SPEAKERS

Dr. Sally Brown

University of Washington

Sally Brown is a Professor at the University of Washington. Sally Brown received her MS and PhD under Dr. Rufus Chaney in 1996 at the University of Maryland. Her dissertation was on the Long-term effects of biosolids application on agricultural soils. Her work with biosolids started there and hasn’t stopped since. She is a Fellow in the Soil Science Society of America and was a two term member of the National Academy of Science Committee on Soil Science. She writes a monthly column for BioCycle Magazine and Northwest Biosolids – https://nwbiosolids.org/whats-happening/resource-library

Andrew Carpenter

Board Member of the Compost Research and Education Foundation (CREF)

Andrew Carpenter is a certified soil scientist, certified crop advisor and certified nutrient management planning specialist. Andrew has been recycling organic residuals and developing recycling programs for materials that have not historically been reused since 1992. He has extensive experience in research, planning and handling technical issues related to the reuse of organic residuals. Andrew received an M.S. in Plant, Soil and Environmental Science at the University of Maine. He founded Northern Tilth, LLC an environmental consulting firm focusing on organic waste management and building soil health, in 2003. Andrew is currently a Board Member of the Compost Research and Education Foundation (CREF).

Madeline Pierce Desjardins

Madeline Desjardins is a Ph.D. student studying soil science at Washington State University in Dr. Deirdre Griffin LaHue’s Soil Health Lab at the Northwestern Washing Research and Extension Center (NWREC). Her research at the NWREC focuses on the impacts of long-term biosolids applications and cover crop grazing on soil health and sustainable crop productivity in dryland grain systems.

Jason Duffin

Jason has been working at the Compost Facility in Missoula since 2005 for a Private Company. In 2017 the City of Missoula was able to purchase the Facility now known as Garden City Compost which is a Division of the Resource Recovery Center. Since that happened, he has been lucky enough to see the full potential of their facility and also learn a lot more about the science of Composting and working with various growing mediums. A large portion of that is his boss Gene Connell and himself being a part of this organization, Northwest Biosolids.

Dr. Lauchlan Fraser

Professor and NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Ecosystem Reclamation Department of Natural Resource Science Thompson Rivers University

Dr. Lauchlan Fraser, an ecosystem ecologist, is a Professor and Senior NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Ecosystem Reclamation at Thompson Rivers University (TRU). Fraser conducts research on ecosystem reclamation following industrial landscape disturbances, with a particular focus on biodiversity, climate change and grassland ecology, resulting in over 100 peer-reviewed publications in the world’s leading scientific journals. Fraser serves on national and international boards and committees including the Genome BC Extractive Industries Sector Steering Committee, BC Technical and Research Committee on Reclamation, International Association of Vegetation Scientists Global Sponsorship Committee, and board of the Grasslands Conservation Council of BC; and editorial positions with several international scientific journals.

Mike Gates

Clean Water Services Biosolids and Dewatering Program

Mike is the Operations Analyst for the dewatering and biosolids program at Clean Water Services. He specializes in dewatering and biosolids program optimization. Mike has been with Clean Water Services for 16 years with his main focus on the optimization of dewatering centrifuges with the last 5 years focused on optimizing the biosolids program. Mike currently oversees the land application of approximately 11000 dry tons of biosolids beneficially used in the Willamette Valley and several counties in Eastern Oregon.

Martye Griffin

Director of Ecosystem Services

Martye Griffin has always been about the ‘WE’ in ‘WATER’ and how human decisions impact water quality.

Martye received his graduate degree in biology from the Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts, examining the impacts of excess nutrients on coastal ecosystems. He has over 20 years of experience working in the public and private sectors looking holistically at the interaction between human land use and water quality. With increasing societal and regulatory pressure to produce cleaner water than ever, it costs more to clean water after it is polluted than preventing the pollution in the first place.

In his role, Martye focuses on solving problems adaptively to move at the speed of trust. Working in communities focusing on pollution prevention is just the way we must do business.

Martye joined the District in 2017.

