LEA & Facility Operator Training

Presenter Biographies: 2009 Training and Technical Course Series

Garth Adams works as the manager of the Financial Assurances Section of CalRecycle’s Waste Compliance and Mitigation Program. Adams has worked with CalRecycle since 1988. With over 20 years of experience in financial assurances, he brings his expertise in economics to balance environmental needs with waste industry and local government financial abilities. He is currently overseeing the financial assurance aspect of CalRecycle’s study evaluating potential financial demonstrations lasting until the closed landfill no longer poses a threat. He received his B.A. and Masters degrees in economics from California State University, Sacramento.

Jacquie Adams is a Registered Environmental Health Specialist and has worked in the environmental health field for more than 20 years. Prior to joining the City of San Diego Solid Waste LEA program in 2008, Jacquie’s experience included nine years in San Bernardino County’s LEA Program and 10 years in hazardous materials management, as well as other environmental health programs. In the LEA program, she has experience including supervision, field inspections and investigations, enforcement, CEQA, permitting, remediation, and closure of solid waste facilities and disposal sites. Her professional activities include membership in the California Environmental Health Association (CEHA). She is currently the Treasurer for the CEHA Southwest Chapter.

Myron H. “Skip” Amerine is a Senior Integrated Waste Management Specialist and a Registered Environmental Health Specialist at CalRecycle. He has been with CalRecycle since 1990 in various capacities including regulation development, LEA certification and evaluations, field work, Solid Waste Information System (SWIS II and SWIS III) development and management. He also has worked in Shasta, Alameda and Sacramento counties. Amerine is now assigned to the Cleanup, Closure and Financial Assurance Division with various duties and programs including illegal dumping.

Marc Arico is an Industrial Hygienist for CalRecycle. Some of his duties include participating in the Health and Safety Officers working group for the California Environmental Protection Agency Building, reviewing site specific Health and Safety Plans for CalRecycle site investigations, identifying and evaluating workplace and job hazards, developing and recommending hazard control measures, and assisting in the development of proactive accident prevention strategies. In addition, Arico provides field support through CalRecycle’s field shop and equipment loan program to staff and LEAs, as well as health and safety training to CalRecycle staff and LEAs. Arico also has written regulations and provided support to LEAs and reviewed their programs to be sure they met certification requirements. He has been with CalRecycle since 1990.

James Baker is a 20-year veteran with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, appointed to Assistant Sheriff in September 2006. His responsibilities include all Sheriff’s Management Services including overall Agency budget development, ongoing fiscal management, all personnel-related issues, the Sheriff’s Regional Training Center, the Planning and Research Unit, and the Agency’s significant accreditation efforts. In addition, he is responsible for the oversight of the Sheriff’s Detention and Corrections Division including the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin and the Glenn Dyer Detention Facility in Oakland, as well as the large inmate transportation system. Baker has an in-depth law enforcement background in patrol, tactical operations, drug recognition, traffic issues, special event coordination, large-scale response and mutual aid coordination, as well as regional Homeland Security issues. Baker holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice administration from Columbia College of Missouri. He is an adjunct instructor for the Las Positas Community College District and has instructed at the Regional Law Enforcement Training Academy for over 10 years. He is a voting Advisory Board member with the California Bay Area Urban Area Security Initiative. He currently serves as an active member of the California State Sheriff’s Association’s Legislative Committee, City of Oakland/Office of the Mayor; Men & Boys of Color in Crisis Advisory Committee; Alameda County Re-entry Network’s Decision Makers Committee; National Institute to Reduce Recidivism Board of Directors; and he is a member of the East Bay Economic Development Alliance.

Mark Beizer, PE, BCEE, is a Senior Vice President of SCS Engineers and currently serves as the regional director for the firm’s California operations. He is a former director of the Southern California Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America. Beizer has 38 years of experience in civil and environmental engineering, the last 30 of which have been in the waste management field, with particular emphasis in solid waste land disposal engineering. Beizer’s landfill gas experience ranges from hands-on participation in field and design work to the operation of large active landfill gas collection and recovery systems. He also has extensive experience in landfill engineering (site selection, planning, design, operations, and closure) and general civil engineering. Beizer has also provided expert testimony on landfill-related litigation, and has made numerous presentations at public hearings and before regulatory agencies. Beizer earned a Bachelor of Science in engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles, is a licensed civil engineer, and is a Board-Certified Environmental Engineer with the American Academy of Environmental Engineers.

