Instructors

Qualifications and Experience of Instructors

Mid-Atlantic Public Works Institute instructors are working professionals with years of experience in the field. They are outstanding experts in their subject matter, but what truly sets them apart is that they are also expert instructors. Our talented instructors engage participants and pass their expertise on to them with practical, hands-on skills they can use right away to solve the challenges they'll face in the real world.

"Facilitators were very engaging and kept the level of interest at a level 10 the entire session. Great job!"

About Our Instructors

To ensure quality instruction, a rigorous application and selection process has been put in place to create the instruction team. Instructors will be selected by mid-July and their bios placed here for your reference.  

Steve Aitcheson, PE, is currently a principal in Blue Heron Leadership Group, LLC. Previously he served Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) for nearly 30 years. At various points in his career, he was the deputy director of DPWES, the director of the solid waste division, the stormwater division, and the maintenance division. His primary role in these assignments was to modernize and transform these operations into results-driven centers of excellence that were cost effective, compliant, safe, and customer-focused. In addition to overall administration, his primary technical responsibilities have included program/project management, engineering design, construction administration, infrastructure maintenance/rehabilitation.

Greta Bonaparte is a Learning and Development Specialist for the Department of Public Works in the District of Columbia. She has over twenty years of experience in education administration and has held several positions in both public and private industries to include Academic Dean and Campus President. As a strong proponent of the tenets of adult education theory, in her current position, she researches, develops, and delivers Leadership and Management, and Professional Development workshops to Public Works employees that address all levels of learning style.

Michael A. Carter, Deputy Director of Operations
Michael “Mike” Carter’s local government experience spans 30 years of executive and financial leadership roles. As the DPW Deputy Director of Operations, works daily with the Solid Waste Management Administration, Fleet Management, Parking Enforcement and Office of Waste Diversion. Mike works closely with the Director and Snow Coordinator on the District snow plan and operations. He co-chaired the Public Works Subcommittee for the Presidential Inaugurations of George W. Bush, Barack H. Obama and Joseph R. Biden. From 2014-2018, Mike served as the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) in the City of New Haven, CT., managing major departments: Police, Fire/EMS Services, Emergency Management, Public Safety Communications (911), Engineering, Public Works, Parks/Recreation/Trees, Free Public Libraries, Human Resources (HR) and Benefits.

Mike served as the Director of Procurement for the DC Water and Sewer Authority and the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the City of Indianapolis, Indiana Solid Waste Division. In Indianapolis, he managed the division’s budgets and contracts, designed budget programs, processes, policies, and procedures, which reduced trash collection costs and generated savings through managed competition, resulting in cost savings of $ 15 million over a five year period, and served as the Finance Director for the city’s waste to energy plant. Mike started his career as a Training and Organizational Development Specialist at AT&T – Bell Telephone Laboratories in Murray Hill, NJ.

Jeffrey D. Castonguay, Director
Maryland's Carroll County
Department of Public Works
Mr. Castonguay has over 28 years in the civil engineering industry in both the private and public sectors. Jeff joined the County in 2013 as the Bureau Chief of Utilities. He was appointed the Director of Public Works in 2016 to manage 10 bureaus, which include; engineering, roads, facilities, building construction, airport, solid waste, utilities, transit, permit and inspections, and fleet. He holds the position of officer for the County Engineers Association of Maryland and is a director for the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority.

Kim Cluney is the Business Manager for the Bureau of Utility Operations for Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works. Her background includes diverse experience in a variety of fields including accounting experience in manufacturing, distribution, and government, K-8 education, and management. During her 8 years of employment at Anne Arundel County, Ms. Cluney has developed the financial management program for the Watershed Protection and Restoration Program, served on the steering committee of the Asset Management and Work Order Management program upgrade, and been a member of the Septic to Sewer Conversion task force. She is currently a Change Ambassador for the County’s Workday implementation and leads the Bureau of Utility Operations Succession Management Team, using the Effective Utility Management framework. As the Business Manager, she is responsible for management of Financial Services, Training, and Outreach.

Lori Crouch, APR currently serves as Managing Partner, at SIR, a 68-year old Richmond-based research and marketing firm. She oversees a diverse portfolio of research, marketing, and brand-related projects as well as provides trusted counsel to client leadership, manages crisis communications response and conducts media training.

Formerly she served as the Director of the Department of Communications for the City of Norfolk, Virginia where she proudly oversaw a talented, multi-disciplinary team that delivered engaging and strategic communications, public relations, public art and art programming to a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders. Lori is an Emmy-nominated, award-winning broadcast journalist and accredited public relations professional.

Lori started her journalism career at WJHG-TV in Panama City, Florida as a reporter and quickly rose to anchor the top-rated weekday morning show. She left Florida for Virginia Beach where she landed a job as a reporter and anchor with WVEC-TV.

Not to stay put for long, it was back to Florida, where Lori worked as a reporter and anchor for the CBS/FOX affiliate in Jacksonville, Florida. Lori wrapped her 20-year career with another move to Norfolk where she worked as a reporter and weekend anchor for WAVY-TV.

Highlights of her time as a broadcast journalist include interviews with World War II vets, a month tour in Iraq interviewing servicemembers and civilians, swimming with manatees and opening a new Disney World experience.

