Marie Maher, PG, currently serves as the assistant national manager of exploration services for the western operating group of Terracon Consultants Inc. She is a professional geologist with technical experience in environmental remediation, geotechnical exploration, and geophysical applications. Her technical experience has developed into safety program and business development. 

NGWA's Relationship Manager.

Mike Gefell is a Principal at Anchor QEA. He is a hydrogeologist with 35 years of experience in environmental consulting. Most of his current projects involve groundwater/surface-water interactions, NAPLs, and/or fractured bedrock at environmental sites, and he has contributed to a wide range of full-scale site remedies. Mike enjoys developing economical innovations to improve our understanding of groundwater/surface-water interactions, mass flux, NAPL mobility, and modeling. He received a B.A. from Cornell University and an M.S. from the University of California, Davis. He is an Associate Editor and former Technology Editor of Groundwater journal and received the Technology Award from the National Ground Water Association and a Distinguished Service Award from ASTM.

Matthew “Matt” W. Becker, Ph.D., is the Conrey Chair in hydrogeology and professor of Earth sciences at California State University, Long Beach, USA. He holds degrees in geology and civil engineering, and has worked with Los Alamos National Laboratory, the U.S Geological Survey, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and the University at Buffalo. Becker has also been awarded Fulbright scholarships for Italy and Australia. His primary focus of research is fluid flow in highly heterogeneous subsurface environments.

Dr. Daniel W. Elliott has more than 30 years’ experience performing environmental due diligence assessments, characterizing and quantifying environmental liability, managing remediation portfolios, and leading compliance audits as an environmental manager at two Fortune 500 multinational firms (Merck & Co., Inc. and American Standard, Inc.), a major research university (UNC-Chapel Hill), and in consulting. His expertise includes process wastewater treatment, hazardous waste management, multi-media (e.g. air, water, stormwater, etc.) permitting, and environmental auditing. As a consultant, Dan strives to bring the “owner’s perspective” to his practice which at present is focused primarily on the pharmaceuticals and chemicals industries. Dr. Elliott is also an internationally recognized expert in the development and application of nanoscale zero-valent iron technology used for the treatment of chlorinated solvents, pesticides, and similar redox-amenable contaminants in groundwaters. A current marquee project involves the management of desktop assessments of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) losses into process wastewater and surface waters from a major manufacturer’s global supply chain which involves more than 200 API and drug product facilities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, China, India, and Australia

Charles Sebastian is the President of Sebastian & Sons Well Drilling Inc. in Springport, Michigan. He is a NGWA Board of Directors member.

Art Becker is the CEO of MB Drilling LLC in Manahawkin, New Jersey. He is a Certified Professional Geologist (CPG) and holds drilling licenses in 11 states. Art is a NGWA Certified Master Ground Water Contractor (MGWC) and NGWA Past President (2011). He serves as Chairman of the New Jersey " State Well Drillers and Pump Installers Licensing and Examining Advisory Board."

My research focus is on the biogeochemistry of surface and ground water systems and how microbial processes influence the geochemistry and quality of these waters. Recent research topics include: (1) using geochemical, thermodynamics and microbial phylogenetics to determine how treated surface waters that have been injected into anaerobic and highly reduced aquifer systems drive the changes in geochemistry and water quality during storage, recovery and discharge into receiving streams and lakes, (2) assessing the influences that bacterial processes have on ocean acidification in the coastal ecosystems using high spatial resolution data and (3) using biogeochemical and microbial ecology techniques to determine how microbial processes in coral reef and coastal sediments and associated porewater systems influence ocean acidification-related geochemistry in the overlying water column, at the sediment/water interface and carbonate sediment diagenesis.

Dr. Lisle earned his Ph.D. at the University of South Florida in the College of Public Health. Following his post-doctoral fellowship at Montana State University, Dr. Lisle was employed by NASA’s Astrobiology Institute at Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX where his research focused on the microbial ecology in extreme environments, including Antarctica. Since 2002 Dr. Lisle has been employed by the USGS Center for Coastal and Watershed Research in St. Petersburg, FL, where he’s applied his experience to projects related biogeochemistry of surface and groundwater systems, ocean acidification and climate change. His expertise is in the use of non-culture based and molecular techniques and biogeochemistry to assess the survival and persistence of microorganisms in aquatic and sediment systems and the influence microorganisms have on the geochemistry within these systems. 