Cathy Blair is an Integrated Waste Management Specialist in the Compliance Evaluation & Enforcement Division, in the Tire Hauler Compliance Section. Prior to her work with the Board, Blair worked at the Secretary of State’s Office in various capacities, including enforcement. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental studies with a minor in geology from California State University, Sacramento.

Michael L. Bledsoe, Esq., has been a Staff Counsel at CalRecycle since 1998. His primary areas of responsibility are solid waste facility permits and enforcement, and the California Environmental Quality Act. Bledsoe was in private practice from 1986-98, dealing with real estate, land use, and environmental law.

Lori Braunesreither is a Senior Environmental Health Specialist with Contra Costa Environmental Health. During her 18 years as an LEA, her assignments have included preparing and updating EPPs. She has been a lead and responsible agency on several CEQA documents, has conducted 5-year permit reviews, has processed and approved several RFI amendments, has written and issued several new and revised SWFPs, and has issued Notice and Orders. She is responsible for providing solid waste training for new LEA and EH staff in Contra Costa County. Braunesreither has also provided training for CIWMB staff and local LEAs. She is a past president of the California Environmental Health Association (CEHA). Braunesreither graduated from the University of South Dakota with B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Criminal Justice. Her personal interests include historic preservation and architecture. She is currently writing a book about the historic buildings in her hometown to help preserve the historic personality of “The Mother City of the Dakota Territory.”

Wendy Breckon is a Senior Staff Counsel with CalRecycle, and is primarily responsible for enforcement cases against waste tire haulers and waste tire facilities. In addition, Breckon is a member of the Illegal Dumping Task Force. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in psychobiology, and earned her J.D. from McGeorge School of Law. Breckon previously worked as an attorney for the California Department of Forestry and the California Department of Motor Vehicles. Prior to attending law school, she was an Environmental Specialist in the Water Division at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Donald H. Bunts is the Director of Engineering with Water 3 Engineering, Inc. Bunts has 25 years of experience in the environmental engineering field, including the master planning of multimillion-dollar municipal water and wastewater facilities. He has been involved with a number of design/build projects that have resulted in substantial time and financial savings to the owners. His experience includes master plants, facility plans, and design of water reclamation plants, wastewater treatment plants, solids handling studies, and pump station plans. Clients have included city and county governments, water districts throughout California, and development companies. Bunts earned his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in civil/environmental engineering from California Polytechnic State University, Pomona. He has served on the board of directors of the California Water Environment Association and the American Water Works Association.

Richard Castle is currently a Research Program Specialist II in the Financial Assurances section of the Cleanup, Closure and Financial Assurances Division at CalRecycle. Castle was recruited away from a similar position with the Department of Toxic Substances Control nearly 18 years ago to assist in preparing CalRecycle's rulemaking requiring landfill owners and operators to provide liability coverage for their operations. Over the years he has led numerous rulemaking projects. Notable among these rulemakings; the California requirements regarding acceptance of Captive Insurance, and, currently, the Long-Term Postclosure Maintenance, Corrective Action and Financial Assurance rulemaking. Castle earned a degree in economics and business in 1986 from California State University, Sacramento.

Carol Collar has been a Diary Farm Adviser for the UC Cooperative Extension in Kings County for the past 25 years. Collar conducts problem solving, on-farm research, and education programs related to dairy and forage production in Kings County, in the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley. This area represents the nation’s largest dairy production area. She has expertise in dairy production, including milk quality and food safety, forage production, manure handling and treatment, energy conservation, and animal health and well being. Collar earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in animal science and nutrition in the late 1970s from the University of California at Davis. Collar lives on a small farm in Hanford, where her family has raised walnuts and sheep for more than 20 years.

Bonnie Cornwall is currently the Branch Manager for CalRecycle’s Training, Outreach and Safety Services Branch. She is no newcomer to support and training functions, having been involved in this area throughout her career where she worked with a diverse set of stakeholders including local governments, businesses, schools, and the general public. She also represents the Waste Compliance and Mitigation Program’s grant programs on an interdivisional grants working group within CalRecycle. She brings more than 25 years of grant program management experience with different funding agencies, including Governor’s Office of Planning and Research; Energy Extension Service; Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency; and CalRecycle. She has also reviewed grants and developed grant evaluation criteria for several other agencies, including the California Department of Education and the Small Business Administration. Before joining CalRecycle in 2003, she was the State's liaison to NASA and the California space industry. Cornwall holds a degree in conservation and natural resources from University of California, Berkeley.