In 2011, Lori ventured down a new career path and accepted the position of Public Relations Manager with the City of Norfolk. In 2019, she was promoted to Director of Communications where she served as trusted counsel to the City Manager and city spokesperson.

Lori is a graduate of the University of Kansas (Rock Chalk Jayhawk!).

She achieved her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) from the Public Relations Society of America in 2017. In addition to her Emmy-nomination, Lori was awarded the Pinnacle Award from the Public Relations Society of America-Hampton Roads Chapter for her work on the 2013 Meet, Greet & Imagine Granby Street revitalization campaign.

She currently serves as president-elect of the Public Relations Society of America- Hampton Roads Chapter and on the board of Faith Inclusion Network. She is a LEAD Hampton Roads Class of 2015 graduate.

Lori is an active member of Second Presbyterian Church, Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus and the Hampton Roads Rowing Club. She is married to her college sweetheart, Robert, (USN Ret.) and they live in Norfolk with their two children Taylor, Brandon, one husky, and two cats.

Mr. Troy Eisenberger has worked in both State Government with VDOT in the Fredericksburg and Hampton Roads districts, and in Local Government with the cities of Charlotte, NC and Chesapeake , VA. He currently serves as the City Traffic Engineer for Chesapeake. He has over 15 years of experience in Transportation Engineering, is a graduate of Virginia Tech, and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Virginia.

"Awesome job! Love the real life experiences the instructors shared."

Ken Eyre is a Past-President of the APWA Mid-Atlantic Chapter, is a Life Member of APWA, and has been very active with Mid-Atlantic Chapter educational venues including serving on the Mid-Atlantic Public Works Institute's Steering Committee. Ken has developed and provided numerous public works training sessions as part of his engineering and professional society's services. He has over 45-years of extensive environmental and civil engineering experience for east coast communities, including having served as project manager for a number of mid-Atlantic public works agencies. For APWA, Ken served as their representative on the Stakeholder Advisory Committee to the US EPA's Wet Weather Flows ETV initiative. Ken has served on other national APWA committees. Ken was recently recognized nationally as a 2016 Top Ten Public Works Leader of the Year. Ken is a registered professional engineer in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Washington DC. APWA President Bill Spearman has appointed Ken to serve on the national Top Ten Public Works Leader of the Year Evaluation committee. With two retired Fairfax County public works professionals, Ken established a new consulting business, providing public agencies with organizational assessments, infrastructure engineering assistance, executive level program evaluation, and leadership advice to help their organizations deliver the best services to their communities and customers.

Celeste Murphy Greene, Ph.D., MPA
Dr. Greene is Associate Professor and Program Director for Business and Professional Studies at the University of Virginia’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies and is an Executive Manager at The Berkley Group. She currently serves as Director of two online Graduate Certificate Programs in Public Administration and Leadership. Dr. Greene is the founding director of UVa’s Graduate Certificate in Public Administration. In addition to her teaching for UVa’s Graduate Public Administration Certificate Program, Dr. Greene has taught at the graduate and undergraduate level at several universities including Florida Gulf Coast University, San Diego State University, and Old Dominion University. Dr. Greene has over 20 years of teaching experience. She received her Bachelor of Arts in History at the University of California, Los Angeles, her Master of Public Administration from The George Washington University, and her Ph.D. in Public Administration from Florida Atlantic University. Dr. Greene’s research focuses on environmental justice, sustainability, quality of life issues, and social media usage by local government. Her work has appeared in such journals as Public Administration Review, International Journal of Public Administration, Public Administration Quarterly, Journal of Health and Human Services Administration, Review of Policy Research and Journal of Business and Public Affairs.

Marilyn Gross is the Administrative Officer for the Department of Public Works Parking Administration Management Administration (PEMA), a position she has held for 7 years. This Administration not only oversees parking violation enforcement but additionally supports booting, towing and impoundment activities for the District of Columbia. She is a member of PEMA’s leadership team. Her daily responsibilities include oversight for the PEMA Budget, HR Specialist, IT Support Services, Facilities, Quality Assurance, and Communication for 350 employees.

Ms. Gross has over 25 years of experience in the public and private sectors, including Contracts & Procurement, Organizational Development, Customer Service, Leadership Through Quality and Performance Measurement. Ms. Gross training and consulting experience includes Ethics, Root Cause Analysis, Work Process Improvement, Problem-Solving, Customer Service, new Supervisor Training, Strategic Planning, Teambuilding and Executive Coaching.

Ms. Gross is a graduate of the University of Utah College of Law, where she majored in Business and Labor Law. She graduated with a B.S. in Physics from the University of Tennessee. She was a Malcom Baldrige Quality Examiner for Xerox Corporation.

Lisa Haley iis the Deputy Director/Treasurer for the Department of Finance and Administrative Services for the Town of Leesburg, VA. In her treasury role, she is responsible for debt and investments, and revenue collections. Additionally, as part of the senior leadership team, she oversees the budget office. Ms. Haley has been with the Town since 2012 where she started as a Management and Budget Analyst responsible for the development and oversight of the operating and capital budgets for the Town. Ms. Haley is a Certified Public Finance Officer (CPFO) through the Government Finance Officers Association and holds a Master of Business Administration from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from James Madison University.