Pat Heins

Permit Writer for individual and statewide Water Pollution Control Facility permits

Pat Heins has over 25 years of experience working in environmental compliance. He started out working as an analyst for an environmental laboratory and an assistant environmental compliance manager for a manufacturing facility, before working as a consultant for 14 years. Pat started working for Oregon Department of Environmental Quality in 2014 in the NW region and is now working in DEQ’s headquarters as the state biosolids and recycled water program coordinator. He also serves as a permit writer for individual and statewide Water Pollution Control Facility permits.

Emily Kijowski

Statewide Biosolids Coordinator for Washington State Department of Ecology

Emily Kijowski is the Statewide Biosolids Coordinator for Washington State Department of Ecology. She has a Bachelor’s in Environmental Health and a Master’s of Natural Resource Stewardship, both from Colorado State University. Emily has 9 years of experience in the solid waste and recycling field including working as an environmental consultant, overseeing a military solid waste and recycling program, and facilitating outreach and education for a local environmental department. She started with Ecology to manage the process to renew the Statewide General Permit for Biosolids Management, including its reorganization. After the permit issuance she transitioned into the Statewide Coordinator role to oversee implementation of the permit and program statewide.

Maile Lono-Batura

Director of Sustainable Biosolids Programs at the Water Environment Federation

Maile Lono-Batura is the Director of Sustainable Biosolids Programs at the Water Environment Federation. Maile joined WEF in 2021 after serving as Executive Director of Northwest Biosolids for 22 years. She serves as a central coordinator and network leader for WEF’s biosolids programs, finding synergies across organizations to elevate impactful movements. Maile earned her Bachelor’s in Community & Environmental Planning with an Environmental Studies Minor from the Univ. of WA. She received her Master’s in Nonprofit Leadership from Seattle Univ. and is a Board-Certified Env. Scientist with the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists Board (AAEES). She was recently recognized as a AAEES 40 Under 40 Rising Stars Class of 2022.

Dominic Loustalot

Compost Facility Operator, City of Coeur d'Alene Wastewater Dept.

Dominic Loustalot is a Compost Facility Operator for the City of Coeur d’Alene Wastewater Department. He has been helping run the static compost process at the Coeur d’Green facility since 2019 and although he had no experience with compost before then he has come to fully appreciate the many benefits it provides. He takes pride in having the greenest lawn in his neighborhood but doesn’t much care for having to mow it twice a week.

Elizabeth (Beth) Lyon

Strategic Marketing-Communication Project Manager Resource Recovery Section King County Wastewater Treatment Division

Elizabeth Lyon is the Strategic Marketing-Communication Project Manager for the Resource Recovery Section of King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD). WTD is an industry leader in clean water management and beneficial use programs that deliver recycled water, biogas, sewer heat recovery, and one of the nation’s longest-running biosolids products, Loop®. Elizabeth has extensive experience in strategic marketing-communication, brand management, and business. She provides communication leadership for WTD’s products and services, and develops strategies for taking new products to market. Elizabeth is an internal storyteller who champions the value of resource recovery (the verb) to build advocacy among employees at all levels of the organization.

Elizabeth has worked for some dynamic brands like Precor, Seattle University, and United Health, and in the public sector for the University of Washington and Seattle City Light. Before joining King County, Elizabeth worked as a marketing-communication strategist, promoting educational programs, and developing a new business model and programming strategies for Seattle’s Lighting Design Lab. Elizabeth has a Bachelor of Science in Communication from the University of Idaho and holds a graduate certificate in interactive (digital) marketing from the University of Washington. Her favorite motto is, “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” A good reminder and call to arms that everyone plays a role in helping protect the world’s most valuable asset.

Ben Martin

Assistant Wastewater Director, The City of Coeur d’Alene Idaho

Ben Martin is the Assistant Wastewater Director for the city of Coeur d’Alene Idaho. He has served in wastewater operations since 2005 at various sites in the Spokane/Coeur d’Alene area. He received his BS in Biology from Montana State University-Billings. His background in using microbes to break down waste at the Kootenai County Landfill and at wastewater treatment plants prepared him to help run the Coeur d’Green Compost Facility. His team at the city’s facility has worked to establish a sustainable and reliable outlet for the biosolids of the community for the last 30 years.