Kathryn Cross joined the LEA/Solid Waste Program at Orange County Environmental Health as the supervisor in October 2007. Prior to becoming a supervisor for the LEA program, Kathryn worked for Orange County Environmental Health for nine years as a geologist and hazardous waste specialist in the underground tank cleanup program and industrial cleanup program. Cross also worked in the private consulting industry as a project geologist on such sites as oilfields, gasoline stations, industrial sites, and landfills. Cross earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from California State University, Fullerton. She is a registered professional geologist with the State of California.

Mark de Bie is currently the Chief of the Permitting and LEA Support Division. He been with CalRecycle for 19 years ago. He has been a field inspector and a manager for various program areas at CalRecycle including Inspections, CEQA, Permitting, and Training.

Ken Decio is a Senior Integrated Waste Management Specialist in CalRecycle’s Permitting and LEA Support Division. Decio recently developed white papers on issues related to the regulations for Alternative Daily Cover and food waste composting. He helped coordinate the Understanding Landfill Gas Standards for Active Sites Trainings in 2008 and assisted in educating California Department of Transportation staff on the benefits of using compost for erosion control and revegetation projects. He also has worked with industry, government agencies, and the public to encourage the use of sustainable landscaping practices to reduce green waste, conserve water, and protect water quality.

Stephen Dolan is a Grants Manager for the Waste Tire Enforcement Program at CalRecycle. He manages grants for San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, Los Angeles County, City of Los Angeles, San Diego County, and City of San Diego. He has worked for CalRecycle for 19 years, and has been in his current program for the last 11 years. Dolan graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in geology.

Roger Evans is a Staff Programmer with CalRecycle. He has been developing web and database applications with the Information Management Branch since 1996. He is the Information Technology Project Manager for the Waste Tire Management System database.

Nancy Fallan is a grant manager for CalRecycle’s Household Hazardous Waste Grants Program. She also has worked for the Department of Toxic Substances Control as an Environmental Planner responsible for reviewing and preparing CEQA documents. Other experience includes employment in the spills program with Washington state’s Department of Ecology, the California Department of Fish and Game, and California Department of Housing and Community Development. Fallan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and has completed graduate coursework in environmental planning.

John M. Fentis is the Environmental Project Director for the California District Attorneys Association. The association provides educational training and litigation support to California’s environmental prosecutors in an effort to ensure consistent enforcement and compliance with California’s environmental laws. Fentis practiced law in the private sector for five years as a criminal defense attorney before joining the Long Beach City Prosecutor’s Office in 1981. In 1990, he established the environmental criminal prosecution unit for the office and directed its operations until his retirement from public service in 2005. Under his guidance, the unit averaged in excess of 250 criminal prosecutions per year and generated fines and penalties in excess of $7 million. The unit aggressively prosecuted criminal violations involving all of the major components of California’s complex system of environmental laws. Fentis earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in political science and history from the University of California, Santa Barbara He obtained his Juris Doctor from Whittier College, School of Law in 1976. Fentis was a co-founder of the Long Beach/Los Angeles County Natural Resources Trust, and was honored by the California Department of Fish and Game in 1998 for his aggressive enforcement efforts in the field of marine conservation. In 2002, Fentis received an environmental prosecution award from the California District Attorneys Association.

Michael Franck is an Interim Landfill Manager III with the County of Stanislaus Department of Environmental Resources. His background and expertise is in heavy equipment operations and maintenance. He has 24 years of experience in solid waste management and a background in landfill engineering and management. Franck is a Certified Landfill Manager, a 10-year member of the Solid Waste Association of North America, and a member of the Stanislaus County Local Task Force on Solid Waste Management.

Richard Gilb has been the Environmental Affairs Manager with the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority for the past six years, where he is responsible for stormwater management, solid waste management, wildlife management, and site assessment and remediation. Gilb has more than 20 years of experience in environmental issues and more than 15 years of experience with storm water management. He spent 10 years with the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health working on site assessment and mitigation issues, solid waste landfill permitting and remediation, and storm water management. Gilb also worked briefly with the Port of San Diego Environmental Services Department before joining the Airport Authority. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from the University of Cincinnati and a Master of Public Health with a concentration in environmental protection from San Diego State University.

Watson Gin has been with CalRecycle since April 2009 in the Permitting and LEA Support Division. He spent the previous 25 years with the Department of Toxic Substances Control, and also worked at the California Air Resources Board for six years. Gin is a licensed mechanical engineer.