In Memoriam
Daniel Harrison is the Associate Administrator for Fleet Operations at the Washington DC Department of Public Works and a graduate of the Mid Atlantic Public Works Institute. He is responsible for Fleet Operations over the District's municipal fleet excluding our nations capital police, fire and emergency management. He leads the parts and inventory, emergency road calls, towing and tires, welding, light duty repairs and maintenance services. Daniel oversees operations ensuring the District's fleet is safe, reliable and compliant in meeting its environmental goals.

Daniel is a recognized leader in management and government operations whose in-depth experience and proven results span more than 30 years. He has let over 650+ employees on a variety of public operations including trash and recycling collection, sanitation education and enforcement, graffiti removal, public litter can service, grass and weeds mowing, fall leaf collection and street and alley cleaning. Daniel served as the DPW Litigation Coordinator, successfully coordinated the development and launch of safety awareness campaigns. He operated as the Emergency Liaison Officer (ELO) for emergency management and preparedness, managed and coordinated three (3) successful Presidential Inaugural Events. Daniel functioned as a key member of the Department of Public Works (DPW) Executive Leadership Team and was responsible for senior level planning, direction, coordination and execution of comprehensive plans for Safety, Risk Management, and Emergency Preparedness for approximately 1,400 employees and over 600,000 residents in the District as the Safety & Occupational Health Manager.

Daniel is a Certified Public Manager who holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Johnson C. Smith University and Master of Divinity from Howard University. He is also a proud member of the Washington DC Chapter of National Forum for Black Public Administrators, Vice President of the Eastern Board of Officials and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Daniel leads with the philosophy that in order to build a strong team you must see someone else's strength as a compliment to your weakness, not a threat to your position.

Gail Heath is the Employee and Labor Relations Manager with DC Health. She is an attorney with over 18 years of experience in employee and labor relations. Previously, she served as an Attorney Advisor at OLRCB and the Employee and Labor Relations Advisor at the DC Department of Public Works. A Chicago native, she has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Juris Doctorate from the Howard University School of Law. After law school, Ms. Heath spent almost 9 years working in the labor movement working for United Food Commercial Workers (UFCW) locals. Prior to joining DC Government, Ms. Heath worked for a federal contract security company, where she was responsible for the negotiation, implementation and enforcement of more than twenty collective bargaining agreement. She served five years on the Prince George’s County Human Relations Commission, where she was the Vice-Chair.

Judith L. Hines is the Assistant Director of Public Works for Administration for the City of Newport News, Virginia. Her career in public works spans over 40 years. She was a key management team participant in achieving APWA National Accreditation for the Newport News Public Works Department in 2003, and was also instrumental in re-accreditation in 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018. She is a graduate of Christopher Newport University with a degree in business management. She is a past president of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of APWA and served as the Chapter Delegate to APWA's Council of Chapters for six years. Judi was named a Top Ten Public Works Leader of the Year in 2020. Judi is a charter member of the Steering Committee for the Mid-Atlantic Public Works Institute.

Jennifer Howells (Jen) is an Asset Management Specialist/PM II in the Projects and Assets Branch of Fairfax County’s Wastewater Collections Division (WCD). She has Bachelors and Masters’ degrees in Civil/Environmental Engineering and over 11 years of experience in collection systems asset management, including inspection and condition assessment of sewer pipes, manholes, specialty structures, and forcemains. Her experience also includes developing asset management plans and frameworks, sewer asset risk determination, and prioritization of projects for capital improvement planning. She couples her work in asset management with knowledge in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), work order management systems, sewer hydraulic modeling, and other related areas.

James A. Jackson, Jr., MPA, ICMA-CM*, PWE
James Jackson is a certified Public Works Executive (PWE, APWA) as well as an ICM A Credentialed Manager Candidate. He will be assuming the helm of DPW operations for the City of Topeka, Kansas effective April 5th 2021. He has served as interim Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Operations and DPW director for the cities Richmond, VA and Detroit, Michigan. He has also served as the Public Services director for Wayne County, Michigan and the Streets and Sanitation director for the City of Grand Rapids, Michigan as well as Commissioner of Public Works for the City of Atlanta.

James is a former marine serving as a noncommissioned and commissioned officer in billets as a combat engineer, motor transport officer, and maintenance officer. James holds a Master of Public Administration, a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and he is a graduate of the Michigan Public Service Institute, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan. James was invited to attend the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s program for Senior State and Local Government Executives for the summer 2015 session. James has been published internationally in the London, England Journal of Public Works & Infrastructure for his work in cultural transformation and the transformation of culturally challenged organizations into high performance, customer-focused units utilizing strategies to inculcate an environment of continuous improvement. The article also highlighted the implementation of a Roads Maintenance Management System for Wayne County, Michigan – the largest non-state Roads Maintenance operation in the State of Michigan. James has also been published in the ICMA PM Magazine and the APWA Reporter for winter maintenance and customer maintenance management systems (CMMS).

James has led operations ranging in size from 100 to 1,540 personnel with budgets from $6 million to $1.2 billion and operations including Solid Waste and Recycling, Facility Maintenance, Fleet Maintenance, Ground Maintenance, Parking, Permitting, Public Utility Services for Natural gas, Recycling, Solid Waste, Street Lighting, Transportation, Winter Maintenance Operations and Sustainability.

James has served in numerous high-profile capacities in support of national and international events as well as to support APWA accreditation recertification for departments for which he has led.

