ACHMM Philadephia Chapter Officers
OFFICER BIOGRAPHIES
President
Joann Cortese, CHMM
Sartomer Company, Inc.
Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) with a bachelor's degree in
Chemical Engineering from Drexel University. Environmental, Health, and
Safety Manager with Sartomer Company, Inc. since 1986. Responsibilities
include compliance with Federal, State, and local regulations concerning
environmental, health, and safety issues at the manufacturing sites and the
R&D facility. Previous positions held include Process Engineering (4 years)
and R&D (4 years). Years of company service began in June 1977.
In addition to the above stated responsibilities, holds the positions of the
company Responsible Care® Coordinator and have been very active in Sartomer's
community outreach.
As a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager has been active as a Charter
member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Academy of Certified Hazardous
Materials Managers since 1993. Has held the positions of Chairperson of the
Membership Committee, Treasurer and have been Chapter Vice-President since
2000.
Has coached girl's softball with husband since 1992. Have also coached girl's
soccer and basketball.
Married since July 1977 and have two daughters. Hobbies include traveling as
much as possible on vacations, reading, photography and gardening.
Vice President
Byron Nickerson , CHMM
Science Applications International Corporation
Byron is an Assistant Vice President, Division Manager and Environmental Program
Manager for SAIC. He has more than 25 years of experience designing, conducting, and
managing environmental science and engineering projects. He has successfully
completed hundreds of diverse environmental projects for federal and state agencies
and private-sector clients throughout the country. Areas of expertise include:
Phase I/II environmental site assessments related to property transfers; RCRA,
CERCLA and state-lead site investigations and remediation; strategic regulatory
compliance; multimedia permitting; hazardous materials management; and storage tank
consulting.
He has been a CHMM since 1993 and has been involved with the Philadelphia Chapter
since 2002.
Secretary
Mike Pacana, CHMM
Ryder Transportation
Treasurer
Donna Switzer, CHMM
ERM, Inc.
Donna became a CHMM around 1994 and joined the Philadelphia ACHMM Chapter
soon after. She started her involvement with the Chapter as the Meetings
Committee Chair and then progressed from Chapter Secretary to Chapter
President. She currently holds the Treasurer position for the Chapter and
sits on the National ACHMM Chapter Development Committee.
She started in the environmental industry in 1989 in the Asbestos industry.
She was employed by one of the Waste Management, Inc. divisions or
subsidiaries or joint ventures or whatever for about 10 years, focusing on
Hazardous Waste disposal and cleanup. She then earned a Masters Degree in
Environmental Science and made a jump to waste generation. Once on that side
of the fence, she managed compliance for several manufacturing companies –
plastics, pesticides, lead-acid batteries.
Currently she is an Environmental Consultant for ERM, Inc. where she is
concerned with environmental management systems, EHS compliance, and
regulatory oversight of air, water, solid waste, and hazardous waste areas
affecting industrial clients.
Past President
Hubie Gallagher, CHMM
TTI Environmental, Inc.
Hubie is a Senior Environmental Consultant for TTI Environmental Inc.,
located at their Moorestown, New Jersey Office. He has over twenty-two
years experience in Environmental, Health & Safety Management and strategic
compliance planning throughout the US. Over his career, he has worked as a
plant level environmental manager for GE and as a corporate regulatory
specialist for Waste Management, Inc. Prior to joining TTI, Hubie was a
Senior Project Manager for RTP Environmental Associates. Before that, he was
Corporate Environmental Programs Manager for Foamex International, Inc., a
flexible polyurethane foam manufacturer. Hubie has a B.S. in Environmental
Studies from the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and is a Master Level,
Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM).
Meetings Chair
Craig Durand , CHMM
TTI Environmental, Inc.
Mr. Durand is Vice President of TTI Environmental, Inc. of Marlton, New Jersey and
has over 15 years of experience in performing environmental projects throughout
the United States. He is a graduate of Cook College of Rutgers University where
he earned his B.S. Degree in Environmental Science. Mr. Durand is a Senior Level
Certified Hazardous Materials Manager and holds several state-issued environmental
licenses. His firm specializes in developing and implementing inspection programs
to satisfy state and federal requirements, including those found in RCRA, OSHA and
SPCC. Recently, Mr. Durand has had the opportunity to provide the USEPA with
unique insights into tank inspection and testing challenges during the EPA process
of issuing the new SPCC tank requirements. He has presented on this topic at
international trade shows and technical associations including the American
Society of Non-destructive Testing.
Membership Chair
Hubie Gallagher, CHMM
TTI Environmental, Inc.
Also Past President, see bio above.
Web Site Chair