda Nelson, Burns & McDonnell
mnelson@burnsmcd.com
Minda Nelson is an environmental engineer at Burns & McDonnell in Kansas City, Missouri.  She has over 18 years of experience and specializes in air quality permitting and air dispersion modeling.  Minda serves both industrial and utility clients throughout the United States, with specialization in air construction permitting for large projects. She has worked on a variety of air dispersion modeling projects and is an expert at solving complex air dispersion modeling issues and frequently works on complex air dispersion modeling projects. Minda graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S.in Chemical Engineering and M.S. in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. She is a licensed professional engineer in Kansas and Iowa.

Kevin Perry, REGFORM
kperry@regform.org
Kevin is Assistant Director at REGFORM, a MO business association focused entirely on State environmental regulations & policies. He is a registered lobbyist & holds a BS degree in biology. He has over 20 years of experience, including work as a biologist at US EPA Office of Water. He sings in the choir at church.

Emily Robbins, Burns & McDonnell
ecrobbins@bursmcd.com
Emily Robbins is an Environmental Engineer at Burns & McDonnell’s Kansas City office with 11 years of experience. She specializes in air quality and sustainability, and her typical projects range from air construction permitting (including dispersion modeling and regulatory analysis), NEPA and FERC air quality analyses, environmental compliance and reporting, and organizational sustainability planning with a focus on greenhouse gas reduction. She works with a broad range of clients, including power and utilities, industrial facilities, renewables, government and public sectors, and corporate clients. She is passionate about using her engineering knowledge to help others and has been involved with Engineers Without Borders for 15 years working on projects in Bolivia, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and areas of the US that need assistance.

Andy Rowland
Andy.Rowland@terracon.com
Mr. Rowland is known throughout the North America for his exhaustive body of work in the fields of Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Health, Safety, and Education. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology at Clemson University, and he has over 35 years of laboratory, field, and classroom experience. Mr. Rowland has lectured for such esteemed institutions as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of South Carolina, North Carolina A&T University, and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Mr. Rowland served as Director of MUSC’s Program in Environmental Health Sciences for over twelve years, where his research and work were funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Department of Education, and industrial entities such as Duke Energy and BP Amoco. Recent projects lead by Mr. Rowland include Environmental Health and Safety Audits at the Electric Power Research Institute’s laboratory facilities in Charlotte (NC), Knoxville (TN), Lowell (MA), and Palo Alto (CA), as well as, serving as chief industrial hygienist for the U.S. Chemical Safety Board’s investigation of a fire and explosion within a natural gas plant in Mississippi. At Terracon, Mr. Rowland divides his time between managing the company’s growing national industrial hygiene practice, coordinating training efforts throughout the country, and providing expert witness services.

Dana Skelley, US EPA Region 7
Skelley.Dana@epa.gov
Dana Skelley serves as the Director of the Air and Radiation Division, U.S. EPA, Region 7. The Air and Radiation Division handles standards implementation, review and approval of state implementation plans, air modeling and monitoring, air toxics, permitting, delegations, indoor air and grants.  She began her EPA career with the Office of Regional Counsel, serving in a variety of roles. Dana received a Bachelor of Science in Animal Ecology and Environmental Studies from Iowa State University and a Juris Doctorate from Drake University.

Amber Steele, Missouri DNR, Geological Survey
amber.steele@dnr.mo.gov
Amber Steele, RG, is the Geological Survey Program Director for the department’s Missouri Geological Survey. Amber began her career with the department in the Division of Environmental Quality in 2004, where she worked through 2009. She resumed employment with the department in 2016. Amber was appointed director of the Geological Survey Program in 2018. Amber has a Bachelor of Science in Geology and Environmental Science and a Master of Science in Soil Science. She is registered with Missouri’s Board of Geologist Registration, giving credential to support health, safety and welfare of Missouri citizens through sound geologic practices. Amber’s experience in the areas of natural resources and environmental policy includes a variety of technical and regulatory positions with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil, along with expertise within the department’s Geological Survey Program, Water Protection Program and Soil and Water Conservation Program.

Marnie Stein, Iowa DNR
marnie.stein@dnr.iowa.gov
Marnie Stein is the Supervisor of Title V Operating Permits and Emissions Inventory Section at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. She has held this position for 2 years, but has over 24 years experience at the DNR, starting as a Title V permit writer. In 2007, Marnie developed the DNR’s annual Iowa statewide greenhouse gas inventory program and later led Iowa’s Clean Power Plan stakeholder group. She also served as the project manager for DNR’s new electronic air permit application system – Iowa EASY Air. She earned her BA degree in Environmental Studies from Central College and is a Certified Program Manager.