James received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics from Knoxville College and a Masters in Public Administration from Columbus State University.

In addition to his work as a board member with the Mid-Atlantic Chapter, APWA Public Works Institute, Mr. James also served as President of the Knoxville College National Alumni Association.

Yvette Judge serves DC Water as Director of Business Analysis (Office of the CEO). In this capacity, Ms. Judge supports and facilitates high-priority, cross-functional operational excellence efforts using objective evidence-based decision making. She is a key leader in DC Water’s award-winning apprenticeship program, rebranding and expanding it to include 10+ trades and foster an on-the-job environment that builds skills and improves organizational sustainability. Ms. Judge joined DC Water equipped with proven experience in strategy and operations, financial decision making, business transformation leadership, and implementing value-adding action plans that increase operational efficiency in the Private and Public sectors. Her comprehensive strategic management expertise is supported by her career experience in business analysis, program development and execution, consultative problem-solving, and process improvement. Ms. Judge led the organization through their first three iterations of annual enterprise performance planning and their inaugural performance accountability report. Additionally, she customized a strategic management framework where all aspects of strategic planning and enterprise performance work in unison to streamline management across the organization. Ms. Judge holds an MBA, with a concentration in Management and Operations and a M.S. in Project Management from the University of Maryland and a B.S. in Computer Science (Engineering) from The George Washington University (GWU). She is a Certified Six Sigma Green Belt (Villanova University), a Certified Public Manager (GWU), a Certified Change Practitioner (Prosci), and certified in Strategic Management Performance Systems (GWU).

Megan E. Kelly  is a Senior Assistant County Attorney for Prince William County, Virginia. She has been with the County since 1994. Ms. Kelly's practice includes, but is not limited to, human resources and labor law issues, state and federal litigation, representation of the Human Rights Commission, public safety liability training, County wide ethics and internal control training, and the provision of general legal advice to the Board of County Supervisors, the Office of Executive Management, Police, Fire and Rescue, and the Community Services Board. Ms. Kelly serves on faculty of the Virginia State Bar Course on Professionalism, and as an adjunct professor at George Mason University. Ms. Kelly earned her Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University, her Juris Doctor from the College of William and Mary, and her Masters of Public Administration from George Mason University.

Ryn Kennedy
Graduating from Appalachian State University, Ryn received their Bachelor of Science degree in Sustainable Development with a focus on environmental studies and has since dedicated their career to environmental equity through community outreach via Henrico County’s Public Works Department. Ryn Kennedy currently serves as Henrico County’s Stormwater Management Specialist. Notably, in this role, Ryn manages a program dedicated to establishing voluntary compliance through partnerships with private property owners responsible for over 1,300 private stormwater facilities located throughout Henrico County. Outside of this role with Henrico, Ryn also has a dedicated passion towards diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Ryn has proudly served as a founding member of Henrico County’s Henrico 2040 Committee, which is focused on ensuring Henrico is prepared to meet the needs of ALL citizens and community members by 2040. Most notably the Henrico 2040 Committee partnered with the Asian & Latino Solidarity Alliance of Central Virginia to establish the My Henrico Academy that kicked off in 2019 to help empower residents from multicultural backgrounds to understand and navigate public and community resources.

Phillip Koetter has served in the position of Operations Management Administrator for the Public Works Department in the City of Virginia Beach since 2007.

After receiving his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Old Dominion University in 1995, he worked as a Design Engineer and Project Manager for URS, where he managed projects and programs for private, municipal, and federal projects.

After ten years of consulting work, Phillip accepted a position with the City of Virginia Beach Public Works Operations Group. In his current position, he oversees the Public Works Operations Management Division comprised of Customer Service, Contracts, Technical Services and Assets, Support Services, and the Stormwater Engineering Operations Construction bureaus that support the city's stormwater, roadway, and traffic maintenance field personnel in the operations and maintenance of all related infrastructure.

In addition to his duties with the City, Phillip also serves on the Board of Directors for the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the American Public Works Association where he currently serves on the Membership and Awards Committees. He is also a member of American Society of Civil Engineers, American Society of Highway Engineers, and the Society of American Military Engineers.

Christopher Kohr, PE, is currently the Operations Manager for the Town of Leesburg, Virginia and oversees the Streets and Grounds Maintenance, Building Maintenance and Fleet Maintenance divisions. Chris obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering with a Business Minor from Penn State University and a Master’s Degree from Stevens Institute of Technology. He started his career in land development and geotechnical consulting and gained field experience in heavy civil construction working on New York City infrastructure projects like the 2nd Avenue Subway and 7-Line subway extension. Chris and his wife moved to Virginia in 2013 to raise a family where he started his public service work managing building construction projects for Fairfax County. Chris joined the Town of Leesburg in 2018 and some of his responsibilities include budget management and forecasting, contract management, small construction project oversight, emergency response including snow plowing, implementation of the Town’s ADA Transition Plan and development of a work order and asset management system for Public Works.

