MECC 2024 Speakers
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.
Amy Bhesania, EPA Region 7
bhesania.amy@epa.gov
Amy Bhesania is the Director of the Environmental Justice, Community Engagement and Environmental Review Division at EPA Region 7. Amy has a passion for building coalitions to effectively impact change. Amy’s team implements the Region’s Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights programs as well as external communications for Superfund and Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) site-specific activities. The Division also implements children’s health, environmental education, and cumulative impacts programs, and has oversight for the region’s National Environmental Policy Act and National Historic Preservation Act within Region 7.
Amy has served in key leadership positions over the last 18 years with the Environmental Protection Agency and prior to her current role served as the Deputy Director for the Air and Radiation Division. She also recently served as the Acting Deputy Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Northeast Region. Prior to joining EPA, Amy worked in both the private and public sector in the fields of communication and project management. Amy holds a Master’s degree in Science Education, Curriculum Instruction and Leadership from UMKC.
Amy Booke, EPA Region 7
AlgoeBooke.Amy@epa.gov
Amy is the branch manager of EPA Region ‘s Air Permitting and Planning Branch with over twenty years of air quality management experience. Amy oversees Clean Air Act functions including permitting; direct implementation and provides assistance to tribes on permitting issues; providing oversight, technical assistance, interpretation, and delegation of several federal regulatory programs such as Maximum Achievable Control Technology Standards (MACT), Section 111(d) emission guidelines; as well as the develop of federal regulatory actions regarding State Implementation Plans. Over Amy’s federal career as a public manager, she has led the region’s designation efforts after NAAQS revisions, developed redesignations of several areas from nonattainment to attainment and managed countless Federal Register actions. Amy has also led Region 7’s air toxics initiative which led to innovative partnership with EPA’s Office of Research and Development and resulted in significant voluntary emission reduction activities which benefitted communities facing disproportionate impact from pollution;
Andrew Bracker
Chris Cady, Ph.D., MDNR
Chris.Cady@dnr.mo.gov
Dr. Cady is an Environmental Scientist with Missouri DNR’s Voluntary Cleanup Section. He oversees risk-based cleanup of brownfield and voluntary cleanup sites, and develops policy and internal guidance for the program on a variety of topics. He is currently coordinating revision and updating of the Missouri Risk-Based Corrective Action Guidance for non-petroleum-storage-tank sites. He currently serves on a department-wide PFAS coordination group. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, and Masters and Doctorate degrees in Environmental Chemistry from the University of Missouri – Columbia.
Andrea Collier, Barr
acollier@barr.com
Andrea Collier is a licensed professional Environmental Engineer at Barr Engineering Co. with more than 22 years of experience in water resource management, stormwater and wastewater infrastructure and permitting; process control; and waste management. Her background in PFAS related projects includes permitting, environmental audits, sample collection and data review, and stormwater infrastructure and treatment. Other recent project experience includes water resource planning and design, water quality studies, water compliance auditing, stormwater management and BMPs, environmental permitting, and watershed planning. Andrea is also certified as a drinking water and wastewater operator in MO. 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 Cozad is the Director of the Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division for EPA Region 7 in Kansas City. He started in that position in October 2019. Prior to that, he was the Regional Counsel for EPA Region 7 for twelve years, where he was responsible for leading the Region’s 45-person legal office. He recently three six-month temporary details at EPA HQ in Washington, D.C., serving in senior leadership positions during the last two presidential transitions. Dave has been with EPA Region 7 for thirty-one years, and prior to that, he worked with the Department of Justice in Washington D.C., on environmental enforcement matters. Dave has a B.B.A. in Economics from James Madison University and a law degree from the College of William and Mary.
Aimee D. Guzman 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.
Kelli Deuth, Ramboll
kdeuth@ramboll.com
Kelli Deuthhas managed projects in environmental consulting for over 22 years, with specific expertise in air quality, compliance, and environmental justice. She participates in Ramboll’s cross practice environmental justice task force and co-leads the air quality service line environmental justice workgroup. She has extensive experience in air quality permitting and compliance programs, including Title V, PSD, numerous state programs, NSPS and NESHAP compliance, annual emissions reports, toxic release inventory (TRI), Tier II, and greenhouse gas inventories. She leads projects across the country for corporate groups and individual sites.
David Doyle, EPA
Doyle.David@epa.gov
David Doyle works for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 7 Kansas City Office.
David has a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from Syracuse University and a Master of Science degree in Environmental Health Engineering from the University of Kansas.
