Ms. Akers is an Environmental Scientist Advisor with the Kentucky Division of Water, Commonwealth of Kentucky – Energy and Environment Cabinet. As a career employee of the Energy and Environment Cabinet, Paulette Akers has worked in the Department of Natural Resources and the Department for Environmental Protection for more than twenty years. Currently, Paulette serves as the Gulf Hypoxia Program Engagement Coordinator in the Division of Water and works to support activities occurring in nutrient-priority watersheds and develop new tools and partnerships to support nutrient reduction in those areas and across the Commonwealth. She works specifically in areas such as wastewater treatment plant nutrient optimization, agriculture, and with partners in Tennessee. Previously, she served 5 years as the Director of the Division of Conservation and 2 years as the Director of the Division of Compliance Assistance. Her early career was with the Division of Water in the Water Quality and Watershed Management Branches. Paulette is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University where she earned a BS degree in Biology and an MS degree in Applied Ecology.

Mr. Bonnell has been involved in watershed and natural resource management for thirty years. In September of 2023, Joe became the first Nutrient Reduction Strategy Coordinator with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in the Office of Agriculture and Water Quality. Previously, Joe had a long career in university extension, first with Ohio State University and more recently with the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Joe has spent his career working on addressing primarily agricultural non-point source issues, focusing on promoting holistic and collaborative approaches to watershed planning and implementation. 

Mr. Dunn is an environmental attorney with PoynerSpruill, LLP in Raleigh, North Carolina. After receiving his law degree and a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from UNC-Chapel Hill, he worked with the N. C. Department of Environmental Quality for over eight years, with his last position being general counsel. In 1985 he joined PoynerSpruill to expand the firm’s areas of practice to environmental law. In his 39 years with PoynerSpruill, he has represented both private and public clients in practically all areas of environmental law and particularly has advised cities and counties regarding wastewater compliance issues and consolidation of water and wastewater treatment facilities and services. Most relevant to this seminar, Mr. Dunn was the legal advisor for the formation of the Neuse River Compliance Association (NRCA), an association of point source wastewater dischargers in the lower Neuse River Basin formed over 20 years ago to comply with a then-pending total maximum daily load for nitrogen in the lower Neuse River estuary.  Subsequent to the formation of the NRCA, Mr. Dunn served for many years as legal counsel for the NRCA and the Lower Neuse Basin Association, a previously- existing monitoring association, in establishing by-laws and rules for their membership and operations and for jointly carrying out their complementary functions.  

Ms. Harrold is the Program Manager for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and Water Quality Initiatives for the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), Division of Soil Conservation (DSC). As the Program Manager, Julie provides leadership and management for the Indiana CREP, the Indiana State Nutrient Reduction Strategy and Indiana Science Assessment, and other water quality initiatives undertaken by the ISDA. She provides Indiana representation on the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force Coordinating Committee. Julie is a graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Landscape Horticulture and Design and has over 26 years of experience as a conservation professional. She has held a number of different positions within the Division of Soil Conservation over the years and has been in her current position as Program Manager since July 2015. Her experience includes working with partners around the state of Indiana as well as other states to advance water quality improvement goals and implement conservation programs; engineering surveys, design and implementation of conservation Best Management Practices (BMPs) such as Grassed Waterways and Wetland Restorations; assisting landowners with developing conservation plans; working with Soil and Water Conservation Districts in northeast Indiana on carrying out conservation programs and events and providing technical assistance; working with DSC staff in quantifying the water quality benefits of various conservation BMPs; and working with Purdue University on quantifying the effectiveness of conservation practices on water quality.

Dr. Marshall is a Staff Scientist in the Water Planning and Assessment Division at the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), where she has worked for the past five years. She serves as the project manager for the Hypoxia Task Force Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Gulf Hypoxia Program Grant for Louisiana, which is comprised of two projects focused on helping Louisiana address nonpoint source water quality management. Amanda also serves on the Water Resources Team for the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, and was the lead author on the update to the LDEQ report Nitrogen and Phosphorus Trends of Long-Term Ambient Water Quality Monitoring Sites in Louisiana, completed in 2021 in support of the Louisiana Nutrient Reduction and Management Strategy. Amanda holds a Ph.D. degree in Environmental Resources and Policy from Southern Illinois University, and both an M.S. degree in Public Policy and a B.S. degree in Biology with an ecology focus from the Georgia Institute of Technology. During her Ph.D. she was the recipient of a National Science Foundation IGERT Fellowship in the field of Watershed Science and Policy, where her dissertation work focused on comparative stakeholder assessments in the Mississippi and Tisza River Basins.