Joe Kroboth serves as Loudoun County, Virginia’s Director of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure. In this position he oversees a capital program valued at more than $3.3 billion, including the development and delivery of capital improvements that include transportation, public facilities, and other public infrastructure; the management of transit and commuter services; traffic engineering and transportation planning services. Mr. Kroboth joined Loudoun following his retirement from Washington County, MD where he served as the Director of Public Works. Mr. Kroboth is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College of Engineering with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. He holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from Frostburg State University. He is a doctoral candidate in organizational leadership. Mr. Kroboth a registered professional engineer and land surveyor. Mr. Kroboth has been a member of the National Fire Protection Association’s Technical Committee for NFPA Standard 502 – Bridges, Tunnels and Limited Access Highways for more than a decade. He has previously served on the American Public Works Association’s National Transportation Committee. He now serves as the APWA representative on the AASHTO Technical Committee on Geometric Design and as a Legislative Advocate. He also serves as a Director for the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the APWA. He is a partnering creator of the Responder Safety Institute (www.respondersafety.com), an organization focused on Traffic Incident Management and safety for responders managing incidents on the highway.

Denise Letendre is an Assistant County Attorney at the Henrico County Attorney’s Office. She represents the County’s Departments of Public Utilities, Public Works, Building Inspections, Human Resources, and Social Services and has experience in litigation, transactional work, and regulatory compliance. Denise is a graduate of Rutgers University-New Brunswick, where she was a member of the varsity swimming and diving team, and the University of Virginia School of Law. In her free time, she enjoys open water swimming, hiking, and international travel.

Adam Manne joined Prince William County as the Purchasing Division Chief in April of 2011. Prior to this he served as the Procurement Officer for Alexandria City Public Schools. He oversees a staff 11 Contract Specialists who purchase all goods and services needed by County Agencies. He has personally led the procurement on several a major infrastructure projects for Prince William County. These projects include PPTAs, a new ERP System and he is currently leading the team on Body Worn Cameras for the Police Department. His professional experience includes working in the private sector as the Purchasing Manager for a congeries firm and the business analyst at a major retirement community. Mr. Manne received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Strayer University. He also holds a Certified Public Managers Certification through a joint venture between the Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments and The George Washington University Center for Public Leadership. Mr. Manne is a Certified Public Procurement Officer and a Virginia Contracting Officer, a member of the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing and the Virginia Association of Governmental Purchasing.

Samantha McNeil, PMP is Outreach Coordinator for the York County Department of Public Works. In this role, Samantha works closely with divisions such as Waste Management, Engineering, Stormwater Management and Grounds Maintenance (among others) to communicate important information to the public. She is also the County liaison to the Beautification Committee, and is passionate about environmental issues and improvement practices. Previously, Samantha has worked in both the public and private sector, and is a certified Project Management Professional. She graduated from Christopher Newport University with a degree in Psychology, with an emphasis on Experimental Studies.

John Morrill is the energy manager for Arlington County, Virginia.  He leads a broad portfolio of work in energy management and energy policy, including energy efficiency and clean energy deployment for government operations, and implementation of Arlington's Community Energy Plan.  John also leads ESF 12, the emergency support function for energy in Arlington. He has been with Arlington County since 2000.

In 2008, Morrill received a Climate Protection Award from the US EPA for his work on the Arlington Initiative to Rethink Energy (AIRE), the county's climate action program he helped establish and co-leads today.

Prior to joining the County, John held a variety of research and management positions during 17 years with the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) in Washington DC. He is coauthor of two books, Residential Indoor Air Quality and Energy Efficiency and Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings.

John serves on the Board of the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council (VAEEC), and also on the Board of the Virginia Energy Purchasing Governmental Association (VEPGA). He is a Certified Energy Manager, a member of ASHRAE, and a Life Member of the Association of Energy Engineers.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (physics) from Clark University, and received a Master of Urban & Environmental Planning degree from the University of Virginia.

Denise Nelson, P.E., CFM, ENV SP, LEED AP (she/her) is the Director of Resilience and Grants at Launch! Consulting. She has 20 years of experience in sustainable development, community and coastal resiliency, and winning grants for planning and infrastructure. Denise is an Environmental Engineer and Planner, Certified Floodplain Manager, Envision Sustainability Professional, and LEED Accredited Professional. She enjoys serving communities as the Vice President of the Mid-Atlantic chapter of the American Public Works Association and is active in sustainability committees for the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Water Environment Federation.

Launch! Consulting is a small, women-owned business that employs engineering, physical security, and cyber security experts highly skilled in risk and resilience work. Launch! also has a team of specialists who work in the human resilience field, including team building and staff resilience for a more effective work environment. Launch! facilitates #AllThingsResilient so our clients can focus on meeting their mission.

Tom Nicholas, P.E., has served as the Facilities Engineer for the City of Virginia Beach Public Works Department since July 2015. His duties consist of overseeing the Facilities Design & Construction Division, the Building Maintenance Division, the Facilities Management Office and the Energy Management Office. In this capacity, Tom is responsible for 203 public works employees, an operating budget of $25M and a capital improvements budget of $57M to manage a portfolio of 800 city buildings and support facilities. Prior to his current position, Tom spent 24 years on active duty as a U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps Officer, rising to the rank of Captain. During those years, he held a variety of increasingly responsible facilities management, construction management and military engineering positions around the world. In his last assignment, he served as the Executive Officer of Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic. After his military service, Tom worked for private sector consulting firms as the Director, Program and Construction Management with Alpha Corporation, the Vice President of Federal Programs for the Capital Regional Business Unit of URS, the Director of Federal Programs with RK&K and as the Buildings and Places Federal Practice Leader for the National Governments Business Line at AECOM (formerly URS). Tom holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Master of Engineering Degree in Civil Engineering (Construction Management) from Penn State University. His is a registered professional engineer in Virginia and Pennsylvania. In addition to being a member of APWA, Tom serves on the Board of Directors of the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council (VAEEC) and is a lifetime member of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME).

