Browse Speakers

AARON LABARRE, Supervisor - San Luis Obispo County EHS

Aaron is a Registered Environmental Health Specialist and been in the regulatory field for over 20 years as an Inspector and a Supervisor. He supervises the CUPA Program, is a member of the Haz Mat Response Team, Coordinator of the County's Unified Dose Assessment Center for the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant and is a representative of the Central Region for the CUPA Forum Board. Aaron has Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Health.

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ADAM SPRINGER, Hazardous Materials Manager - Contra Costa County HS

Adam Springer Hazardous Materials Specialist II Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials Programs Currently have been with Contra Costa County for over 17 years. I am now the Lead inspector for the underground storage tank program.

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ALI LIBERMAN, Public Engagement Specialist - CalEPA

My name is Ali Liberman and I work at the Department of Toxic Substances Control as a Public Engagement Specialist on the Exide Residential Cleanup project. I facilitate the residential cleanup of a community in East LA, enrolling residents in the program, working with contractors to ensure that the property owners' needs are met and that the process goes smoothly from start to finish.

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ALICIA MORALES, EHS - Ventura County EHD

Alicia Morales, Supervising Environmental Health Specialist with Ventura County EHD - CUPA

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ALISON TORBITT, Partner - Nixon Peabody LLP

Alison Torbitt, Partner in Energy and Environmental Law at Nixon Peabody LLP in the San Francisco office, counsels business and industry clients on compliance with federal, state and local environmental and energy laws, as well as defending against regulatory enforcement and third-party disputes. I am the co-leader of Nixon Peabody's Legally Green initiative and the Food, Beverage & Agribusiness team, thinking strategically about environmental costs and benefits and sustainability and the risks that our clients face due to climate change, aging infrastructure, and the need for innovation and to stay ahead of these challenges. With a technical background as an aquatic ecotoxicologist, I have first-hand knowledge of the science and business repercussions of environmental laws, including those regarding water, air, vapor intrusion, hazardous materials and spill response. I also assist with environmental and energy due diligence for the disposition, acquisition, leasing and financing of real property and manufacturing businesses, assuring adequate protections are in place for sellers, buyers, lessees, and financing parties to allow each to efficiently perform their businesses while limiting environmental risks to the extent feasible.

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ALLEN HUERTA, Environmental Analyst - Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

Allen Huerta is a Hazardous Materials Specialist with Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health. As a Hazardous Materials Specialist, I conduct compliance inspections for the following CUPA Programs: Underground Storage Tanks, Hazardous Waste, Hazardous Materials Business Plan, Aboveground Petroleum Storage Act, Tiered Permitting. Additionally, I perform plan check reviews for construction projects associated with Underground Storage Tanks such as closures, new installs, and repairs/upgrades.

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ALVIN LAL, CUPA Manager - Stanislaus County DER

Alvin Lal is the CUPA Manager at Stanislaus County Environmental Resources. He is a CSTI Certified Hazardous Materials Specialist and oversees the CUPA Programs, Site Mitigation, Emergency Response and the Household Hazardous Waste Programs at Stanislaus County. He is also a Registered Environmental Health Specialist and was a health Inspector with the County from 2005 to 2010. Alvin Lal is a Certified Assistant Refrigeration Operator and Chairs Central Valley Chemical Safety Day Committee in Modesto Ca. He has a wealth of experience in Hazardous Materials, Food Safety, Audits and Inspections. Alvin has a B.S in Biological Science with concentration in microbiology.

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ANALYSSA QUARANTA, Environmental Health Specialist IV Hazardous Waste & CalARP Program - Ventura County EHD

I graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health. I have worked with Santa Barbara County since August of 2016. As a Hazardous Materials Specialist with Environmental Health, I conduct facility inspections in Hazardous Materials, Hazardous Waste, Tiered Permitting, Aboveground Petroleum Storage Tanks, Underground Storage Tanks, and CalARP. I also review UST plan check applications and create enforcement documentation. I love listening to music, food, and hiking in my spare time. Analyssa Quaranta

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ANGELA SAMAYOA, Deputy Fire Marshal - Long Beach CUPA

Angela Samayoa is presently employed as a Plan Checker - Fire Prevention II by the Long Beach CUPA within the Fire Department. Current duties include UST/AST Plan Check (and associated inspections), UST program compliance inspections, and other duties as assigned.

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ANTHONY CARDNO, Lead Instructor - Lion Technology

Anthony R. Cardno Instructor Level 3 Lion Technology, Inc. I deliver corporate training on a variety of Federal and State environmental and transportation regulations.

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ANTHONY MCINTYRE, Hazardous Materials Specialist II - San Mateo County EH

Anthony McIntyre Compliance Manager Technology, Engineering & Construction Inc. (TEC Accutite) I currently manage our compliance (testing/inspection & repairs) department. My primary responsibilities are to ensure we provide our clients with compliances services that they can count on, including providing cost proposals for service requests, compliance testing, and repairs. In addition to my primary responsibility of managing our compliance department, I am called on to be the project manager on many UST/AST upgrade or repair projects.

