Congratulations to the four newest members of A&WMA's Board of Directors, whose terms will begin January 2009:

President Elect – Gwen Eklund

Director (Regulated Category) – Scott Golla

Director (Regulatory Category) – Ravi Srivastava

Director (Other Category) – Howard Saxion

A. Gwen Eklund

Office Won:  President-Elect

Director, Power Generation TRC Companies, Inc. Austin, Texas Association member since 1986 Section and Chapter Affiliation: Central Texas Chapter, Southwest Section

Education & Accreditation:

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Baylor University (1975)
Master of Science in Physical Chemistry (1978)

Experience:

Ms. Eklund has 30 years of diverse experience in the environmental and energy fields. She has served as a scientist, project manager, group leader, section manager, region manager, and as a corporate officer. She has experience in both air and waste issues including air toxics, air pollution control technologies, and emission inventories, as well as hazardous waste remediation, solid waste management, and by-product utilization. She also has experience in the multi-media environmental issues of risk management, energy efficiency, and sustainability. She has managed multi-million dollar budgets.

Gwen Eklund, Director, Power Generation at TRC, currently works with TRC Staff and energy clients in multi-media environmental work ranging from due diligence and permitting to climate change and sustainability.

She previously worked at Radian (now URS) for 16 years and at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) for 3 years where her work involved collaborative energy research, advanced combustion technologies, and renewable power generation. She has also served as a Corporate Officer in firms specializing in environmental software and pollution liability insurance. Her work there focused on environmental neural network optimization solutions and risk management, respectively.

In addition to numerous leadership roles within A&WMA (see below), she has a long record of working with standard setting organizations. She was a collaborative founding member of the U.S. Green Building Council. She was also Chairman of ASTM E50 on Environmental Assessment and Environmental Risk Management (1996-2003) and currently serves as the Executive Vice Chairman. Under her leadership, E50 produced the Phase 1 and Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment Standards and the Risk Based Corrective Action (RBCA) Standard. She currently leads the international ASTM standard development on risk management for environmental disclosure and financial reporting of GHG initiatives with participation from three continents.

A&WMA Activities & Offices Held:

• A&WMA Vice President, 2005;
• Member, Board of Directors, 2003-2005; 1999-2002 (ex officio);
• Member, Association’s Strategic Planning Committee, 2000-2001;
• Board of Directors Finance Committee, 1999-2002, 2004-2005;
• Technical Program Chairman, International A&WMA Annual Conferences, 2000-2002;
• Chairman of EM Editorial Advisory Committee, 2006-present;
• Member, EM Editorial Advisory Committee, 1999-present;
• Member, Publications Committee (EM, Journal, A&WMA website), 1999-present;
• Chairman, Technical Council, 1999-2002;
• Vice Chair, Technical Council 1996-1998;
• Technical Council Group Coordinator, Environmental Management, 1994-1995;
• Division Chair, Pollution Prevention and Global Sustainable Development, 1992-1994;
• Chair, Waste Minimization and By-Product Utilization Technical Committee, 1993-1994;
• Chair, ITF on Environmental Business Risk Management, 1995-1996;
• Vice Chair, Central Texas Chapter, 2008;
• Board of Directors’ “Steering Committee on Climate Change,” 2006-present;
• Board of Directors' “Membership Improvement Survey” Response Task Force, 2006-present;
• Board of Directors’ “Website” Enhancement Task Force, 2002 and 2005;
• Conference Co-Chairman, 1st Vapor Intrusion Specialty Conference, 2005;
• Organizing Committee, 2008 Climate Change Policy Symposium, 2008;
• Chair, International Specialty Conference, Pollution Prevention and Sustainability, 1992; and
• Instructor, Pollution Prevention Training Course, 1992.

Vision:
If elected, I will concentrate my efforts on (1) updating A&WMA’s website technology to improve the capabilities and online usage of products and services; (2) providing credible information and neutral forums related to climate change and sustainability; and (3) bringing students and young professionals into leadership positions within international A&WMA, and Sections and Chapters.

I see an opportunity to link my three goals. Climate change has been an important issue for A&WMA and one that I have supported actively for over a decade. Student members and young professionals also view climate change as our #1 issue. Positioning these energetic new leaders in substantive roles throughout A&WMA is imperative. We can improve both our online networking and delivery of timely environmental information using an enhanced web platform to make A&WMA’s documents, training, and conferences more accessible.

Another key to our success is face-to-face networking at our meetings. As President, I will work with Sections and Chapters to keep our local meetings vigorous and interactive with our international organization. More timely, concise, affordable, high-quality meetings are among my personal goals. Whether A&WMA is a place where we mentor, debate concepts and solutions, or develop new friendships, A&WMA is a vital network.