Stiles Peabody, Recycling Analyst, City of Alexandria
Stiles Peabody has worked in both the public and private sectors of the solid waste and recycling industry for the past 32 years. He is now a recycling analyst for the City of Alexandria where he has worked since 2008 as a manager of commercial, residential and special waste recycling programs.

Past experience includes work at:

• C&D Recycling - Broad Run Recycling, Manassas, VA
• Refuse and Recyling Collection - VHI, Inc Hauling, Manassas, VA
• Contract Mgmt - Waste Management, Alexandria, VA
• Commercial Recycling collection - Environmental Recycling, Inc., Alexandria, VA
• Private Consulting - Great Forest Inc, Consulting, Washington, DC
• Education Mgr - SWANA, Silver Spring, MD
• Regional MSW Mgmt - Greater Upper Valley SWM Dist. - VT
• Landfill Mgmt - Hampton, VA Regional Landfill, Hampton, VA

Kirstin Runberg Platt is the Asset Management Manager for Newport News Waterworks. Prior to Waterworks, Kirstin worked for 18 years in City of Newport News Department of Public Works. While at Public Works she oversaw a variety of disciplines related to asset management including software, hardware, budget, communications, and GIS. Kirstin currently focuses on asset management for Waterworks and ensures coordination with other city departments. She also has 12 years of experience in the field GIS, has worked in federal and local governments in Idaho, Texas and Oregon, and has been actively involved in Public Works’ accreditation since 2003. Kirstin is a Geographic Information System Professional (GISP), Project Management Professional (PMP), and Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP). She is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a double major in Geography and History. Kirstin is currently a member of the APWA Asset Management Committee.

Jeffrey H. Powell is a native and current resident of Roanoke, Virginia "Star City of the South". He is currently serving as the Solid Waste Manager for the City of Roanoke and is a graduate of Virginia State University and Howard University (MBA). Jeffrey has received a Lean Sigma Six Greenbelt Certification and is a graduate of the Real Estate Seminar Series, Executive Education, School of Management at George Mason University. He interned for the Honorable M. Caldwell Butler, Congressman 6th District, Virginia, Washington, DC Office and Chubb & Sons Insurance Company in New York, and completed a graduate internship in the Howard University Small Business Development Center.

Jeffrey's professional career began in the Roanoke Valley as a sales representative with Burroughs Corporation, printed forms division. He has over 30 years of public and private sector operational experience – starting out as a first level manager and has moved up to become the Assistant City Manager. Throughout his career, Jeffrey has held managerial and leadership positions in various fields including utilities, public Works, transportation, customer service, citizen engagement, as well as human capital management. He has also taught on the collegiate level as an adjunct business professor at National Business College in Roanoke Virginia, and both Averett University and University of Richmond, in Richmond, VA. He is a student of Robert Greenfield's "Servant Leadership" principals, has an interest in Management Consulting and enjoys crafts and watching all major sports.

Jennifer Privette is the Sustainability Manager for the City of Newport News. She leads the city's Environmental Sustainability Program, which is one of the five strategic priorities guiding city operations. Jennifer joined Newport News in 2010 to facilitate the development and implementation of a City-wide Sustainability Plan. The plan incorporates new standards to improve the city's environment through policies, programs and operations to achieve significant, measurable and sustainable practices.

The program's success is built upon a sustainable approach seeking to balance the sustainability triple bottom line accounting framework of Economic value, Environmental impact and Social responsibility. Jennifer has applied her experiences (successes and failures) to engage stakeholders by bringing together community organizations to advance sustainability including partners like Christopher Newport University, The VA Department of Environmental Quality, and the Sierra Club.

NN Green, The City's Sustainability Program moniker, has received local, state, and national recognition including:

• the Governors Environmental Excellence Gold Award,
• the Department of Environmental Quality's Sustainability Partner status,
• American Public Works Association International and Chapter Sustainability Program Award,
• the VA Municipal League's Platinum Green Government Award,
• the Crystal Award for Sustainability Best Practices from the VA Chamber of Commerce, and
• Virginia Green Travel Alliance's Green Event of the Year for the One City Marathon

Jennifer is a Newport News native and earned a bachelor of science in business administration from Christopher Newport University, the Graduate Certificate in Local Government Management from Virginia Tech and the Envision Sustainability Professional credentialing for civil infrastructure from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure. Jennifer currently serves as Chairperson for the American Public Works Association Mid-Atlantic Chapter Sustainability Committee

Larado Robinson is a professional engineer has over 30 years of experience in the water and wastewater industry specializing in water and wastewater system modeling. While most of his career has been dedicated to working as a consultant engineer, he currently holds the position of Director of the Water and Sewer Department for the City of Salem Virginia, a position which he has held for over 7 years. Larado has served as Vice Chairman of American Water Works Association’s (AWWA) National Engineering Modeling and Applications Committee. Larado is a Vernon Lucy Award alum, which recognizes an individual’s sustained service and demonstrated creativity, initiative, and dedication to the work of the Engineering and Construction Division of AWWA. Larado has also had the privilege of helping develop leaders by mentoring and developing leadership programs. As Director, Larado leads a team of nearly 40 individuals to provide quality water and wastewater services to the citizens of Salem. His desire is to have a positive impact on each member of his team while helping them to become better leaders.