Paula Harold is an Environmental Health Specialist with San Bernardino County Division of Environmental Health Services Local Enforcement Agency. Harold has nearly 10 years of experience working in community environmental health, land use, medical waste and LEA. Her current responsibilities in the LEA as a lead inspector are to supervise, monitor, and assist staff to ensure the program is operating in an effective and efficient manner. She has had over 5 years of experience in processing permits and has been the primary staff person to plan, organize, and conduct informational meetings as required by AB 1497 for new and revised permits. Harold is a member of the California Environmental Health Association for the duration of her career. She earned a degree in environmental health science in 1999 from the California State University, San Bernardino.

Robert Holmes is the Regulations and Legislation Coordinator for CalRecycle’s Permitting and Enforcement Division. He has been with CalRecycle for 17 years, serving in various capacities, including acting as the enforcement agency in jurisdictions where CalRecycle is the enforcement agency. Prior to coming to CalRecycle he worked for the Orange County Health Care Agency as a Hazardous Waste Specialist.

Robert Horowitz is a Senior Integrated Waste Management Specialist with CalRecycle's Statewide Technical and Analytical Resources Division. He has worked in various CalRecycle programs over the past eight years, including data analysis, local government assistance and market development. Among other projects, he helped develop CalRecycle's Electronic Annual Report, which allows California cities and counties to file their legally required AB 939 progress reports over the Internet, saving jurisdictions considerable time and money. Currently, he specializes in analyzing compost emissions data, and in working with air quality regulators in the San Joaquin Valley and in Southern California. Prior to coming to CalRecycle, Horowitz was a newspaper reporter, a small business owner, and a legislative staffer, and also worked for the Department of Consumer Affairs' Smog Check Program. He is a graduate of California State University, Fresno.

Joy Isaacson is an Integrated Waste Management Specialist in CalRecycle’s Permitting and Local Enforcement Agency Support Division. Isaacson started her career as an Environmental Planner for the Department of Transportation working on CEQA documents before taking her current position in 2007. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science, with a concentration in policy, from Humboldt State University.

Robert G. F. Krause is Senior Engineer in Soils Engineering and Water Quality Monitoring Section at Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. For more than 20 years, while employed in the consulting industry and with the Sanitation Districts, Krause has worked on projects related to the geotechnical engineering development of landfills. In addition, Krause has performed hydrogeologic assessments of refineries, underground storage tank facilities, and landfills. He has developed complex geologic models including field maps, cross sections, and finite element models of the unsaturated zone. For the past six years Krause has monitored the quality of groundwater and stormwater at several large landfills in Southern California. Krause earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geology and paleontology from the University of Würzburg, Germany, and a Master of Science degree in geology from the University of California at Los Angeles, which he attended as an international Fulbright Scholar. He is a registered Professional Geologist, Certified Engineering Geologist and Certified Hydrogeologist with the State of California. He has published scientific papers on topics that include the geotectonic development of California, circular statistics, and organic geochemistry. He has taught training and certification courses on the role of soil in landfill design to professional members of the Solid Waste Association of North America and he has presented numerous guest lectures to engineering graduate students at UCLA.

Burke Lucy is an Integrated Waste Management Specialist in CalRecycle’s Special Materials Analysis Section. He educates the public on proper sharps disposal and analyzes model pharmaceutical collection programs throughout California. Before joining CalRecycle, he worked for more than 17 years in the private sector, primarily with government agencies. He wrote environmental impact reports for a variety of projects including landfills and recycling centers.

Amanda Martinez is the President and Chief Executive Officer of San Diego-based Bull Moose Energy, which she formed in 2005. As the founding partner in this enterprise, she is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the projects including, development, financing, community relations, power purchase agreement negotiation, negotiation with equipment providers, real estate transactions, and fuel supply agreements. Prior to her work at Bull Moose, Martinez formed Estrella Capital, an entertainment venture capital group. She previously worked for Aaron Spelling in the finance department of Spelling Television. Martinez earned degrees in Public Relations and Advertising from Pepperdine University.

Corky Mau is currently Branch Manager of CalRecycle’s Grant and Loan Resources Branch. In this capacity, she oversees the development and implementation of CalRecycle's grant programs, the Recycling Market Development Zone (RMDZ), and the newly developed Tire Equipment Loan Program. Major goals for the branch include garnering input from grantees and loan borrowers to further streamline approval processes for CalRecycle financial programs and assessing the effectiveness of these programs. Mau previously was a supervisor in the RMDZ program. Before joining CalRecycle in 2001, she managed numerous projects for the Department of Consumer Affairs and State Teachers Retirement System.