I have had opportunities to serve A&WMA in numerous capacities. I have leadership experience in all segments of A&WMA activities: the Annual Conference and Exhibition, Specialty Conferences, Publications, and improving our website. I have the necessary financial skills and have successfully led volunteers in A&WMA and ASTM. If given an opportunity, I am confident that with my experience and proven leadership skills, I will contribute to taking A&WMA to a higher level. Thank you for your consideration and for giving me an opportunity to serve you.

 

Scott W. Golla, QEP, MBA

Office Won:  Director (Regulated Category)

Principal Environmental Engineer - Corporate Center, Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC Monroeville, Pennsylvania Association member since 1989 Section Affiliation: Allegheny Mountain Section

Education & Accreditation:

Bachelor of Science in Environmental Resource Management, Penn State University; Master of Business Administration, Donahue Graduate School of Business, Duquesne University; QEP in Institute of Professional Environmental Practice

Experience:

Mr. Golla is the Principal Environmental Engineer in the Legal, Contracts & EHS group at the corporate headquarters of Westinghouse Electric Company (the leading global provider of nuclear fuels, nuclear plant services, and new nuclear power plants). In this role, he is involved with EHS policy and leadership activities, EHS management systems, promoting and implementing sustainability initiatives, coordinating the compliance and management system audit programs for operations worldwide, EHS performance tracking, transactional due diligence, environmental financial reviews, and supporting the operations of the three business units. Recent activities he is particularly passionate about include chairing the corporate headquarters EHS council, developing company sustainability strategy, and LEED (green building) certification of new construction.

Mr. Golla’s career to date has focused on industrial compliance services, transactional due diligence, environmental management systems and web-based tools, environmental financial disclosure, permitting, and voluntary sustainability/environmental performance improvement. His professional environmental management experience has included several years in the energy industry, plus many years in consulting. He has worked for all major types of industrial operations and has developed extensive relationships with the environmental legal community. Prior to Westinghouse, his most recent work included management consulting primarily in the alternative power and biofuels industries, and complex green initiatives in the chemical industry.

Mr. Golla is an active member of the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, serves on several committees, and has participated in the past four annual Conferences on Environmental Law as a presenter and sponsor lead. Mr. Golla is also a member of Champions for Sustainability (a collaboration of leaders accelerating the practice of sustainability in business and communities), and the Green Building Alliance. His prior employment experience includes positions with Allegheny Energy, several large consulting firms, and two other divisions of the old Westinghouse Electric Corporation.

A&WMA Activities & Offices Held:

• Chair, 2008, Allegheny Mountain Section
• Chair, 2001 – 2005, Technical Coordinating Committee EP-3 (Environmental Management: Legal/Liability Issues)
• Program Co-chair, 2002 – 2004, A&WMA/American Bar Association - Clean Air Act Update Satellite Seminars
• Local Host Committee, ACE 2007
• Vice-Chair, 2001, Mid Atlantic States Section (MASS)
• Vice-Chair, 2007, Allegheny Mountain Section
• Director, 2003-2005, Allegheny Mountain Section, Board
• Director, 1999-2001, Mid Atlantic States Section (MASS), Board
• Active Member of several TC Committees (EI-2, AT-5, EP-3, ES-4, etc.), 1993 – present
• Session Chair, Speaker/Author, and/or Panelist at many Annual Conferences
• Active Member, Western PA Chapter, Central New York Chapter, Mid Atlantic States Section, and Allegheny Mountain Section over the years, 1989-present

Vision:
Today’s focus on “sustainability” by corporations, the public, Wall Street, universities, and NGOs may be the largest opportunity in decades to further our organization’s mission, and advance our profession. This is an opportunity for our members to be leading positive change at their respective employers. It is A&WMA’s role to help support the business case for the professional endeavors of our members, through information dissemination, dialogue, and professional development. Accordingly, we should continually and actively justify the value of membership to the employers of our members. We need to deliver, in a timely manner, the benefits our members want and need. We also have a role in globalization; we can help shepherd new technologies to the world. We should continue to expand our membership internationally. We should beef up our university relations – as they are the pipeline for our viable future – and integrate students into all our activities.

In our second century, we can develop more cutting edge programs, and modernize their delivery (webcasts, blogs, streaming video, etc.). We should act more like a commercial business seeking competitive advantage. We have the opportunity to eliminate inferred barriers between our councils and refresh our productivity as an organization. With new enthusiasm and agility, and reinvigorating our councils to adjust our culture to the marketplace, we can succeed over the next century. We need to support the careers of the next generation of environmental professionals. Our board should be focused on progressive strategic thinking and maintaining an engaging organization for our ever-changing membership. To stay vibrant, our leadership shouldn’t be limited to those who have been here the longest, but rather we should involve people who are motivated to be agents for positive change. Sustainability is truly improving the business profile of the environmental professional; A&WMA needs to capitalize on that.

