How did your career start, and what has your work experience been?
My career began as an entry-level Environmental Scientist with Penn E&R, a small Environmental Engineering Consulting company in Hatfield, PA. I began primarily working on Phase I Reports, conducting fieldwork (groundwater sampling, stormwater sampling, and soil sampling), and assisting with data management. I stayed with Penn E&R for a year and a half before beginning my role with Clean Earth as an Environmental Compliance Specialist in July 2020. In April 2023, I was promoted to my current position of Environmental Manager.
Will you talk about your current role at Clean Earth?
As Environmental Manager for the Soils and Dredge division, I work with all of our SDM facilities to provide environmental compliance support in regard to permits and local/federal regulations. Environmental Compliance consists of a wide range of work, including preparing and submitting permit applications and renewals to local and state agencies, completing environmental reporting, managing compliance schedules through the use of SEMS, conducting training, leading third-party audits of our facilities, conducting internal audits of our facilities, and visiting each of the facilities from time to time. I work directly with Stevi Pressman, Environmental Compliance Specialist, and Shannon Crawford, Director of Environmental. Our team falls within the EH&S Department, and we often meet with and collaborate with our H&S Team as well as the Operations Teams at each of the facilities.
Let’s talk about some of the highlights of your career. What has been the most rewarding or meaningful part of your work experience thus far?
Working with Clean Earth has afforded me many opportunities. Coordinating site visits and third-party audits in an independent manner has been extremely rewarding and has improved my overall understanding of the waste industry tremendously. Further, my role as Environmental Manager is my first position as a manager in which I have a direct report, which has been a very rewarding experience and has given me the opportunity to lead a “team.”
Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your career?
Never be afraid to ask questions – even if the question seems simple or repetitive, asking questions is key to increasing knowledge. Often times, when asking a question, the answer will provide even more clarification or background than you anticipated.
How should we encourage the younger generation of women to join the waste industry?
If we want to encourage young women to join our industry, we should focus on the ample opportunities waiting for them in the industry! There will always be waste to manage – both from the point of generation and the final end-use management of waste, which means there are many opportunities to get involved in any of the processes and departments within this industry – from sales, to HR, to marketing, and of course compliance. The waste industry will always need new movers and thinkers to create new opportunities for materials management.