Beverly McCullough is the Recycling Program Coordinator for the City of Modesto. She began working for the City of Modesto in December 1995 in the Used Oil Block Grant Program. In 2000, she promoted to Recycling Program Coordinator and became responsible for the oversight of the city’s various recycling programs and related special events. McCullough successfully managed several Waste Tire Amnesty and Clean Up Grants over the years, and worked with various businesses and industries to develop creative partnerships within the community to promote recycling. Modesto has collected and recycled 63,000 waste tires over the past 10 years. In 2008, the city purchased and installed 10,000 square feet of rubber sidewalk tiles made from 100 percent recycled waste tires, including those collected in Modesto. McCullough earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geology in 1995 from California State University, Stanislaus. Previous to that, she worked as a hair stylist.

Rick Moss currently serves as the Cross-Media Liaison for the State Water Resources Control Board and the California Integrated Waste Management Board. Prior to this assignment Moss was the Chief of the Office of Military Facilities for the Department of Toxic Substances Control. In this capacity, Moss was responsible for the regulatory oversight of the Department of Defense’s military program to clean hazardous waste sites in California. Moss worked at DTSC from 1990 to 2009, where he also had been Chief of the Land Use and Air Assessment Unit; Chief of the Office Environmental Analysis, Regulations and Audits; and Chief of the Permitting Division. Prior to that, he was with the California Air Resources Board as the South Coast Liaison, and the California Department of Transportation as the Air Quality/Transportation Planning Program Manager. Moss holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in human ecology from the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, and a Master of Arts degree in public policy from Claremont Graduate School in Claremont, California. Moss has worked in the environmental protection field since 1981 and in the hazardous waste cleanup area for most of that time. His areas of expertise include the California Environmental Quality Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, State and federal hazardous waste & air quality laws and regulations, and policy analysis.

Bill Motmans is an Integrated Waste Management Specialist in CalRecycle’s Tire Enforcement Section. He works with tire facilities in the northern region of the state. Previous to joining CalRecycle in 2008, he spent 15 years in the Investigations Division of the Sacramento County District Attorney’s office, including five years as the investigator assigned to the Community Prosecutions Unit. Additionally, Motmans has 16 years’ experience as an investigator with the State, including the Department of Health Services, the Department of Toxic Substances Control, and the Fair Political Practices Commission.

James D. Moore has been with SCS Engineers since 2006. Moore is responsible for the implementation of SCS’ internal project audit program for the Northwest Region, which includes Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Alaska, Idaho, and Montana. The program provides technical excellence training to project team members, and evaluates projects against company standards in areas such as Data Upload/Review, Data Accuracy, Compliance Deadlines, Health & Safety Plans, and Field Inspection. Moore has more than 25 years of experience in engineering and construction, with the past 13 years focused on landfill operations and environmental monitoring. Moore received a Bachelor of Science degree in management from National University. He teaches the Manager of Landfill Operations course for the Solid Waste Association of North America and is an authorized OSHA instructor for both the Construction and General Industry Outreach training programs. Prior to entering the landfill engineering field, Moore served in a variety of civil and industrial engineering and training development positions while on active duty in the United States Air Force.

Mary Ellen Oetzel joined Sacramento County’s LEA/Solid Waste Program in November 2006. She has also worked for Sacramento County’s Environmental Health Division for six years as an Environmental Specialist inspecting restaurants and public swimming pools. Prior to her employment with Sacramento County, she received her training as a General Environmental Health Specialist in Yolo County. Oetzel earned a Bachelor of Science degree in dietetics from the University of California, Davis. She is a Registered Environmental Health Specialist with the State of California.

Dianne Ohiosumua is a Waste Management Specialist with CalRecycle’s Riverside office. She began her career at CalRecycle in 1994 and is a specialist in the Permitting, LEA Support Division. She assists LEAs with permitting and enforcement issues, and processing permits.