 

Ravi K. Srivastava, Ph.D.

Office Won:  Director (Regulatory Category)

Senior Technical Advisor U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards Sector Policies and Programs Division Research Triangle Park, NC Association member since 1998 Section and Chapter Affiliation: Research Triangle Park Chapter, South Atlantic States Section

Education & Accreditation:

Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (1979); Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Washington State University (1984); Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, North Carolina State University (1998)

Experience:

In 1994, Dr. Srivastava began his career in environmental protection with EPA’s Acid Rain Division (ARD) in Washington DC. While at ARD, he assisted with development and promulgation of several NOX regulations including the Acid Rain regulations, NSPS revisions, and the NOX SIP Call. His work contributed to significant reductions in NOX emissions from U.S. utility boilers.

In 1998, Dr. Srivastava joined the Air Pollution Prevention and Control division of EPA’s Office of Research & Development in Research Triangle Park, NC. He managed the research program on air pollution control technology and coordinated with DOE, EPRI, and others on control technology development efforts. He was the lead author of a white paper on the status of mercury control technologies as of 2003. This paper was widely considered to be an objective state-of-the-art summary and provided the technical basis for the Agency’s position on mercury controls in the context of the Clean Air Mercury Rule. Also, he reviewed and guided the development of the control technology chapter in the Global Mercury Assessment Report prepared by UNEP.

In 2006, Dr. Srivastava joined the Sector Policies and Programs Division of EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) in Research Triangle Park, NC, as a Senior Technical Advisor. Currently, he provides expert technical and scientific advice and assistance to address far-reaching issues related to characterization and control of air pollutant emissions. Also, he is currently developing a techno-economic model that is expected to be used in designing sector-based regulatory strategies.

As a key agency expert, Dr. Srivastava has received numerous awards, including three EPA Gold medals. He has authored over 100 technical publications/presentations and one book in the field of air pollution and its control. He is a frequent speaker at technical conferences and has co-chaired numerous symposia. He also has been an invited speaker at meetings/conferences in Canada, China, India, Poland, Russia, Scotland, and the U.S.

A&WMA Activities & Offices Held:

• I have served on the Board and as the Chair and Past-Chair for the Research Triangle Chapter of Air & Waste Management Association. We won the Chapter Cup Award during my tenure.
• I have served as a Board member for the South Atlantic States Section. In this capacity, I assisted with developing Section/Chapter policies and procedures aimed at increasing environmental awareness in the local area.
• Starting in 1999, A&WMA began hosting the International Combined Utility Air Pollutant Control (Mega) Symposia, which had previously been hosted by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). On behalf of EPA, I helped facilitate the transition from EPRI to A&WMA. Thereafter, I was the EPA Co-chair of the 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, and 2006 Mega Symposia. These symposia provided an international forum for exchanging state-of-the-art information on research and development in air pollution control technologies applicable to stationary combustion sources. As the EPA Co-chair, I played a key role in the development of technical sessions and ensured that these sessions presented cutting-edge and relevant information. The sessions covered topics on control of NOX, SO2, PM, mercury, and air toxics emissions.
• I have helped organize and chair EPA/A&WMA Information Exchange conferences in Research Triangle Park, NC from 1998 through 2006. These conferences, held annually in Research Triangle Park, NC, provide a forum for exchanging state-of-the-art information on air pollution and its control.
• I have published articles in the Journal of Air & Waste Management Association (JAWMA) and the EM magazine.
• I have been a reviewer for the JAWMA, and in this capacity have peer-reviewed many manuscripts.
• I have attended and made presentations at many A&WMA meetings, including specialty conferences and many Annual Conference & Exhibitions.

Vision:
It is a privilege to share my vision with you and thank you for this opportunity.

While we have accomplished much in protecting the environment in the last century, significant concerns face us in this century. Many of these concerns are global in terms of potential impacts and scope (e.g., transcontinental pollution, global climate change, sustainable development), and are tied closely to worldwide economic growth. To arrive at viable and timely solutions, experts and decision-makers around the world are actively engaged and this engagement must continue. Also, there is a need to more actively educate the broad global community about the significant environmental forces at play. In this context, my vision focuses on global collaboration and education.

• Global collaboration – help facilitate interactions of experts and decision-makers to address the significant environmental concerns of this century.