David has been with EPA for over 40 years and has worked in many of EPA’s water, air, and hazardous waste programs as both staff and manager.
David is presently EPA Region 7’s Land Revitalization Coordinator, where he assists local governments, EPA program staff, property owners, community leaders and others in applying direct technical assistance to sustainably redevelop brownfield properties.
David also works as Region 7’s Disaster Recovery Coordinator where he assists communities impacted by natural disasters leading them to recover in a sustainable manner.
David is a certified mediator for the Kansas City Area Federal Executive Board’s Shared Neutrals Mediation Program and the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Board of Commissioners Office of Community Complaints where he works to resolve conflicts between parties.
He is a graduate of the Kansas City Urban League Leadership Development Program.
Jonathan Eller, GHD
jonathan.eller@ghd.com
Jonathan is a data scientist with a background in chemistry R&D. He leads many consulting engagements for GHD’s public and private clients and serves as Service Line Leader for Data & Analytics in the Americas. Jonathan’s team has developed solutions that span generative AI, statistical analysis, machine learning and web tool creation. Collectively, these solutions help our clients make better decisions through retention and augmentation of institutional knowledge, efficiency creation, and establishment of organizational transparency.
AJ Ferate, Spencer Fane
ajferate@spencerfane.com
Anthony J. (A.J.) Ferate has built a multi-faceted background in the areas of the law, policy, energy, campaigns and elections, and defense for more than 20 years. Through representation as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association (OIPA), A.J. held responsibilities over government efforts outside of the legislative branch on matters as broad as water, electric generation, commodity marketing, land matters, and seismicity. A.J. also maintained responsibility for legal matters at OIPA, including amicus briefing in appellate matters. A.J.’s extensive experience also includes management of public policy strategy for a Fortune 500 company.
Bill Ford, Lathrop GPM
bill.ford@lathropgpm.com
Bill Ford has almost 40 years of experience in environmental law and successfully represents clients throughout the country. Mr. Ford represents numerous types of clients including several multinational entities as both plaintiffs and defendants in environmental cost recovery litigation, negotiations with government agencies, allocation proceedings, PRP searches and remediation coordination. His first Superfund trial was GE v Litton in 1989 and resulted in a successful cost recovery judgment for his client. Mr. Ford has extensive experience with both hazardous and non-hazardous waste and water treatment issues, Clean Water Act Section 404 dredge and fill permits, RCRA, Supplemental Environmental Projects, and alleged Oil Pollution Act violations. Mr. Ford regularly works with state superfund equivalent cleanups as well as the regulatory and litigation elements of Superfund sites. Mr. Ford has three times been named as the “Lawyer of the Year” for Environmental Law in Kansas City by The Best Lawyers in America® (in 2014, 2019 and 2020), and has been ranked by Chambers USA for Environmental for many years.
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 Qualtity. 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.
Don Gansert, Trinity Consultants
dgansert@trinityconsultants.com
Don Gansert is a Managing Consultant for Trinity Consultants out of the Kansas City Office, where he has performed multimedia and safety audits for the past 24 years. Don has specialized in performing audits for the following industries: Ethanol, Refinery, Natural gas transmission, printing, food, and other industries.
In addition to performing audits, Don has prepared facility response plans (FRPs), spill prevention control and countermeasure (SPCC) plans, RCRA/hazardous waste contingency plans, stormwater pollution prevention plans (SWPPPs), Title V permit renewal and air construction permit applications, Right-to-Know forms (Form R’s and A’s of the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) program and Tier II’s).
Don is a highly knowledgeable asset to Trinity and has been responsible for instructing several national courses such as Reporting Requirement Courses for Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, the NPDES permitting and the Intro to RCRA. He also provides site specific training for hazardous waste, Department of Transportation (DOT), SPCC, and other environmental programs and is a reliable source for Trinity Consultants.
Jared Geissler, Terracon
Jared.Geissler@terracon.com
Jared Geissler is the Environmental services manager for Terracon’s Colorado Springs, Colorado office. Mr. Geissler is registered professional engineer, certified project management professional, and certified hazardous materials manager with 18 years of experience in environmental engineering and remedial design experience. His primary experience lies in remediation through vapor mitigation and strategies for soil and groundwater. He is responsible for designing passive and active vapor mitigation systems and other remedial systems.