John Pedersen is a consultant for the California Specialized Training Institute Hazardous Materials Program, where he serves as the Instructor/Coordinator for the 40-hour Hazardous Materials Investigations Course. Pedersen retired in December 2002 as a lieutenant after 30 years of service with the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, but remains on staff in a part-time capacity providing technical support to the Environmental Crimes Unit. He has also provided investigative support to the Circuit Prosecutor Project for the California District Attorneys Association. He holds a Certificate in Hazardous Materials Management from the University of California, Santa Cruz Extension, and a Management Certificate from the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. Pedersen is also a California Specialized Training Institute Certified Hazardous Materials Instructor; a Registered Environmental Assessor through the California Department of Toxic Substances Control; and Executive Director of the California Hazardous Materials Investigators Association. Pedersen lectures extensively in the area of law enforcement response to hazardous materials incidents and the role of enforcement in a regulatory system. Pedersen graduated from San Jose State University in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Doreen Pusateri is an Investigator for the Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Bureau of Street Services Investigation and Enforcement Division. She inspects waste tire facilities, locates violators, and investigates illegal dumping. Pusateri has been with the City of Los Angeles for 24 years, and has a background in investigating animal cruelty cases, writing search warrants, and testifying in court. She served the United States Army as a military police dog handler.

Pamela Raptis has been a registered environmental health specialist for more than 18 years with San Diego County’s Department of Environmental Health. She has extensive experience in hazardous materials management, field inspection, AB 3205 (a program that pertains to oversight of hazardous materials, permits, CEQA, and environmental compliance), and the Regional Permit Assistance Center. In the LEA program, she has worked in facility review, CEQA review, field inspections, and enforcement. Her previous work experience includes more than 10 years in the agricultural and horticultural industry. Raptis obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in soil science from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Carla Repucci is an Integrated Waste Management Specialist with CalRecycle. She has worked at CalRecycle for 19 years and currently manages the Farm and Ranch Grant Program. Repucci graduated from California State University, Sacramento with a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science.

Diana Rivera is an Integrated Waste Management Specialist in CalRecycle’s Research and Applied Technology Branch. In her nine years at CalRecycle, Rivera has administered the California Materials Exchange Program (CalMAX) and worked in the Electronic Waste Program. Rivera currently is responsible for providing technical assistance for urban organics, composting technologies, sustainable landscaping practices, home composting, and food waste. Other experience includes administering a federal AmeriCorps Scholarship Program for the California Conservation Corps that included accompanying crews working on watershed restoration and erosion control projects. Rivera graduated from the U.S. Army Engineer (Combat Heavy) School in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology and education from State University of New York-Plattsburgh, New York. In her spare time, Rivera developed SharedHarvest, an online Farmers Market network in Yolo County.

Ron Rowe is a Supervising Registered Environmental Health Specialist for Merced County Division of Environmental Health. He manages the Solid Waste and Waste Tire Enforcement, Public and Private Water Quality, Liquid Waste, Land Use, Animal Confinement, Water Quality Improvement Grants, and Software Development Programs.

Lars Seifert, REHS, is the Environmental Health Services Manager for the Imperial County Department of Public Health. He is the program supervisor for the LEA and also manages the liquid waste and land use programs for the county. Previously, he has worked as an Environmental Health Specialist in Sutter County, California, and also with Pacific County, Washington, primarily within their on-site sewage programs. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental biology from Taylor University in Upland, Ind. in 1996, and a Master of Arts degree in environmental policy and international relations from Boston University in 2004.

Ricardo M. Serrano, MS, REHS, is a Registered Environmental Health Specialist with nearly 20 years of experience in several environmental health programs. His currently supervises the Technical Services Section of the Environmental Health Division, Resource Management Department of Solano County. This section is involved in the following environmental health programs: solid waste, liquid waste, biosolids, housing and institutions, vector control, confined animal facilities operations, water systems, land use, and business licenses. Ricardo has also worked in the Hazardous Materials and Consumer Sections in Solano County. He was responsible for the implementation of the 24/7 Odor-Nuisance Response Protocol and organizing stakeholders meetings with nearby residents of solid waste facilities to address the community needs. He earned a Bachelor of Science in biology at the Trujillo National University in Peru and a Master of Science degree in environmental management from the University of San Francisco.

Sophia Skoda is the Resource Recovery Program Manager for the East Bay Municipal Utility District. Skoda has 15 years of experience working in a range of environmental engineering consulting roles, much of it related to public-sector engineering financial analysis. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Stanford and a Master of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Skoda spends her free time traveling and tends to gravitate to destinations off the beaten path. She is active with the Bay Area Water Works Association’s Water for People Committee, raising funds for water and sanitation projects in developing nations.