Charles P. Gerba is a professor of virology in the Dept of Environmental Science. He has authored over 500 journal articles, books and has been featured on numerous television programs and magazines. Dr. Gerba has an international reputation for his methodologies for pathogen detection in water and food, pathogen occurrence in households, and risk assessment.

Jörg E. Drewes is an environmental engineer by training with more than 25 years of experience. He is currently Chair Professor of Urban Water Systems Engineering at the Technical University of Munich, Germany. Before joining TUM in 2013, he served as Full Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines, USA (2001-2013) with visiting appointments in Australia and Saudi Arabia.

Jörg Drewes’ research and scholarly activities are closely related based on the common theme of energy efficient advanced water treatment systems and water recycling. In particular, he is interested in designing next generation biological treatment systems for chemical and microbial contaminants. Dr. Drewes has published more than 400 journal papers, book contributions, and conference proceedings (h-index of 45).

Jörg served on multiple science advisory panels and chaired blue ribbon panels on topics related to public health, engineering, drinking water supply, and reliability of water reuse projects in the U.S., Australia. Germany and the European Commission. He also serves on the Research Advisory Council of the Water Research Foundation (USA) and most recently chaired the Expert Panel on monitoring requirements for water recycling for the State of California. For six years, Professor Drewes served as the chair of the International Water Association (IWA) Water Reuse Specialist Group.

Heber has spent the past 20 years working in both the retail and wholesale segments of the home improvement industry.  Having successfully led both large and small businesses, he understands the complexity of business growth and development. From in-home sales to project management, General Management and Ownership, he has a proven track record of success in each capacity.  His passion and creativity lend a unique perspective and offer a powerful vision for success.  In 2021, he joined EnerBank as a Senior Trainer and Contractor Success Coach. This as a means of utilizing his experiences to help contractors break through barriers for greater growth and success.  He has since been given the added responsibility of leading the Bank's contractor training department as the Training Manager. 

Dr. Jesse Korus is an Associate Professor of Groundwater Geology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is affiliated with the Conservation and Survey Division (Nebraska Geological Survey) in the School of Natural Resources where he has research and Extension appointments. He aims to understand linkages between sedimentary processes and aquifer heterogeneity across scales. He has worked extensively on sedimentary deposits in Nebraska and surrounding regions, combining field data with applied geophysics to understand 3D distributions of geological and hydrogeological properties. In his Extension role, he translates research findings into educational materials for water resources managers and groundwater practitioners. He received BS and PhD degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and an MS degree from Virginia Tech. He is a licensed geologist with 20+ years of experience.

Dr. Frank Tsai is a professor of water resources in the Department of Civil & Environmental  Engineering, Louisiana State University. He has been with LSU since 2003. He is a registered Professional Engineer (PE) and registered Professional Geoscientist (PG) in Louisiana. He is an adjunct professor of the LSU Center for Computation & Technology and a fellow of LSU Coastal Studies Institute. He has been the Director of Louisiana Water Resources Research Institute since 2015. He received his B.S. degree and M.S. degree from Taiwan in 1993 and 1995, respectively. He received his Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering/Water Resources from University of California, Los Angeles in 2002 and stayed at UCLA one more year as a postdoc fellow (2002-2003). He was associate editor for ASCE Journal of Hydrologic Engineering and Journal of Water Resources Planning Management and was on the Editorial Board for the journal Advances in Water Resources. He is current associate editor for journal Groundwater (NGWA). Dr. Tsai has broad research interests in hydrology, groundwater, hydrogeology, and water resources management.

Russ Granfors is the Corporate Health and Safety Administrator of Clear Creek Associates (a Geo-Logic Company). His academic background includes a BS degree in Environmental Science from Susquehanna University. He oversees the corporate Injury and Illness Prevention Program for Geo-Logic Associates. He administers the company training and reporting for MSHA and OSHA requirements, and he chairs the Health and Safety Committee that is comprised of Regional Health and Safety Office Managers. Mr. Granfors also manages field hydrologic work including well drilling and installation; remediation system operation & maintenance; as well as groundwater, soil, and air vapor sampling. His broad experience includes well vault repair/replacement, casing repair, wellhead surveys, video logging, air sparge systems, and soil vapor and groundwater extraction remediation systems. He has extensive experience with indoor air sampling, sub-slab vapor sampling and soil vapor sampling activities.