Dr. Bryn Nelson

Freelance science writer, editor, and author

Dr. Bryn Nelson is a trained microbiologist, award-winning science writer, and author of the book Flush: The Remarkable Science of an Unlikely Treasure. After receiving his PhD in microbiology at the University of Washington and completing a graduate program in science writing at the University of California at Santa Cruz, he joined the science desk at Newsday in New York, where he was a journalist for seven years. Since then, he has written for a wide range of publications including the New York Times, NBCNews.com, The Daily Beast, Mosaic, Nature, The BMJ, and Science News for Students. Among his other projects, he was a contributing writer for the field guide, Newsday’s Guide to Long Island’s Natural World, and a contributing editor for the six-volume Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking.
brynnelson.com

Konrad Mathesius

Agronomy Advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension

Konrad Mathesius is an Agronomy Advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension. His work primarily focuses on nutrient management optimization, sustainable agricultural practices, and herbicide resistant weeds.

Kristen McIvor

Director of Harvest Pierce County

Kristen is the director of Harvest Pierce County, the urban agriculture program of the Pierce Conservation District – supporting 90 active community gardens, orchards, farms and the humans that make it all happen. She has been working to develop sustainable food systems in Tacoma, WA since 2006 and received her PhD in Forest Resources from the University of Washington in 2011.

Ian Pepper

Regents Professor at the University of Arizona

Dr Pepper is a Regents Professor at the University of Arizona, where he is the Director of the Water and Energy Sustainable Technology Center. He is currently conducting a variety of research studies including wastewater- based epidemiology monitoring of SARS- CoV-2 and issues related to the land application of biosolids.

Baraka Poulin

Engineered Compost System’s Director of Business Development

Mr. Poulin serves as Engineered Compost System’s Director of Business Development. He joined ECS in 2019 and develops ideas and opportunities into successful compost projects. Prior to joining ECS, Mr. Poulin developed industrial scale biomass energy projects with both pyrolysis and gasification technology. He also brings an extensive background developing energy efficiency projects with public sector clients through energy service performance contracting.

Natalie Sierra

National Practice Lead for Solids and Energy, Brown and Caldwell

Natalie Sierra is Brown and Caldwell’s National Practice Lead for Solids and Energy. Her work focuses on biosolids management and biosolids master planning and she has a passion for biosolids recycling, helping utilities implement solutions from coast to coast. Prior to coming to Brown and Caldwell, Natalie served as the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s biosolids manager.

William Toffey

Principal of Effluential Synergies LLC

Bill has over 40 years’ experience in municipal wastewater, environmental and energy management. He is the principal of Effluential Synergies LLC, a sustainable residuals consultancy, and until the beginning of 2022 served as the Executive Director of the Mid Atlantic Biosolids Association, a trade group that covers seven states and supports an industry with 800 biosolids generators and 1,800 biosolids practitioners. For 20 years prior to this position, he managed biosolids operations for the Philadelphia Water Department. During his career he has authored over 75 papers and presentations to a range of local, national, and international technical audiences, which includes operator training manuals and programs. Over the past seven years, he has authored 120 monthly biosolids reports to MABA members. Bill graduated from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University and has a Masters of Regional Planning degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He is active in national and international professional organizations.

Ken Windram

Administrator, Hayden Area Regional Sewer Board

40+ years’ experience in wastewater operations and management working at over 50 wastewater treatment facilities from 50,000 gallons per day to 450 million gallons per day capacity. Wastewater licenses: New York Grade 2, Massachusetts Grade 7, Indiana Grade 4, Hawaii Grade 4, Washington Grade 4, Idaho Grade 4. I have worked for Envirotech Operating Service, Metcalf & Eddy, USFilter and Veolia Water. I was the project manager for the design, build, own and operate 13 MGD Honouliuli Water Recycling Facility (largest water recycling project in Hawaii (2000)). My current position is administrator, responsible charge operator and tertiary treatment & biosolids construction manager at the Hayden Area Regional Sewer Board. Degreed in Environmental Technology from the State University of New York.