Jeffrey Smedberg is the Recycling Programs Coordinator with the County of Santa Cruz Public Works Department. He has been facilitating the design and implementation of innovative recycling and waste reduction programs on the Central Coast for 20 years, often through inter-agency and public-private partnerships.

Patrick Snider is an Integrated Waste Management Specialist with CalRecycle. Snider has been with CalRecycle since 2009, and is a specialist in Permitting and LEA Support. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in natural resources and environmental management from Ball State University.

Christine Sosko is the Environmental Health Program Manager in the Department of Health Services for Sonoma County. Sosko entered the field of environmental health, in the public sector, in 2002 after working for many years in the private sector. She began as an Environmental Health Technician in the Waste Tire Program, went on to work in food & recreation, state small water system, local oversight program, and solid waste programs. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology with an emphasis in environmental toxicology from Sonoma State University. She is currently completing her Master of Business Administration degree.

Melinda S. Stehr joined the Office of Emergency Services (now the California Emergency Management Agency), Technical Assistance Programs, in 1998. Stehr specializes in the various analytical and technical aspects of the Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Programs, and has played a key role in the development of various state emergency plans. In 2001, Stehr became the OES Debris Specialist and trained under the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Emmetsburg, Md. She has experience in debris management from many disasters within the state and was sent to assist Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. Stehr is a 25-year veteran of State service and was previously employed by the California Department of Health and Human Services and the California Department of Justice, Division of Law Enforcement.

Paul Stoppelmann is a Senior Engineer at the County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County. He has worked on projects related to a variety of environmental and groundwater contamination investigations that include former United States military bases in Southern California, as well as chemical manufacturing facilities, oil refineries, and landfills. For the past 13 years, Stoppelmann has worked on geotechnical projects as they relate to the design and construction of municipal solid waste landfills, most notably the Mesquite Regional Landfill, tunneling projects, and foundation investigations that support a variety of Sanitation Districts’ facilities. Prior to joining the Sanitation Districts, he was employed in the consulting industry. Stoppelmann is a registered Certified Engineering Geologist with the State of California. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in earth science from California State University, Fullerton, and a Masters of Science degree in geology from California State University, Long Beach.

Barbara Strough is the supervisor of CalRecycle’s Waste Tire Enforcement Grant Program and has managed and audited federal and state grants for more than 25 years.

Geralda “Gerri” Stryker is the Supervisor of the Tire Enforcement South section in the Tire Facilities Operations and Evaluations Branch of the Compliance Evaluation and Enforcement Division at CalRecycle. Stryker was previously a supervisor in Permitting and Enforcement for Solid Waste Facilities. She has worked in the environmental field for over 20 years. Prior to coming to CalRecycle in 2004, she worked for the California Environmental Protection Agency in the Regional Permit Assistance Center Program and spent 25 years with California Department of Transportation.

Ken Stuart is a Retired Annuitant at CalRecycle and is responsible for coordinating the activities of the State/Local Illegal Dumping Task Force. Stuart retired in November 2005 as the Director of Environmental Health for Contra Costa County and has spent more than 38 years as an environmental health professional. Stuart represented the contract counties programs on the original Enforcement Advisory Council in 1981, is a past president of the California Conference of Directors of Environmental Health, and has chaired the group’s Solid Waste Policy Committee. Stuart earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from California State University, Sacramento and completed his Master of Science degree in environmental health at East Tennessee State University.

Patrick Sullivan, R.E.A., C.P.P., is SCS Engineering’s National Partner for Clean Air Act issues for landfills and the Director of SCS’s Solid Waste Practice in the Western United States, which includes SCS’s largest landfill gas engineering and air quality consulting practice. Sullivan has 20 years experience in the fields of landfill gas management and air quality permitting and compliance for municipal solid waste landfills and solid waste facilities, all with SCS. He is a Certified Permitting Professional in the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Registered Environmental Assessor in California, and an approved lead verifier under the California Climate Action Registry, the Climate Registry, the Climate Action Reserve, and California Air Resources Board mandatory reporting rule. Sullivan is also the Chairman of the Rules and Regulations Committee for the landfill gas division of the Solid Waste Association of North America, Chairman of the Waste Industry Air Coalition, co-chairman of the Solid Waste Industry for Climate Solutions group and a recognized national expert on landfill gas and air quality issues, including greenhouse gas issues. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Mother Chapter of the Air and Waste Management Association and an Executive Board member for the California Biomass Collaborative. Sullivan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology/ecology from Harvard University.