Mr. Geissler develops work plans for environmental drilling projects, site characterization, and corrective action planning. He designs in-situ remedial applications using various media including; chemical oxidation and biological amendments, and mechanical systems using soil vapor extraction and air sparging (SVE/AS). Additionally, construction/deconstruction over-site and oversight of other remediation activities, including environmental excavation and UST removal.
Mr. Geissler is also an active participant in Terracon’s PFAS professional network and provides companywide support for PFAS related site investigations; includinggroundwater and soil sampling, materials management plan development and has operation, maintenance, and monitoring experience for PFAS pilot test surface and groundwater treatment systems utilizing, GAC and ion-exchange resins. He was the program manager for Terracon’s statewide PFAS sampling effort conducted in partnership with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. (CDPHE).
In his free time he enjoys golfing and peak bagging, summiting all of Colorado’s 58 14ers with his wife Chasidey.
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.
Jennifer Hackman, Shook, Hardy & Bacon
jhackman@shb.com
Jennifer specializes in complex litigation involving emerging contaminants such as PFAS compounds and glyphosate, as part of her comprehensive environmental, toxic tort and exposure litigation practice. Before joining Shook, Jennifer honed her expertise as assistant district counsel for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where she played a pivotal role in shaping environmental policies and litigation strategies. Her tenure as a special assistant attorney general for the State of Kansas also solidified her reputation as a leading environmental counselor, particularly during her service for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE).
At Shook, Jennifer continues to leverage her extensive experience to guide clients through the complexities of environmental and products liability law, ensuring they are well-represented in all facets of litigation and compliance. Jennifer’s profound understanding of environmental law is matched by her commitment to her clients. Jennifer actively represents a Fortune 500 company in one of the largest and most complex environmental MDLs pending in the country, as well as a major agrochemical and biotechnology corporation in complex product liability cases all over the United States. As a key member of the Monsanto Roundup litigation, Jennifer was part of the trial team that obtained a complete defense verdict in the first Roundup trial in Missouri, which was reported by Law.com in “Bayer Notches Another Defense Win in Trial Over Monsanto’s Roundup.”
She is a frequent speaker at national conferences and contributes to legal literature, sharing her insights on the evolving landscape of environmental regulations and their implications. 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 the Technical Service Leader and Department Manager for Air Quality 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 manages a team of air permitting engineers that prepare air permit applications, perform air dispersion modeling studies and prepares analyses regarding air regulatory compliance for clients throughout the United States. 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.
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 380 employees. Leo has worked for KDHE for over 36 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.
Liane Hetherington-Ward, BASF
liane.hetherington-ward@basf.com
Liane Hetherington-Ward is Senior EHS Specialist II at the BASF Corporation Hannibal facility, an agricultural products manufacturing facility. She is responsible for day-to-day and long-term environmental compliance. Liane is the waste management subject matter expert for the site and serves on the BASF North America Environmental Expert Extended Team. Liane has 40 years of hazardous and solid waste experience, including TSDF, generator and transporter requirements, in-depth definition of solid waste interpretations and applications, RCRA corrective action, and RCRA compliance. Other experience includes environmental due diligence, environmental training, broad-based environmental compliance, and regulatory development. Liane received an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Cornell University, as well as a B.S. in Engineering and Policy and a B.A. in Biology from Washington University in St. Louis.
John Hoke, Missouri DNR
john.hoke@dnr.mo.gov
John Hoke is the Director of the Water Protection Program at MDNR. Prior to his work as Program Director, Hoke worked as Chief of the Water Protection Branch and the Watershed Protection Section chief where his primary duties included managing and directing staff work on the Missouri 303(d) List of impaired waters, Missouri’s Water Quality Standards regulation, Total Maximum Daily Load development, and water quality monitoring and assessment. Hoke has a Bachelor’s degree in Geology from the University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign and a Master’s degree in Geology from the University of Missouri – Columbia.
Chirstopher Hurst, Terracon Consultants
Chris.hurst@terracon.com
Chris Hurst has over 28 years of EHS experience and has worked as an environmental consultant, within private manufacturing, and as a state regulator. The primary capabilities for Chris are focused on EHS auditing and assessment services and brad based environmental permitting. While with the GA EPD, Chris worked in the areas of air protection, wastewater engineering, hazardous waste compliance, and federal (RCRA/CERCLA) site cleanup. Chris has served as the corporate EHS manager for a private specialty chemical manufacturer. He holds a Professional Engineering licensure in multiple states as well as a credentialed Certified Safety Professional. Chris is employed with Terracon Consultants in Kennesaw, Georgia where he serves as Senior Consultant, Regional Regulatory Compliance Lead. Chris has been an active member of the A&WMA for multiple decades and currently serves as Treasurer of the Southern Section. Chris received both a B.S. and M.Eng. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Louisville, KY.