Maureen Roskoski is a senior professional at FEA with more than 20 years of experience in facility management, strategic planning, resilience planning, and workforce development consulting. Maureen is FEA’s internal Business Continuity Lead and helped FEA adopt resilience as part of the company culture as we achieved ISO 22301 certification at FEA’s corporate office. Maureen has worked with clients on continuity of operations plans (COOP), organizational assessments, FM technology process improvement, sustainability and resilience planning. Maureen has led tabletop exercises for clients and is an approved Instructor for industry associations, including the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), the Professional Facility Management Institute, and the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council, teaching adult continuing education courses.

Ed Shea, PE, PWAM, has 17 years of experience in civil engineering and public works facilities in the DC Metro region, including water, sewer, stormwater and transportation projects. His asset management and utility management experience includes operations benchmarking; infrastructure mapping and inventory, condition assessment, infrastructure renewal project delivery, risk profiling of piped assets, capital improvement plans, security, and cost of service studies. Ed earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Virginia Tech, and an MBA from George Washington University. Recently, he earned a Professional Water Asset Manager certification from the Buried Asset Management Institute. Ed is active in the Chesapeake Water Environment Association, serving as Technical Education Committee Chair and a member of the Asset Management Committee.

Michele Siminari, PE is the Senior Plant Engineer at the Fairfax Water Corbalis Water Treatment Plant. A Florida native, Michele graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Engineering in 2010. Following graduation, Michele moved to Northern Virginia to begin her career as an engineer with Greeley and Hansen. While at Greeley and Hansen, she worked as a project engineer on a variety of stormwater and sanitary sewer collections systems projects and served as the assistant program manager for a $400M water supply program including a raw water intake and greenfield water treatment facility. In late 2016, Michele started as the Senior Plant Engineer at Fairfax Water. As the Senior Plant Engineer, she enjoys working with the plant operators, mechanics, electricians, and I&C staff to solve field issues and provide safe, healthy drinking water for the community she serves and lives in. Michele is active as a young professional in water related organizations across Virginia.

"Excellent presentations! Learned some valuable tools."

Scott Smith, PE, LS-Senior Civil Engineer, is currently licensed as a Professional Engineer and Land Surveyor in Virginia and is Certified Public Works Professional and has over 33 years of experience. Scott currently serves as a Senior Civil Engineer for the City of Hampton, Public Works Department, with a primary responsibility for stormwater management. Duties involve project management of stormwater water quality, drainage improvement , water storage and runoff reduction projects. These projects will assist in the City in meeting its nutrient reduction requirements of the Chesapeake Bay TMDL. Other projects reduce flooding in neighborhoods and help improve the quality of life for the citizens of Hampton. Other duties include assisting Resilience office implement the Resilient Hampton initiative, working to develop and implement adaptation and mitigation strategies in response to Climate Change.

Scott is a member of APWA and ASCE and serves on the Board of Directors for the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the APWA and is Chairman of the Public Works Institute steering committee.

Jacqueline Stephan is the Acting Asset Management Administrator for the Department of Information Technology in the City of Newport News. Jackie has over 25 years of experience with municipalities in southeastern Virginia in the areas of public works, planning, public safety, and GIS. She is a Certified GIS Professional and received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Old Dominion University. During her tenure in Newport News, she has been involved with the computerized maintenance management information system (CMMS) and various ancillary software programs supporting infrastructure assets used by the Departments of Public Works, Engineering, General Services and Sheriff’s Office. Other duties include managing the organization and maintenance of enterprise asset data, managing and maintaining the City’s ArcGIS Online groups and content, overseeing GIS application creation and implementation for field data collection, and managing various other projects; all toward the goal of maintaining a current asset registry, and accurate operations and maintenance history.

Matt Stolte, PE: Engineering Services Director, Virginia Tech University Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure and Facilities. 20+ years of experience in Infrastructure development and departmental team management to provide strategic direction for multimillion-dollar municipal programs and services. Oversees Engineering Team for infrastructure development, maintenance, and strategic planning. Provides leadership to optimize services using asset management, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), and risk management tools. Ensures financial stability, sustainability of programs and services by judiciously managing annual departmental budgets. Engages staff through change management and focus on customer requests for engineering services. Contact: mstolte@vt.edu or find on LinkedIn.com

Johnny Switzer is a asset management professional, who serves as the Facilities & Fleet Manager for the Town of Warrenton. He brings over 15 years of experience in asset management with 8 of those years being in local government. He currently holds many industry certifications including, but not limited to, IFMA Facility Management Professional (FMP), Occupational Safety & Health Professional, FAA Part 107 Suas Drone Pilot and holds a Diploma in Diesel Technology from TDDS Technical Institute. Johnny was a 2021 graduate of the APWA Mid-Atlantic Public Works Institute.