Tom Stiles, KDHE
Tom.Stiles@ks.gov
Tom Stiles is currently the Assistant Director of the Bureau of Water at KDHE, overseeing the NPDES permitting, TMDLs, water quality standards and monitoring programs in the Bureau. Stiles is currently co-chair of the Permitting and Compliance Committee of the Association of Clean Water Administrators (ACWA) and previously served as the co-chair for the TMDLs and Watersheds Committee. He is a past chairman of the Interstate Council on Water Policy and the Western States Water Council Water Quality Committee. Stiles received his B.S. in Watershed Science at Colorado State University and his M.S. in Forest Hydrology from the University of Minnesota.

Joseph Stolle, GeoEngineers
jstolle@geoengineers.com
Throughout his career, Joe Stolle has been active in air pre-construction permitting, State Implementation Plan (SIP) coordination, steady and non-steady state dispersion modeling, and emission inventory development. He has worked on numerous minor and major source pre-construction permits, air dispersion modeling studies, and has developed emission inventories for essentially all air pollutants of interest. Additionally, Joe represented industry on several lead SIP revisions including three revisions to the lead SIP in Herculaneum, Missouri and a revision to the lead SIP for the Viburnum trend in Southeast Missouri.

Joseph Tell, KTL
jtell@goktl.com
Joseph combines over 20 years of EHS technical expertise, management strategy, and information technology experience to help large, diverse organizations solve their sustainability and EHS management challenges. In addition to his commercial/industrial clients, Joe has extensive experience working with the federal government. He is intimately familiar with federal sustainability and EHS programs/ requirements and has provided extensive support to various federal agencies throughout his career, including Department of the Interior (DOI); National Institutes of Health (NIH); U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); U.S. Army, Army National Guard, Army Reserve; U.S. Air Force; and U.S. Navy. He has NIH, DOI, and USAID security clearances. He holds a B.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University.

Melissa Tiedemann, Stanley Consultants
TiedemannMelissa@stanleygroup.com
Melissa Tiedemann is an urban planner, economic development specialist and brownfields redevelopment professional with Stanley Consultants, an Iowa-based global consulting engineering firm. During her over 20 years of professional experience, she has managed millions of dollars of federal and state grant funding for redevelopment and infrastructure improvements, performed Environmental Assessments to facilitate property transactions and redevelopment, and conducted Environmental Assessments for major federal infrastructure projects while mentoring junior members of staff. Melissa holds a B.A. degree in economics from the University of Northern Iowa and was the school’s first graduate with a Community Economic Development Emphasis. She also holds a Masters of Business Administration, Organizational Development from Upper Iowa University. Melissa is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and a certified public facilitator by the International Association for Public Participation.

Ed Tormey, Iowa Department of Natural Resources
ed.tormey@dnr.iowa.gov
Ed is Division Administrator of Iowa DNR. He has been with IDNR since 2004. Prior to that, Ed worked in OH, in both public and private sectors. He has over 25 years of experience practicing environmental law. He has a JD from the Univ. of Iowa School of Law.

Bharti Ujjani, Ramboll
bujjani@ramboll.com
Ms. Ujjani is a Principal with Ramboll. She has over 30 years of experience providing Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS), and sustainability services to clients around the globe, including pharmaceutical, power, oil & gas, construction, high-tech, chemical, heavy equipment manufacturing industries in addition to commercial and government sector clients. Ms. Ujjani has assisted clients with evaluating, identifying, and establishing efficient, cost-effective, and innovative solutions to manage risks and promote the sustainability of EHS programs compliance and management systems. Her sustainability experience includes Circular economy, product stewardship, Life cycle assessment, and GHG reporting and energy and water efficiency on path to net zero. Ms. Ujjani has experience leading and/or supporting hundreds of EHS compliance, management systems, and due diligence projects throughout the United States, APAC and EMEA. She is an Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001), Occupational Health & Safety ISO 45001, and Energy management System ISO 50001 Lead Auditor. She has been involved with all aspects of management system development and implementation in a consultative capacity. Ms. Ujjani as a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) is involved in the comprehensive practice of industrial hygiene and safety. Ms. Ujjani has served in an expert capacity on numerous cases involving Environment, Health and Safety issues. She prepared expert reports and given testimony in litigation concerning occupational & environmental exposures, indoor air quality, technical performance, insurance claims, site remediation and workplace health and safety.