Paul Jacobson, Spencer Fane
pjacobson@spencerfane.com
Paul helps businesses manage their environmental and workplace safety legal challenges. In the environmental context, Paul helps companies comply with federal and state requirements for all environmental media, navigates site remediation challenges, defends against agency enforcement efforts, and works on a variety of environmental and toxic tort litigation. Paul helps companies with immediate and long-term responses to environmental disasters. Paul also helps clients with California Proposition 65 product labeling requirements.
In the workplace safety context, Paul assists clients with all stages of OSHA inspections and enforcement, and has experience defending inspections involving a wide range of OSHA standards, including Process Safety Management, Permissible Exposure Limits, robotics safety, and more.
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.
Scott Kindy, Trinity Consultants
skindy@trinityconsultants.com
Scott has over 15 years of experience and background in OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) and EPA Risk Management Plan (RMP) consulting. He serves as an Account Manager at Trinity Consultants, providing Trinity’s clients with a variety of process safety related support. As a PSM/RMP consultant, he has supported clients with the development of PSM/RMP compliance programs as well as the ongoing management of prevention program elements such as Management of Change (MOC), Mechanical Integrity (MI), Process Safety Information (PSI), Process Hazard Analysis (PHA), and Compliance Audits. He has proven success with implementing PSM/RMP compliance programs, conducting compliance audits to assess the effectiveness of PSM/RMP programs, sharing industry best practice recommendations to improve existing programs.
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.
Jake Levin, Polsinelli
jlevin@polsinelli.com
As a member of the Environmental group, Jake focuses his practice on a wide range of environmental matters, including federal and state enforcement actions, industrial regulatory compliance and environmental due diligence in corporate transactions. Jake also has experience with federal and state permitting, facility audits and regularly advises clients on various environmental statutes, including: CAA, CWA, CERCLA, RCRA, and TSCA.
Prior to joining Polsinelli, Jake was an environmental associate at an Ohio-based firm where his practice focused primarily on environmental regulatory compliance for clients in the rubber, steel and automotive industries. Jake served as the editor-in-chief of Chicago-Kent College of Law’s Journal of Environmental and Energy Law and as president of the Environmental Law Society for two years. Jake also served twice as an Honors Law Clerk at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters in Washington, D.C. in the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) Air and Water Divisions, as a law clerk at the Illinois Pollution Control Board and as a law clerk at the Greater Chicago Legal Clinic.
Michael Liebert, ALL4 Inc.
mliebert@all4inc.com
Mike Liebert is a Directing Consultant with ALL4 and has been working in environmental compliance for over 25 years. In his career, he has managed a wide range of projects in regulatory applicability analysis, PSD permit applications, Title V operating permit applications, MACT compliance, air dispersion modeling, ISO 14001 auditing, and Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) plans. He has assisted in sustainability, permitting and regulatory compliance efforts for facilities in a variety of industries including telecommunications, aerospace, petroleum terminals, power, printing, beverage and chemical manufacturing, and rubber products manufacturing. Mike holds a B.S. degree in Civil/Environmental Engineering from the University of Kentucky and an M.S. degree in Engineering Management from Washington University in St. Louis.
Michael Linder, Koley Jessen
Michael.Linder@koleyjessen.com
Mike Linder has over 35 years of experience in environmental law. His experience covers all aspects of environmental regulation, permitting, compliance, and policy.
Before joining Koley Jessen, Mike served as the Governor-appointed Director of the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) from 1999 through 2013. The NDEQ (now known as the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy) administers and enforces all environmental laws in Nebraska. Prior to becoming Director, Mike served as the NDEQ’s Legal Counsel for ten years. His experience includes state, local, and federal environmental laws dealing with water quality, air quality, groundwater, and waste management. Mike has worked closely with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the regional and national level. He has been a leader locally and nationally on environmental issues and policy.
Since joining Koley Jessen, Mike has handled numerous compliance and permitting matters as well as strategic consultation on environmental requirements and trends. He has also supported Koley Jessen’s transactional practice groups on environmental due diligence issues. Mike is a Fellow of the American College of Environmental Lawyers and was named “Lawyer of the Year” in Omaha by Best Lawyers® in 2023 for his work in Environmental Law.