Jeffrey Surma is President and Chief Executive Officer of S4 Energy Solutions. Prior to joining S4,. Surma was a senior research engineer at Battelle Pacific Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where he led multi-million dollar research projects in the area of highlevel radioactive waste vitrification, electrochemical processing and plasma processing of waste. Surma led a multi-institutional team involving the Plasma Fusion Center at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to develop plasma technologies that have been commercialized through InEnTec, where he was a founder and CEO. Surma holds 25 U.S. patents and 15 international patents and is a four-time recipient of the prestigious R&D 100 award for his work on plasma processing and associated technologies. Surma holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Science degree in chemical engineering from Montana State University.

Larry D. Sweetser, Jr. is Principal/Owner of Sweetser & Associates and specializes in environmental regulatory assistance to local government and the solid waste industry. Services include: waste screening/load checking program development, training and program review; development and review of household hazardous waste programs; environmental assessment of solid waste operations; hazardous materials management support; occupational safety and health program assistance; and guidance with AB 939 Integrated Waste Management Plans and related components. Sweetser has more than 20 years of experience in the solid and hazardous waste. He has been responsible for development of load checking programs, household hazardous waste activities, and other services for the Rural Counties’ Environmental Services Joint Power Authority, the California Integrated Waste Management Board, Norcal Waste Systems, and other public and private organizations.

Kevin Taylor is CalRecycle’s North Branch Permitting and LEA Support Branch Manager. Taylor has been with CalRecycle for 17 years in several different program areas, including waste prevention, local diversion planning, CalMAX, and organics materials management. He earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in entomology from the University of Arizona. Taylor spent more than 10 years working in the agricultural industry as a field person, consultant, and educator.

Ted Terrasas is a Senior Environmental Health Specialist with the Monterey County Health Department, Local Enforcement Agency. For the past seven years he has been involved with the permitting, inspection and enforcement activities related to solid waste facilities within Monterey County. In addition to solid waste experience, Terrasas has been certified as a Hazardous Materials Technician by the California Specialized Training Institute. Prior to becoming a Registered Environmental Health Specialist, he worked in an environmental analysis laboratory for three years. Terrasas graduated from Boston University with a double major in biology and environmental science, participated in an ecology study abroad program at Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador, and completed an internship for the United States Geological Survey in Hawaii, studying avian malaria.

Todd Thalhamer began working for CalRecycle in 1992 as a waste management engineer. He has been involved with numerous environmental remediation and hazardous waste removal projects and is responsible for environmental suppression responses at major tire and waste fires. Thalhamer was the incident commander for Cal/EPA’s environmental fire suppression project for the Tracy tire fire, heavy equipment operation branch chief for the Fresno debris fire, and the operations chief for the Angora Fire structural debris removal in South Lake Tahoe. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in environmental resource engineering from Humboldt State University. Thalhamer is a lieutenant with the El Dorado Hills Fire Department and a registered civil engineer.

Stacey Thomas is a Senior Investigator with the Fresno County District Attorney’s office. He has been with the office since 2000, and has been assigned to the Environmental Crimes Unit since August 2004. He also has worked in the Child Abduction Unit, Juvenile Dependency Unit, and Witness Protection Unit. Thomas also was a deputy sheriff with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department for 11 years.

Lisa Todd joined the LEA staff at the Sacramento County Department of Environmental Management in September of 2005. In June of 2006 she became the LEA/Solid Waste Program Supervisor. Todd worked for the Solano County Department of Resource Management from 2000-2005 in a variety of programs including liquid waste, wells, housing, vector control and solid waste. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Georgia State University and is a Registered Environmental Health Specialist. Todd served on the Board of the California Environmental Health Association from 2004-2005.

Diane Vlach is an Industrial Hygienist for CalRecycle. Some of her duties include reviewing site specific health and safety plans for CalRecycle site investigations, managing health and safety contracts, identifying and evaluating workplace and job hazards, developing and recommending hazard control measures, and assisting in the development of proactive accident prevention strategies. In addition, Vlach provides support to CalRecycle staff and LEAs through required health and safety training and data information management. She has also written regulations and provided support to LEAs and reviewed their programs to be sure they met certification requirements. Vlach has been with CalRecycle since 1989.

Scott Walker is the Supervising Engineer managing CalRecycle's Cleanup Branch. Walker has been with CalRecycle since 1992. From 1986-1992, Walker worked at the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. Walker is a California Registered Professional Civil Engineer and Certified Engineering Geologist.

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