Browse Speakers

RYAN ARTZ, Environmental Specialist - Sacramento County EMD

Ryan Artz has been an Environmental Specialist with the Sacramento County Environmental Management Department (EMD) for the previous 15 years. Mr. Artz main roles at EMD are centered around hazardous material incident response and CUPA inspections focusing on hazardous waste generators and hazardous waste treatment/tiered permitting. Previous to employment at Sacramento County, Mr. Artz worked as a hazardous waste field chemist in the hazardous waste management industry. Mr. Artz holds a Bachelors degree in Environmental Biology and Chemistry from San Jose State University.

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RYAN BAILEY, Acting Chief - Sacramento County EMD

RYAN BAILEY, Sacramento County Environmental Management Department (EMD) Ryan Bailey is Acting Chief of the EMD Environmental Compliance Division and oversees Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) programs, including education/outreach, inspection, and enforcement. Over the past 20 years, Bailey has held a wide variety of environmental compliance and training positions with the Business Environmental Resource Center (BERC), Sacramento County Airport System, Sacramento Regional Solid Waste Authority (SWA), and the Regional Council of Rural Counties. Bailey has a Masters degree in Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) and a Bachelors degree in Environmental Studies from California State University, Sacramento.

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SANDE PENCE, Supervising EHS - San Diego County DEH

Sande Pence is a Supervising Environmental Health Specialist with the County of San Diego CUPA. She is a REHS and earned her BS degree in Environmental Science from UC Riverside. She supervises CUPA inspectors and is actively involved in the implementation of the APSA Program. She has been working in San Diego since November 2007. Prior to this, she worked for Riverside County CUPA for over 15 years. She has a proven track record in implementation of the CUPA programs, career highlights include inspection and enforcement, public outreach, developing and coordinating employee training, teaching UC-extension courses and working with other agencies.

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SCOTT COURTRIGHT, Consulting Arborist - TEA

Scott Courtright, Director of Natural Resources and Consulting Arborist, TEA, Inc. (TEA) Mr. Courtright is the Director of Natural Resources at TEA with 22 years of crossfunctional expertise and experience in diverse arenas. Mr. Courtright specializes in arboricultural plant health care, wetland restoration, ecosystem restoration, threatened and endangered species evaluations, and is a Licensed Consulting Arborist. Through his leadership, TEA offers phytoremediation services utilizing multiple phytotechnologies at diverse sites across many unique landscapes and conditions in the United States and Canada. Mr. Courtright currently serves as the President of the Louisiana Urban Forestry Council and is an active member in the International Phytotechnologies Society and the American Society of Consulting Arborists.

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SCOTT HARRIS, Special Agent - FAA

Scott Harris is a Special Agent for the Federal Aviation Administration, Office of National Security Programs & Incident Response, Law Enforcement Assistance Program (LEAP). Hes also a member of the U.S. Air Force Reserve, 312th Airlift Squadron at Travis AFB, CA and has been in the Air Force for the past 22 years. In the 312th, Scott is a C-5 Flight Engineer with over 3,800 flight hours, a C-5 Flight Engineer Instructor, and the Flight Engineer Reserve Superintendent. Scott is an FAA certificated instrument rated private pilot, remote pilot, and airframe & powerplant mechanic. Scott holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Golden Gate University and Master in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

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SETH HELLER, Hazardous Materials Specialist - Contra Costa County HS

Seth Heller has been a hazardous materials specialist with Contra Costa County since 2014. Previously he was a contractor to the US EPA's Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team providing emergency response and technical services to the US EPA for 6 years.

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SHAHRYAR KHAJEHNAJAFI, Chief Scientist - SAFER Systems

Dr. Shahryar Khajeh Najafi (shah) oversees the research, development and testing of SAFER Systems software products. SAFER Systems is a world class chemical emergency solution provider since 1981. He has published numerous articles in respected industry publications, including AIChE and IChemE. He was awarded a U.S. patent in 2004 for the Advanced Back Calculation model, an algorithm that estimates the release rate of a chemical during an emergency event using point sensors. An extension was added to the patent to include open path sensors. In 2012 the source location identification patent completed what has been the Achilles heel of any chemical emergency response. In anticipation of the recent EPA regulation mandating for fenceline monitoring an innovative algorithm for calculating an optimal and cost-effective distribution of sensors around plants perimeter was developed and obtained a patent. Shah earned his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Arkansas, his M.S. from the University of Cincinnati and his B.S. from Youngstown State University. In April 2008, he was nominated to the Arkansas Academy of Chemical Engineers.

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SHRUTHI SILL, Hazardous Wast Specialist - Orange County EH

Shruthi Sill is a Hazardous Materials Specialist at the Orange County Environmental Health Agency. She has her Masters in Environmental Engineering and a Bachelors in Bioengineering. She started her career with the Construction Industry doing environmental compliance on various Infrastructure, Freeway and Rail projects for five years. She has been working with Orange County CUPA for over two years and has conducted inspections in all CUPA Programs.

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SONIA WILLS, Senior Staff Attorney - DTSC

Sonia (Feldstein) Wills is a Senior Attorney at the California Department of Toxic Substances Control and provides legal support to Enforcement, Permitting, Criminal Investigations and Site Mitigation staff on various matters. She represents DTSC and provides assistance to the California Attorney General's office on civil enforcement actions against hazardous waste generators and permitted facilities. She received her JD from Santa Clara University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Psychology from UC Davis.

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STEVE KOESTER, CUPA Manager - Retired

Steve Koester has 25 years experience as an Environmental Specialist with the City of Santa Fe Springs and is now the CUPA Manager for the City of El Segundo. His specialty is in Hazardous Waste Management, Tiered Permitting and Enforcement. Steve has been part of the Hazardous Waste TAG and Env. Crimes Taskforce as well as CHMIA.

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