 

Ricardo Jaimes has 36 years of experience and a well-rounded career in hydrogeology, geology, and geotechnical engineering with extensive field work experience in each field. His specialized expertise includes quantitative hydrogeology and groundwater modeling, achieved through project work in the United States, as well as internationally including Canada and Mexico.

Jaimes’ experience as a hydrogeologist and geological engineer is broad-based. He has led all kind of hydrogeology tasks for numerous construction, mining, oil and gas, and remediation projects in the United States and Canada over the past 19 years.

For 12 years, Jaimes was the president of Ingenieria Geologica Computarizada, one of the most highly regarded consulting firms in Mexico in hydrogeology, geotechnical engineering, and computerized applied systems and GIS. He served on the board of directors of the Mexican Society of Soil Mechanics (2001 to 2002) and was a member of the Tailing Dams Committee (2000 to 2003). Jaimes was a hydrogeology supervisor exploring groundwater sources for Comision Federal de Electricidad (Electricity Federal Commission). He has participated successfully in research working for the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Geophysics Institute for five years.

Xochitl Montaño-Soriano has 15 years of experience in geological engineering in the hydrogeology area and 12 years as an entrepreneur in engineering consulting. As the cofounder and owner of her engineering firm, IGC S.A. de C.V. (from 1992-2004), she administered, led, and participated in projects that included groundwater supply studies; geological and geophysical, hydrogeological, and geotechnical studies; hydrochemical studies; and water well design and installation. Montaño-Soriano’s consulting firm also managed projects that included the design and development of GIS applications for water resources management in cities as complex as Mexico City.

Her consulting firm served customers such as government water agencies of small and big cities as well as national water agencies; the private sector; and private industry where projects were led in the areas of groundwater supply studies, groundwater pollution and remediation studies, and geotechnical and environmental projects in the United States, Spain, and Mexico. For the water agencies, the consulting firm managed projects that went from groundwater supply studies to design and optimization of the monitoring wells network, also establishing the aquifer management program for them.

Montaño-Soriano was in charge of the Waterloo Hydrogeologic Inc. exclusive distribution of software in Mexico and was the manager of their groundwater modeling courses in Mexico. She was translating from English into Spanish for WHI Inc. and Schlumberger Water Services Inc. specialized technical material (about their groundwater modeling software and user guides) from 2004 to 2008. In addition, she took postgraduate courses in SUNY ESF in water resources management and environmental science from 2005-2007.

Steve Frangione, Grundfos’ Controls and Digital Solutions product manager, specializes in water utility innovation through automation and remote monitoring. He has grown his background in control systems, product management, and customer relations though various positions at multiple pump manufacturers over the past six-and-a-half years and enjoys helping end-users solve their biggest challenges by integrating new technology.

Madison Kymes, RPG, is a hydrogeology team lead for the Office of Land and Water Resources with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. His work focuses on subsurface mapping, aquifer delineation, and groundwater monitoring. Kymes regularly collaborates with the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to investigate groundwater availability and groundwater modeling. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in geology from Louisiana State University.

Sharon Newman, Ph.D., is a physical scientist in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program (Drinking Water Infrastructure Development Division/Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water/Office of Water). She joined the agency in 2020 and is a member of the UIC Class VI team at EPA headquarters. In this role, Newman collaborates with her teammates, as well as staff in EPA’s regional offices to help ensure the consistent and effective permitting of geologic sequestration injection wells across the country while ensuring the protection of underground sources of drinking water. Her work also focuses on aquifer storage and recovery and aquifer recharge (Class V) wells. Newman holds a bachelor’s degree in Earth and environmental science from Wesleyan University (2008), a master’s degree in conservation biology from Columbia University (2010), and a Ph.D. in geobiology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2018).

Douglas Beak, Ph.D., is a research geochemist at the Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response (CESER) that is part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development (ORD). His current research efforts center around water quality issues (natural and anthropogenic) associated with the use of EAR and GI using various source waters for the augmentation of groundwater along with fate and transport of inorganics in the environment, and metal and metalloid speciation in sulfidic environments. Beak is a graduate of Ohio State University. He received his doctoral degree in 2005.