Tyler Marshall, Stanley Consultants
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.
Brian Martin, Ameren
BMartin2@ameren.com
Brian Martin is the manager of the Environmental Support & Waste Management group at Ameren, a St. Louis, MO based electric and gas utility company. Brian has led the Ameren Environmental Justice working group for the past three years.
Brian also serves on the Executive Committee of the Illinois Environmental Regulatory Group (IERG) where he is the Past Chairman. Brian has worked with IERG staff and IERG other member companies to review and comment on several legislative proposals related to Environmental Justice. Brian is also active in the Regulatory Environmental Group for Missouri (REGFORM) as Chairman of the Hazardous Waste and Environmental Justice Committees.
Brian graduated from University of Illinois at Champaign with a B.S. in Ecology and Ethology and graduated from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri with an MBA. Brian is certified as a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager by the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management. Brian is certified as a Project Management Professional by the Project Management Institute.
Heidi McAuliffe,
hmcauliffe@paint.org
Heidi McAuliffe is the Vice President of Government Affairs for American Coatings Association and Counsel to the World Coatings Council. Heidi is a primary advocate for the coating’s industry on trade, infrastructure and chemicals management issues as well as the industry’s product stewardship program, PaintCare, in the United States.
Heidi also previously served ACA as Senior Counsel, specializing in consumer products, dangerous goods transportation, environmental, and stewardship issues. During her career, she has negotiated numerous complex regulations and policies for the industry in the national and international arenas. She served as the Official Representative to United Nations in transport issues for the coatings industry in the international arena. In addition, Heidi is a past-President of the Dangerous Goods Advisory Council and serves on the Board of Directors for the Chemical Industry Council of Illinois.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Heidi attended St. Mary’s College in South Bend, IN and earned her law degree at the University of Cincinnati.
Ray McCarty, AIM
rmccarty@aimo.com
Ray McCarty has served as president and CEO of Associated Industries of Missouri (AIM) since 2008. He also serves as the executive director of the Taxpayers Research Institute of Missouri, the tax division of AIM.
McCarty previously served various employers of Missouri and trade associations as a governmental relations consultant and in various posts in the Missouri Department of Revenue ranging from revenue agent to legislative liaison. He has worked with the Missouri legislature since 1989.
In addition to his duties at AIM, Ray is a member of the National Public Affairs Steering Committee and the Tax & Budget Policy Committee of the National Association of Manufacturers, member of the Institute for Professionals in Taxation, member of the Board of Directors of the Missouri Civil Justice Reform Coalition, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Missourians for Transportation Improvement, member of the Board of Directors of Child Care Aware of Missouri, member of the Midwest Manufacturers Association, former member of the Board of Directors of the Clay County Economic Development Council and previously chaired the Missouri Business Alliance, a group that worked to increase employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Hannah McIntyre, Geosyntec Consultants
hannah.mcintyre@geosyntec.com
Hannah is a senior staff engineer in Geosyntec’s Kansas City office. Her experience focuses on emerging contaminants by engaging in site and remedial investigations and litigation support. She has helped develop guidance documents, presentations, and fact sheets on lines of evidence to assess the effectiveness of PFAS remedial technologies for both the US Department of Defense and the United Kingdom Environment Agency. Hannah has supported US Department of Defense Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) projects and Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) projects. Her ESTCP projects include assessing field scale-up, cost, and performance of ultraviolet/silica-based granular media treatment to destroy PFAS in concentrated liquids and conducting side-by-side assessments of PFAS destructive technologies.
Adam Miller, Shook, Hardy & Bacon
amiller@shb.com
Adam Miller has a national trial practice focusing on toxic tort, environmental, product liability and commercial disputes. He has tried and litigated numerous toxic tort, product liability, and environmental tort liability cases. As Co-Chair of Shook Hardy & Bacon’s Toxic Tort and Environmental Liability practice groups, Adam represents clients in the chemical and product manufacturing sectors around the country.
Adam represents clients in civil jury trials including class actions in federal and state courts around the country, as well as in high-stakes environmental disputes.
Adam is skilled at presenting complex scientific and technical issues to judges and juries. He has received recognition from Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America, and the Missouri Lawyers Weekly, which named Adam to its Power List of Environmental Lawyers in 2023.
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.