• Education – promote understanding of the state of the environment at all levels, including the grass-roots level, to create awareness and involvement, which will help realize more robust solutions to pressing needs.

Finally, I cannot help but note an old Kenyan proverb – "Treat the Earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your children." These words always remind me that our children and future generations are relying on us being responsible in preserving their environment.

 

Howard Saxion, Ph.D., QEP

Office Won:  Director (Other)

Vice President and Principal Project Manager CH2M HILL Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Association member since 1991 Section Affiliation: Southwest Section

Education & Accreditation:

Bachelor of Science, Biology, The University of Texas at Arlington (1974); Master of Science, Environmental Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas (1976); Ph.D., Environmental Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas (1989); QEP (1995)

Experience:

Dr. Saxion joined CH2M HILL in 1990. Currently, he is a program manager for a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract for Tinker Air Force Base, which is one of the largest industrial facilities within the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Environmental consulting services include a broad range of regulatory programs applicable to the facility including the requirements of the U.S. Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, RCRA, and others. He is responsible for project budgets, schedule, technical requirements, and customer satisfaction. Dr. Saxion is assisting the U.S. Air Force in a collaborative effort with the U.S. EPA to develop a new surface coating national emission standard for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP) that will be applicable to DoD. This rule will result in further reductions of hazardous air pollutant emissions from DoD facilities. A draft regulation is expected to be published in 2008.

In addition to program and project management, Dr. Saxion is the Staffing Manager for CH2M HILL’s southeast region environmental services business group which consists of 400 employees and over $120 million in annual revenues. Dr. Saxion is a member of the City of Norman, Oklahoma’s, Environmental Advisory Board, and previously served on the City of Dallas, Texas, Environmental Health Commission, Governor of Texas’ Task Force on Hazardous Waste Management, and was elected Chair of the Summit Park, Utah, Water District. For SAME, he was Chair of the Oklahoma City Post’s Scholarship Committee that awarded over $30,000 in scholarships over a 5 year period. He is the recipient of numerous service awards from professional organizations and from State and Local governments. He was an adjunct professor in the Environmental Sciences program at The University of Texas at San Antonio where he taught graduate level courses in environmental regulations and public policy. Dr. Saxion has authored over 14 peer reviewed papers.

A&WMA Activities & Offices Held:

*Southwest Section Chair 2003 and 2007, Section Vice-Chair 2002.
*Federal Facilities Technical Committee (EI-1). Secretary 2003-2004. Vice Chair 2005-2007. Committee Member since 1996.
*Chair of EP-8 Environmental Auditing Technical Committee (2001-2003). Committee Member since 1996.
*Oklahoma Chapter Chair 2001; Vice Chair 2000; Board of Directors since 1999.
*Board of Directors and Treasurer of the Alamo Chapter (1996-1997).
*Secretary, Great Basin (Utah) Chapter (1994-1995). Assisted in helping to organize the Great Basin Chapter in 1991.
*Chair of EP-8 Environmental Auditing Technical Committee (2001-2003). Committee Member since 1996.
*Technical Session Chair at numerous Annual Convention and Exhibits since 1996.
*Regional Coordinator for the Institute of Professional Environmental Practice (IPEP). He has coordinated and proctored exams for Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP) candidates in South Central Texas (1995-1997) and Oklahoma (1998 to present).

Vision:
I am honored to be nominated for the Board of Directors of the most preeminent organization for environmental professionals in the world. Thank you for the opportunity to share with you my vision and goals as we begin A&WMA’s second century.

* Climate Change. Climate change is the most critical and complex issue that environmental professionals will address over the next several decades. Few non-governmental organizations are better positioned than A&WMA to provide an unbiased and technically-focused forum on climate change. Our history has been one of tackling complex issues and we must increase our involvement on climate change by more focus on this issue at the Annual Conference and Exhibition, specialty conferences, EM magazine, and the Journal. However, our focus on climate change should complement and not diminish other A&WMA programs and initiatives.

* Growing the next generation of members. A&WMA must focus on attracting young environmental professionals to join and become active. Many of us that are active in our Chapters and Sections do not see many young professionals at meetings. We must reemphasize creation and nurturing of student chapters. As a Director, I will work with our leaders at all levels to develop and implement membership programs that recruit and retain young professionals.

* Membership Growth and Financial Strength. A&WMA must redouble efforts to increase membership. Maintaining membership at current numbers is not a sustainable strategy because it requires dues increases if we are to retain benefits at current levels. Increasing members will result in financial strength allowing A&WMA to better serve our members.

* Support to Sections and Chapters. A&WMA will only grow and remain a vibrant organization if we have viable Sections and Chapters. We must make sure that Sections and Chapters have the financial and organizational resources to be successful.