How long have you been at BL? It will be 11 years this April.
What drew you to a career in environmental sciences? My dad was a geologist and also taught chemistry, and my mom was a math teacher, so I was always really drawn to science and math. As a kid, I really loved rocks and anything having to do with nature. When I went to college, I loved the fact that environmental science had geology, chemistry, physics all in one. Plus, it’s a profession where you spend a lot of time outside. It was the perfect combination of everything I loved and still love. In fact, I still have my dad’s rock collection.
As an LEP, do you have any favorite projects that either helped protect the environment or helped remediate the environment back to a “healthy” state? Every project that we touch in environmental ultimately leads us to cleaning something up and making the environment better. For example, the Harbor Brook project in Meriden, CT, ended up creating a cleaner environment. In order to help with the flooding issue and create greater capacity for future rain events, we removed a lot of contaminated sediment, making it healthier and more walkable for all to enjoy. In addition to sediment removal, we improved the aquatic habitat using in-channel rock weirs, stone lunkers, and j-hook vanes.
You’re the Safety Committee Chair at BL. Can you tell us a little about your role on the committee and why you decided to join? Environmental work goes hand-in-hand with safety. When you start working on some of these sites, there is greater chance of exposure to contamination that you need to protect yourself from. Right out of college I received my 40-hour OSHA certification and that gave me the tools to identify hazards. Some contracts require a staff member to be a certified hazardous materials manager or CHMM, so I completed that certification too. When I joined BL, it made sense for me to join the already established safety committee. As a CHMM, I was reviewing most Health and Safety Plans (HASPs) and ended up taking over the role as Chair of the Safety Committee.
What is your favorite part of the job? I love that there is so much variety to what I do because within one contract I might have multiple roles to move the project to completion. I help with compliance projects, taking sites through remediation for development, and I’m the Safety Committee Chair. I also like that I feel like I have a voice here at BL and can initiate change. But my favorite part might be working with our CTDOT (Connecticut Department of Transportation) group. We have been together for years, have grown over time, and have developed such a good working relationship.
I’m also the Co-chair for the Society for Women Environmental Professionals. It’s my sixth year on the board, and I really enjoy it because I get to interact with a wide variety of professionals, so I’ve been able to create a really good network of people. We have lunch and learns, and we go hiking, it’s a great community. We also have a grant program that helps with educational outreach and nature related projects like trail restorations or community gardens.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work for fun? I enjoy gardening because I get to work outside in the dirt. I have a garden and flower beds. I also love going to the beach, the lake, the pool. I love swimming in general. I grew up swimming competitively so anytime I can be in the water is like heaven for me.