Emily Muth, Conagra
emily.muth@conagra.com
Emily Muth is the Director of Sustainability for Conagra Brands, working across the organization to drive business value by driving environmentally responsible practices in air quality, renewable energy policy and greenhouse gas accounting, as well as water and waste reduction at the companies’ 42 managed manufacturing facilities. She is a seasoned environmental professional with 20 years of continued success in sustainability, public power, environmental compliance, government relations, program implementation, and management. Emily earned her Master of Science degree in Biology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Chris Neaville, The Doe Run Company
cneaville@doerun.com
Chris Neaville is the Asset Development Director for The Doe Run Company, the largest integrated lead producer in the Western Hemisphere. His primary role is to manage Doe Run’s land portfolio but also includes leading the company’s sustainability initiatives involving energy, land remediation, and site repurposing. He has 30 years of experience involving the redevelopment of industrial properties including ten years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in geological engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology (formerly the University of Missouri-Rolla), and a master’s degree in hydrology from the University of Arizona.
Dan Nedvidek, Terracon
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 28 years of experience, including work as a biologist at US EPA Office of Water. He sings in the choir at church.
Sarah Piziali, Iowa DNR
sarah.piziali@dnr.iowa.gov
Sarah Piziali is chief of the Iowa DNR Air Quality Bureau and has worked at Iowa DNR for over 20 years. Prior to being promoted to Bureau Chief, Sarah worked in the construction permit section, as an environmental engineer and, most recently, the supervisor. In all of her roles in DNR, Sarah has prioritized customer service and providing individualized solutions to environmental challenges ensuring economic development occurs in harmony with clean air for all Iowans.
Sarah received her degree in Chemical Engineering from Iowa State University.
Brian Porter, Terracon
Brian.Porter@terracon.com
Brian Porter is a Licensed Professional Engineer in Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa. He has a Bachelor’s of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois, with an emphasis on environmental and hydrosystems engineering. He has been practicing environmental consulting since 1997 and currently provides senior leadership for our environmental practice in the Kansas-Missouri-downstate Illinois region. His areas of expertise include environmental site investigations and risk-based corrective action. He has managed several successful brownfield redevelopment projects using state and federal funding, including several Phoenix Award winning projects, and assists communities with brownfield grant-writing. He has a wife and three children, which occupy most of his time away from work.
Emily Pulcher, PE, Burns & McDonnell
eapulcher@burnsmcd.com
Emily is a licensed chemical engineer in the Remediation department at Burns & McDonnell in St. Louis. She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and a master’s degree in environmental engineering from Missouri University of Science & Technology. Her experience includes groundwater and surface water treatment system design and operation and maintenance, hydraulic modeling, controls programming, regulatory reporting, and alternative evaluations. Emily has served as a lead engineer and site manager on several remediation projects. Emily is an active member of the ITRC PFAS team and co-lead of Burns & McDonnell’s Emerging Contaminants and PFAS practice. In this role, Emily coordinates a team of PFAS-focused professionals to provide comprehensive PFAS risk-mitigation services to clients nationwide.
Chris Redington, WSP
christopher.redington@wsp.com
Chris Redington is a Vice President and Technical Principal for the WSP USA Inc. St. Louis, Missouri office.Mr. Redington has over 30 years of experience in environmental and earth engineering consulting.He is responsible for managing and providing technical guidance for a variety of large site assessment, permitting and remediation projects for the chemical production,cement, aggregate, and mining industries. His focus is on RCRAinvestigation,permitting, compliance, corrective action and closure. He also manages andprovides technical guidance for Brownfields and CERCLA site investigation and remediation, and client program management.
Doug Rasmussen, Steadfast City
doug@steadfastcity.com
Doug Rasmussen is an entrepreneur, thought leader, and mediator with 25 years of experience in the real estate, economic, and community development industries. Throughout his career, Doug has worked with entities nationwide, including municipalities, government agencies, real estate developers, community development corporations, and nonprofits. His experience working with people from diverse backgrounds has given him the unique ability to navigate complex business and interpersonal issues, foresee long- and short-term trends, and manage risks.
In 2019, Doug founded Steadfast City, an innovative firm that weaves together government, business, real estate, social, and philanthropic sectors. He and his team engage in site selection, negotiate economic incentives, engage communities and residents, develop fund strategies, and mediate industry conflicts. Doug’s mediation expertise further enhances his ability to resolve disputes, facilitate collaboration, and ensure that diverse interests are aligned to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. With his brand of hard-working expertise and steadfast commitment, Doug delivers maximum value to any initiative he serves.