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APOLLONIA HELM, Hazardous Materials Specialist IV - San Mateo County EH

My name is Apollonia Helm, although most people call me Polly. I work at San Mateo County (SMC) Environmental Health as hazardous materials specialist. Most of my time is spent on regular CUPA program inspections, including hazardous materials business plans, hazardous waste, aboveground storage tanks, and underground storage tanks. I also spend time on compliance assistance projects and the Disaster and Response Team for SMC. This year, a significant amount of time was devoted to COVID-19 and CZU Fire activities. I also participated in the LEPC regional plan work group and the HMBP battery work group, established by the HMBP TAG to look into the questions about the future of battery reporting.

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BAVNEET BENIPAL, Sr. Environmental Scientist - Consultant

Bavneet Benipal is a Sr. Environmental Scientist in Policy Implementation and Support Branch of Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). Prior to that, she was in Enforcement and Emergency Response Division of DTSC, where she managed inspection projects of environmental law violations and potential threats to public health and the environment. Her previous work experience includes Adjunct Professor position at Life Chiropractic College West, Hayward, CA where she instructed health care professional students in teaching laboratory techniques and instructed aspects of community and environmental health. Specifically, she developed lecture presentations to teach Public Health, Histology and Microbiology labs and gave lecture presentations in Toxicology courses. Bavneet received her B.S in Biochemistry from University of Michigan and her PhD in Pharmacology from Wayne State University (School of Medicine). She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in Institute for Environmental Medicine at University of Pennsylvania. During her research career, she published several research articles in scientific journals such as Environmental Technology, Biochemical Pharmacology, International Journal of Molecular Sciences and Redox Biology journals.

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BRENDA PUEPKE, Environmental Consultant - Puepke Consulting

Brenda Puepke, Environmental Consultant and Owner, Puepke Consulting My business consists of consulting in a variety of CUPA Programs - Underground Tanks, Aboveground Tanks, CERS, ICC UST Designated Operator, ICC UST Inspector, Hazardous Material & Hazardous Waste. I have about 30 facilities where I conduct monthly Designated Operator inspections. I am the Environmental Consultant for a large company who manages Federal Facilities at Border Crossing on the California/Mexico. I complete CERS submissions for UST owners and sub-contract with several UST contractors. I also conduct Hazardous Materials and SPCC annual trainings and assist businesses in follow-ups after agency inspections. I was previously employed by Orange County HCA CUPA for 25 years prior to my retirement in 2014.

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BRIAN TAYLOR, Senior Engineering Geologist - State Water Board

Mr. Taylor is a supervising Senior Engineering Geologist with the Underground Storage Tank Enforcement Unit in the Office of Enforcement at the State Water Resources Control Board. Mr. Taylor has been with the Office of Enforcement since February 2019.

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BRIJESH VARMA, Chief, MHCC Management Unit - CA Dept of Public Health

Brijesh Varma Chief, MHCC Management Unit | Director, Medical and Health Coordination Center (MHCC) California Department of Public Health (CDPH) I am a Staff Services Manager 1 (SSM1) and Executive Duty Officer (EDO) with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), Emergency Preparedness Office (EPO). I oversee CDPHs Medical and Health Coordination Center (MHCC), Incident Response Team (IRT) Program, preparedness efforts and CDPH recovery activities. My overarching responsibilities are ensuring the MHCC and RCCC are prepared for emergencies, enhancing systems and procedures for these EOCs, and overseeing overall MHCC response operations.

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C. SCOTT BUNNING, Director of Marketing - AristaTek

Scott Bunning has been the Director of Marketing and Sales at AristaTek since 2010. His responsibilities include overseeing the AristaTek sales staff, all marketing activities and providing strategic direction for products and services. He also serves as the Chief trainer for all PEAC software solutions.

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CARL BAUTISTA, Lead Unity Developer - Spectral Labs

My name is Carl Bautista. I'm a project manager and the lead Unity developer at Spectral Labs. I design and develop many of the interactive features for the different virtual simulation projects that Spectral Labs has to offer and am currently managing a project aimed to provide virtual HAZWOPER training.

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CARLOS VAZQUEZ, Supervisor & Chemical Security Inspector - Dept of Homeland Security

Carlos Vazquez Regional Supervisor, Region-9 A Regional Supervisor (R9) which consists of states to include: CA, NV, AZ, MP, GU, & HI within the Field Operations Branch of the Infrastructure Security Division, part of the new Cyber & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In this capacity, he serves and leads as a technical authority on the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) within his area of responsibility. Carlos is responsible for Inspections, Compliance Visits, and Corporate Outreach relating to high-risk chemical facilities. Carlos is one of the original Chemical Security Inspectors under the CFATS program. Carlos has been with DHS since its creation in March 2003 and with the CFATS Program as of August 2008.

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CHARLES LEE, Principal Consultant - Trinity Consultants

Charles C. Lee, Ph.D., CM Principal Consultant | Manager of Consulting Service Trinity Consultants, Inc. I currently serve as an office manager for Trinity Consultants office located in Irvine, California. My focus and expertise are on CalARP/RMP/PSM compliance, General Duty Clause support for federal and state programs, and CalARP/RMP/PSM enforcement support in addition to air quality and climate change services. I am a member of the RMP/PSM dedicated service team within Trinity organization and currently serve as the main business leader for CalARP/RMP service in California. I also serve as a regional instructor and presenter for Trinitys marketing events and education courses on the topic of CalARP/RMP/PSM, air quality, and GHG.

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