Mr. Switzer oversees a staff of six dedicated technicians who maintain over 300 assets and 150 acres of properties. It is within the Department of Public Works that he leads an evolving team of professionals who merged in 2021 to become a Facilities & Fleet Management Division (FFM). This division is responsible for the overall management and maintenance of all fleet & facilities fixed and mobile assets. These assets range from police cars, construction equipment, plows, spreaders, traffic lights, parks, trails, buildings, HVAC systems, street signs, green spaces, gateways, and many others.

Mr. Switzer was also instrumental in creating the first fleet replacement plan for the Town of Warrenton, which, was adopted by its council in 2017 and completed five years of adoption in 2021. In 2022 the plan evolved to become a town-wide capital asset replacement plan, which spans all departments who operate fixed or mobile assets.

Matthew F. Villareale has 15 years of experience in the public work industry. Matt worked for the City of Dublin, Ohio Department of Service for five years first as the Training/Accreditation Coordinator and then Assistant Director of the Streets & Utilities Division. While with the City of Dublin, Matt led the department to become the 9th accredited public works agency in North America with the American Public Works Association (APWA). For the past 12 years Matt has participated on more than a dozen accreditation site evaluation teams for the APWA accreditation program. Currently, Matt is with Prince William County, Virginia Department of Public Works. While with the County, Matt led the department's efforts to become the 87th accredited agency with APWA. Also, while at the County Matt oversaw the County's fleet as the Fleet Management Division Chief. Matt now serves the County as the Assistant Director of Public Works. In his current position Matt oversees department's internal service divisions that provide facility and fleet services to County agencies. Matt is the current Past President of the Mid-Atlantic APWA Chapter.

Fred Whitley, PE offers broad experience in civil engineering projects, which he developed through more than three decades of service in local government, twenty of which were spent as Hampton City Engineer, and after seven years in the private sector as a consulting engineer with AECOM. His experience ranges from program management to engineering design to construction services on projects encompassing transportation, stormwater, utilities, and site and facilities development. His wide-ranging experience allows him to better understand complex projects, to foresee potential problems and to communicate well with the project stakeholders. He also has extensive experience in public relations and public involvement in local government projects.

Mr Whitley graduated from Va Tech in 1975 with a BS in Civil Engineering and he received a Masters in Engineering Administration from George Washington University in 1983.

He is registered Professional Engineer in Virginia and North Carolina.

He is also the past Chapter President of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of APWA and currently serves as the Chapter Treasurer.

Fritz Wiant is the Organization Development and Training Specialist for the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services. After years of experience with global retailers such as CVS Health and Toys R Us, Fritz recently joined Fairfax County to further his personal mission of “Connecting Leaders to Learning”. A recovering tuba player, Fritz earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music and his Master’s degree in Organizational Development and Knowledge Management from George Mason University in Fairfax.

In his role with Fairfax County, Fritz has the opportunity to coach and develop leaders at every level of the organization through the Pathways program, with a particular emphasis on team development and helping others create their personal leadership brand. Fritz also volunteers his time as a trainer with the Loudoun County Medical Reserve Corps, helping to build community resilience.

Jeff Wilkerson is the Public Works Director for the City of Martinsburg, WV, a position he has held for 13 years. As Public Works Director, he oversees the Street, Sanitation, Parking and Stormwater Departments. These departments are responsible for road repairs, snow removal, tree maintenance, maintain City properties and facilities, solid waste collection and disposal, recycling, parking maintenance and enforcement, environmental services, MS4 program and other duties as needed. Jeff has over 27 years of experience in the cement industry, road construction projects, project management and public works. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Leadership from Mountain State University. Jeff has been a member of APWA Mid Atlantic Chapter since 2011, during this time he was a graduate of the first class of the Mid Atlantic Public Works Institute, a MPWI Steering Committee member for two years, a Chapter Board of Directors member for two years. He is also a board member for the Berkeley County, WV Local Emergency Planning Committee.

Christopher Wojtowicz, PE, is the Bureau Manager for Construction Inspections at the City of Virginia Beach Public Works Department. In his previous Project Management role at the City, Mr. Wojtowicz managed the design and construction of $170M of Capital Improvement Infrastructure Projects. He has 14-years’ experience in local government and 17 years’ experience in private consulting engineering where he has written and managed contracts for engineering and construction services on many public infrastructure projects including road widening, traffic signal construction/replacement, undergrounding of overhead utilities, stormwater management systems, bridge and culvert replacement, bulkhead construction, and “Complete Streets” projects. In these roles Mr. Wojtowicz was responsible for the negotiation of contract scope of work, compliance with the contract documents, on time deliverables, budget and estimating, negotiation of contract changes, management/settlement of disputes and claims, procurement of services, and for verifying that the proper staffing is assigned for the defined work scope to ensure that the project Owner would receive quality, durable, public infrastructure projects.

Steven J. Yob, P.E. Deputy County Manager for Community Operations

Mr. Yob is responsible for the departments of planning, permits, public utilities, public works and recreation and parks.

He has over 30 years of experience in environmental engineering, construction, and project development.

He holds licenses in engineering, waste management and stormwater.

He has an MBA from Virginia Tech and has both an MS and a BS in civil engineering from Michigan State University.

Mr. Yob is also a:

• Member of the Henrico County Local Emergency Planning Committee
• Member of the Department of Environmental Quality’s Waste Management Board