Jeff Robichaud, U.S. EPA, Region 7
robichaud.Jeffery@epa.gov
Jeffery Robichaud is a second generation EPA scientist who has worked for the Agency since 1998. He is the Director of the Water Division. After three years with an environmental consulting firm, Jeff joined EPA as an engineer in EPA’s Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water in D.C. In 2001, he moved to Kansas City and has served as Senior Policy Advisor to the Regional Administrator, Chief of the Environmental Assessment and Monitoring Branch, Deputy Director of the Environmental Sciences and Technology Branch, Acting Assistant Regional Administrator, and Deputy Director of the Water, Wetlands, and Pesticides Division. Jeff hails from Redmond, WA and earned his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and his Master of Science in Engineering Management from the University of Kansas.
Brent Rosser, Hunton Andrews Kurth
brosser@hunton.com
For over two decades, Brent has practiced in the area of environmental law, representing major utilities, energy companies and other businesses in matters throughout the country, including in cases alleging violations of federal and state water, waste, chemical and air laws, as well as state common laws such as nuisance and trespassing. Brent has represented defendants in some of the largest and most important environmental cases in the country, including cases that have been heard in the Circuit Courts of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States. He possess a valuable blend of experience as a litigator and a regulatory advisor on both energy and environmental law and he has been instrumental to the establishment and development of the firm’s coal ash and waste practice.
Over the last several years, he has handled nearly 30 separate administrative and litigation matters involving coal ash for clients throughout the country. These matters have included defending citizen suits brought under federal environmental laws including the Clean Water Act (CWA) and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), enforcement actions brought by government agencies, and private actions asserting nuisance and other common law claims. Brent also acted as co-lead counsel for a major utility in one of the first cases alleging violations of RCRA related to the storage and management of coal ash.
Adam Schnieders, IDNR
adam.schnieders@dnr.iowa.gov
Adam Schnieders has worked in various roles for water quality programs within the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for the past 23 years, including a role coordinating the state’s water quality standards efforts, and serving as the NPDES program supervisor. Schnieders now serves as Water Quality Resource Coordinator, which is responsible for the management and coordination of water quality policies and partnership programs for the DNR.
Matt Shanahan, Burns & McDonnell
mshanahan@burnsmcd.com
Matt Shanahan is the EH&S Compliance Technical Service Leader for Burns & McDonnell in Kansas City, MO. Matt specializes in Hazardous and Solid Waste Management for industrial clients as has more than 15 years of experience managing hazardous waste. Matt has also served as a compliance auditor on numerous multi-media environmental compliance audits for various manufacturing, industrial clients, and aviation clients.
Dana Skelley, US EPA Region 7
Skelley.Dana@epa.gov
Dana Skelley has been with U.S. EPA Region 7 since 1997, and currently serves as the Director of the Air and Radiation Division. 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 and has served 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.
Tom Stiles, KDHE
Tom.Stiles@ks.gov
Tom Stiles has been Director of the Bureau of Water at KDHE since 2019, overseeing all programs implementing the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act in Kansas. Stiles has been President of the Association of Clean Water Administrators and the Interstate Council on Water Policy. He currently serves as co-chair of the Water Quality Committee of the Western States Water Council. Stiles received his B.S. in Watershed Science at Colorado State University and a M.S. in Forest Hydrology at the University of Minnesota.
Joe Stolle, Ramboll
jstolle@ramboll.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.
Stacy Stotts, Polsinelli
sstotts@polsinelli.com
Stacy Stotts is a member of the Environmental and Natural Resources group and her practice centers on representing businesses, organizations and individuals in environmental regulatory and administrative matters, enforcement matters, private party suits, compliance counseling, and corporate and property transactions. Stacy strives to provide well-rounded guidance relating to clients’ current legal needs, as well as efficiently identify and mitigate potential complications that might arise down the road.
She has represented clients in the areas of air, water, superfund and hazardous waste law. Her work also includes assisting clients in commenting on proposed agency rulemakings. Her expertise also extends to advising clients on compliance and regulatory obligations in California, including Proposition 65 compliance and obtaining carbon credits.
Sarah Struby, Stinson
sarah.struby@stinson.com
Sarah’s practice covers all aspects of environmental law, including regulatory compliance, permitting, litigation, and corporate and real estate transactions. She has significant experience representing clients in administrative negotiations with the Environmental Protection Agency and state governmental agencies, particularly under CERCLA/Superfund, solid and hazardous waste laws, and the Clean Water Act, as well as navigating clients through complex site investigation and remediation projects. She also has experience litigating traditional environmental (cost-recovery) and environmental-adjacent (tort) claims.