Roger Walker, REGFORM
rwalker@regform.org
Roger Walker, J.D., LLM (Environmental Law) BS (Journalism/Education). Walker currently serves as the Executive Director of the Regulatory Environmental Group for Missouri (REGFORM) — a business association that has forged positive relationships with State and Federal agencies, in the support of sound science, purposeful regulations, fair funding, meaningful discussion and consensus-building. Walker also serves as a consultant and legal adviser to corporate clients. In 2014, he created and continues to serve as Chair of the annual “Midwest Environmental Compliance Conference.” In 2009, he helped co-found the Missouri Energy Initiative (MEI) and was its Director for four years. Walker has also worked as Of Counsel for a St. Louis law firm, Armstrong Teasdale, taught “Environmental Law” as an Adjunct Instructor at St. Louis University, and clerked for the Missouri Supreme Court.

Jacob Westen, Missouri DNR
jacob.westen@dnr.mo.gov
Jacob Westen was named as General Counsel for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in March 2021. He is responsible for part of the day-to-day management of the General Counsel’s Office. Jacob began his career with the department in 2018, serving as the department’s Deputy General Counsel. Before joining the department, Jacob served as the Deputy Staff Counsel for Water and Sewer at the Missouri Public Service Commission. His government service began with the Agriculture and Environment section of the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, where he conducted civil environmental litigation on behalf of the state. He earned the Attorney General’s Award for Best Appellate Brief in 2015, and the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Litigation in 2014. Jacob is a graduate of the University of Missouri – Columbia’s School of Law and the Missouri Leadership Academy program.

Chris Wieberg, Missouri DNR
Chris.wieberg@dnr.mo.gov
Chris Wieberg has worked for the Department of Natural Resources since 2004 and has worked for the Water Protection Program in various capacities for the last nine years. Chris was appointed director of the Water Protection Program effective Aug. 1, 2017. Chris began his career with the department as a Soil and Water District Coordinator followed by unit chief with the Wellhead Protection Section prior to joining the Water Protection Program. Chris graduated from Lincoln University and holds a degree in agriculture. In his free time Chris enjoys spending time with his family, hunting, fishing, and raising cattle on his family farm in Maries County.

Dan Wilkus, Evergy
dan.wilkus@evergy.com
Dan is the Director, Environmental Services, for Evergy, Inc. headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Dan has over 30 years of regulatory permitting experience both as a consultant and as a member of the electric utility industry. His experience includes overseeing air and water compliance related activities as well as regulatory construction and operating permit projects. Over his career, Dan has worked with numerous electrical and industrial facilities regarding environmental regulatory issues. Dan obtained a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric Sciences both from the University of Kansas. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Kansas.

Taylor Wilson, Trinity Consultants
TWilson@trinityconsultants.com
Taylor Wilson is a Managing Consultant for Trinity’s Kansas City office, serving clients throughout the Midwest. Focusing on non-air compliance (RCRA, CWA, EPCRA, etc.), Taylor manages a wide-variety of projects such as permitting, compliance, contingency plan development, custom training, auditing, and enforcement support. He particularly enjoys developing spill response plans and teaching environmental courses. Taylor currently serves as the national instructor for Trinity’s Introduction to RCRA, Introduction to Environmental Regulations, and Introduction to Reporting & Recordkeeping courses. Taylor is a licensed Professional Engineer in fifteen states and graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in Chemical Engineering. Outside of work, he enjoys playing chess, fishing, and camping with his wife and son.

Ken Yass, Geosyntec
kyass@geosyntec.com
Ken is a Principal in Geosyntec’s Milwaukee, Wisconsin office and has over 28 years of environmental service experience.  He is a Civil/ Environmental Engineer with experience in both consulting and in industry, having spent three years as the Corporate Technical Regulatory Services Manager for a nationwide chemical company.  He has significant experience with multi-media environmental compliance, including performing gap assessments, auditing, tool development, and counseling clients on gaining and maintaining compliance.  He counsels clients daily on Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA, aka SARA), Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) Planning, air permitting, industrial stormwater pollution prevention, hazardous waste management, industrial wastewater compliance, Environmental Management System (EMS) development and Environmental Due Diligence. He is a Professional Engineer in Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan, and is a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM).