ACHMM Philadephia Chapter Officers and Committee Members
OFFICER BIOGRAPHIES
President
Byron Nickerson, CHMM, P.G.
Science Applications International Corporation
Byron is Vice President and National Accounts Manager for SAIC, a Fortune 300 company.
He has more than 29 years of experience designing, conducting, and managing environmental
science and engineering projects. He has successfully completed hundreds of diverse
environmental projects for governmental and private-sector clients worldwide. 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; storage
tank consulting; and business development for services related to energy, the environment
and critical infrastructure engineering and design/build.
He has been a CHMM member since 1993 and has been involved with the Philadelphia Chapter
since 2002.
Vice President (President-Elect)
Tom Dalton
Guardian Environmental Services Company, Inc
Tom is the Director of Business Development and a Program Manager for GES. He has more
than 30 years of experience in conducting environmental remediation and emergency
response operations. Throughout his career, Tom has managed over 200 remedial
construction activities including; hazardous waste site cleanup, MGP site restoration,
underground storage tank management, onsite soil treatment, radioactive materials
remediation, slurry wall construction, installation of water treatment systems, UXO/MEC
clearance and the restoration of tidal wetlands. His areas of expertise include;
business management, project planning, site operations, logistics support, project
management and controls, design/build and innovative project delivery systems, business
development, technical proposal and cost estimate preparation.
In 1984, Tom took and passed his CHMM exam. He was a charter member of the New Jersey
Chapter and has been active with the Philadelphia Chapter since 1993. He has a BS in
Environmental Science and is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He is also
actively involved in organizations that support veteran and service disable veteran's
rights and opportunities.
Secretary
Mike Pacana, CHMM
Subcontractor to the Military
Mike is presently a Mission Support Manager for Safety with Jacobs Technology,
primary contractor supporting the US Army test and evaluation missions at the
Aberdeen Test Center, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD. He has over 30 years of HSE and
business leadership experience including benchmark Fortune 500companies in the
transportation and service industries.
Mike's previous positions include Safety and Loss Prevention Manager for Ryder
Systems, Inc., Director of Regulatory Compliance with Jevic Transportation, and
Director of Operations for one of the nation's largest tank and container services
companies, Brite-Sol Services, Inc.
Mike was recognized in 2004 as the first "Partner Leader of the Year" by the
American Chemistry Council in their Responsible Care Program, and is presently
certified as a Hazardous Materials Manager at the Master's level. Mike has a
Master's Degree in Environmental Science and Engineering from Drexel University,
Philadelphia, PA.
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
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.
Government/Regulatory Affairs Chair
TBD
Meetings/Professional Development Chair
Shannon McKinney
IES Engineers
Ms. McKinney has 5 years of environmental compliance experience involving
air quality, multi-media/environmental auditing, waste management, and
wastewater. She has prepared air permit applications, stormwater and
wastewater discharge applications, Emergency Response Plans and Spill
Prevention, Countermeasure and Control Plans. She has also characterized
hazardous; managed monthly wastewater sampling programs; reviewed
multi-media permits to determine facility compliance status; and written and
maintained environmental compliance manuals. She was previously an
Environmental Consultant for The Louis Berger Group and served in the
Navy on active duty and Reserves for 17 years and has been responsible for
hazardous material management and safety.
Membership Development Chair
Julie Lehrman
Golder Associates
Julie is a Senior Project Environmental Chemist at Golder Associates Inc, an
employee-owned company with international expertise in geotechnical
engineering, earth and environmental services. She provides overall support
to the Philadelphia operations for issues related to environmental chemistry,
data management, and RCRA compliance. In addition to serving as the Data
Quality Officer for projects in Connecticut, New Jersey, Ohio and
Pennsylvania, Ms. Lehrman has been a major contributor to site investigation
plans, quality assurance project plans (QAPP), CERCLA Feasibility Studies,
RCRA Corrective Measures Studies (CMS), human health and ecological risk
assessments, and NPDES permit applications.
Julie became a CHMM in June of 2006 and joined the Philadelphia Chapter soon
afterwards. When not working a Consultant's hours or spending time with her
elementary-school aged sons, Julie enjoys singing with Nashirah and being an
active member of her synagogue.
Website Maintenance Chair
TBD
POSITION DESCRIPTIONS
All Officers shall be Members in good standing with the Chapter and the
National AHMP. They shall be responsible for the day-to-day management of Chapter
affairs, implementation of policy set by the Board of Directors, and execution of the
Operating plan.
Elective Offices/Board of Directors
The Elective Officers shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary and
Treasurer, all of whom must be voting members of the Chapter. The Elective Officers, in
addition to the Immediate Past President, will be considered the Board of Directors of
the Chapter.
Officer's Duties
- President:
The president, elected to serve at least two years, presides over Chapter meetings and
interfaces with other chapters, the Academy, and other environmental organizations. All
committees report to the President, who is responsible for day-to-day Chapter management.
In the absence of the president, the Vice-President shall preside at these meetings. In
his (her) absence, the Secretary shall preside at these meetings.
- Vice-President (President-Elect):
The vice-president, who is elected to serve at least two years and expected to serve as
President the following term, presides over Chapter meetings in the absence of the
President and ensures the development and execution of an appropriate annual educational
program for the Chapter.
- Secretary:
The secretary, who is elected to a term of at least two years, documents Chapter meetings,
maintains and updates Chapter records and mailing lists, documents Chapter-sponsored
training, and manages mailing of official notices to the membership.
- Treasurer:
The treasurer, who is elected to a term of at least two years, documents Chapter membership,
manages the Chapter's financial affairs, maintains the Chapter's financial records, mails
invoices, pays obligations, collects receivables, makes bank deposits, and interfaces with
applicable government entities to maintain the Chapter's nonprofit and corporate status.
- Immediate Past President:
The responsibility of this unelected position, which is assumed by the previous term's
President, is to recruit Chapter members and assist the Board of Directors in achieving
Chapter objectives.
Committees
The work of the Chapter shall be conducted by four Standing Committees of which the
chairperson is expected to serve for a period of at least two years. The Elected Officers
shall appoint committee chairpersons for the following standing committees:
- Government/Regulatory Affairs:
This committee is the focal point for communication to the Chapter on actions, proposed or
otherwise, taken at all levels of government in regard to management of hazardous materials.
The chairperson is encouraged to be a member of the National Government Affairs Committee
and shall conduct the chapter committee efforts in concert with the National Academy.
- Meetings/Professional Development:
Continuing education of the CHMM is an important part of the fulfillment of the Chapter's
Mission. This committee will develop the educational programs for the Chapter meetings, as
well as any other programs that can be used to further the exchange of information and ideas.
- Membership Development:
Working with the immediate Past President, this committee recruits new members for the
Chapter. The committee will develop and execute recruiting plans including the direct mail,
telephone campaigns, and membership incentive.
- Website Maintenance:
The primary purpose of this committee is the establishment and maintenance of a positive
impression of the CHMM certification, the membership, and the Chapter through the Chapter
website. This committee will focus on efforts that will increase the awareness of the CHMM
program and attract new members, and provide Chapter information to its membership.