Vel “Sube” Subramanian, GHD
Vel.Subramanian@ghd.com
Sube is a Principal and a Market Leader of GHD’s North America EHS Compliance practice. A registered professional engineer with 33 years of experience in the environmental consulting industry, Sube’s knowledge and technical process experience encompasses work with a variety of market sector clients including utilities, power generation, manufacturing, chemical/petrochemical and oil and gas, automotive in the areas of air quality and environmental compliance. He has conducted multi-media environmental compliance audits to over 200 facilities in North America, Latin America and Asia.
Sube also has over a decade of experience in EHS management information system design and implementation. Specific power generation and utility experience with this includes PSD and Title V permitting, storm water management, coal ash management, GHG emissions inventory development and reporting, decarbonization strategies, NPDES permitting, mercury minimization programs and boiler NOx control projects.
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.
Linden Terpstra, EHS Support Source
linden@ehssupportsource.com
Linden Terpstra is an accomplished environmental, health, and safety (EHS) professional and passionate entrepreneur with expertise across the EHS world. After building a strong foundation in consulting, Linden later transitioned to experience life in industry, gaining valuable insights into electronics manufacturing and the budding battery recycling industries.
Linden is the founder and CEO of EHS Support Source, an interactive online platform and concierge service that makes it faster and easier for businesses to find and hire EHS third-party experts. EHS Support Source provides industry leaders with a resource to identify local services that align with their unique needs, vet potential providers’ past work performance on similar projects, and streamline the process to identify the most suitable resources.
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 33 years of experience practicing environmental law. He has a JD from the Univ. of Iowa School of Law.
Adam Troutwine, Polsinelli
atroutwine@polsinelli.com
Adam Troutwine is a partner in the Environmental Practice Group at Polsinelli’s Kansas City, Missouri office. Adam represents businesses and individuals confronting environmental issues in transactional, permitting, compliance, and litigation settings. His clients include real estate developers, renewable energy companies, corporations and mine and quarry operators. He frequently helps clients with matters before the EPA and state agencies and has been practicing environmental law for 18 years.
Kara Valentine, NDEE
kara.valentine@nebraska.gov
Kara is a deputy director with the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, where she oversees the Inspection & Compliance Division as well as the Planning & Aid Division, which manages the recent $307M grant award from EPA for climate planning. Kara started her career as an environmental attorney with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, where she focused on Superfund cases and natural resource damage claims. She also served as General Counsel for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Kara is a graduate of Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD and has a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis.
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.
Brian Wanzenreid, Viterra
brian.wanzenried@viterra.com
Mr. Wanzenried is the Vice President of Environmental Health and Safety for Viterra USA, LLC based out of Omaha, Nebraska. He has over 32 years of experience in chemical and environmental engineering including regulatory compliance, safety and industrial hygiene, training, site assessments and cleanup, and natural resources projects. At Viterra, Mr. Wanzenried oversees the employee safety and health, environmental, security and transportation programs for over 100 grain and ingredient facilities across the United States and in Mexico.
Brea Weast, iSi Environmental
bweast@isienvironmental.com
Bria Weast is the Environmental Consulting and Field Services Manager for iSi Environmental in Wichita, Kansas. With over 13 years of experience, her expertise is environmental compliance comprised of RCRA, stormwater, CWA, CAA, SPCC, DOT, Tier II reporting, and TRI reporting. Her experience also includes the completion of dozens of environmental compliance audits and hundreds of Phase I Environmental Site Assessment. Bria has served clients in various industries throughout the United States, including aerospace, vehicle manufacturing, universities, metal finishing, petroleum, oil and gas, painting and coating, and general manufacturing. Bria has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the University of Kansas.
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.
Claire Williams, Stinson
claire.williams@stinson.com
Claire brings experience as a law clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to guide clients through regulatory and administrative proceedings. Her practice is a balance of state permitting and due diligence for renewable energy developments, as well as compliance with ever-changing state and federal environmental regulations.
Her regulatory and permitting practice includes assisting clients with state and local zoning, permitting and land use issues for wind, solar, natural gas and transmission lines before the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission and other agencies.
Claire also understands the importance of providing clients with accessible guidance in complex regulatory systems. In particular, Claire has experience with Minnesota’s cutting-edge regulation of emerging contaminants, including PFAS. She also provides up-to-date and relevant counseling on the continuing evolution of environmental justice considerations at both the federal and state level.
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).