Mr. McAleese is president and CEO of the Sand County Foundation. Kevin assumed overall leadership of Sand County Foundation in July 2015. In his over 20 years with the Foundation, he has overseen all aspects of planning, program implementation, and personnel and financial management. Kevin founded the Cooperative Sagebrush Initiative in 2007, an award-winning 11-western state public-private partnership to balance energy production, ranching, and habitat protection. He served as President of its Board of Directors until 2013. He led a 10-year program in the Great Lakes states and northeastern U.S. to enhance the regeneration of important hardwood forests that support rural economies and abundant wildlife. He has organized and facilitated regional, national, and international conferences among landholders, resource managers, and scientists. He holds a BS degree in engineering from the University of Wisconsin and an MA degree in history from Catholic University in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Peterson leads Sand County Foundation’s agricultural conservation team and sets its strategic direction in research, and farmer and rancher engagement. She brings significant leadership, teaching, and research experience surrounding agricultural conservation and water quality issues. Heidi previously served as the Phosphorus Program Director with the International Plant Nutrition Institute, and prior to that at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. She serves the scientific community on the Agronomic Science Foundation’s Board of Trustees, as an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota, and as an associate editor with the Journal of Environmental Quality. Heidi completed her Ph.D. in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at the University of Minnesota. At Purdue University she received a M.S. degree in Agronomy, and a B.S. degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Science.

Mr. Phthisic is the Executive Director of the Lower Neuse Basin Association (LNBA) and Neuse River Compliance Association (NRCA). He has served in this role with the associations since 2009. Prior to accepting this position, he served as the Chair of the Associations (2004 to 2009). He was a founding delegate to the LNBA when formed in 1994. The LNBA was formed as a sampling coalition in concert with the N. C. Division of Water Quality. The NRCA was formed to implement the Neuse Nutrient Management Strategy (also known as the Neuse Rules) to comply with a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) being implemented for the Neuse River estuary. He also served on the committee to form the NRCA in 2002. He was the Assistant Director of Utilities for Johnston County which included the management of the water, wastewater, and solid waste landfill for the County prior to becoming the Executive Director for the LNBA/NRCA.

Ms. Salvato has worked for the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association as a Policy and Programs Director since 2017. Her focus at the Association is on water quality, water quantity, and ecosystem restoration initiatives. Lauren previously worked for the North American Lake Management Society (Secchi Dip-In program), the National Park Service at the Grand Canyon (North Rim), and US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Eastern Tallgrass Prairie and Big Rivers Landscape Conservation Cooperative. Her background is in environmental science, with graduate degrees in Water Resources and Public Policy from the University of New Mexico and Indiana University. Lauren lives two blocks from the Minnesota River and volunteers as a Board member for the Lower Minnesota River Watershed District.  

Mr. Sample has worked for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for 22 years, serving as the Agency Coordinator for the Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy for the past six years. He represents Illinois EPA on the federal Hypoxia Task Force, the Illinois Nutrient Research and Education Council, and the Illinois Certified Crop Adviser Board.  Mr. Sample earned a B.S. in Agronomy from Illinois State University.

Mr. Siegel is a member of Barley Snyder’s Real Estate and Environment & Energy practice group. He has spent more than two decades as a litigator at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. In his time at the DEP, he litigated more than 250 appeals in state and federal courts and in front of the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board in cases involving litigation of solid waste, clean water, environmental remediation, and sewage planning. His cases resulted in tens of millions of dollars of environmental remediation and civil penalties throughout Pennsylvania. In the private sector, Mr. Siegel has worked with businesses on both environmental and energy issues. He’s helped companies in real estate transactions navigate environmental issues, worked with municipalities on stormwater and sewage issues, and has assisted companies and other entities in addressing DEP and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency enforcement actions. He’s also worked with out-of-state gas pipeline owners and contractors to help them comply with Pennsylvania environmental requirements and defended them in DEP enforcement actions. Mr. Siegel is also a trained mediator. In addition to his time at the DEP, he has worked in federal government positions at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry in Atlanta and with the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest Laboratory in Washington state. Mr. Siegel is a prolific speaker at professional gatherings throughout Pennsylvania on environmental topics including Pennsylvania’s Environmental Rights Amendment, Pennsylvania’s voluntary cleanup program, Chesapeake Bay and clean water issues, and municipal stormwater requirements. He also co-authored the chapter on Pennsylvania’s Land Recycling and Environmental Remediation Standards Act (Act 2) in Pennsylvania Environmental Law & Practice, 10th Edition. His professional environmental experience has led him to leadership positions with a multitude of nonprofit organizations both in central Pennsylvania and throughout the Mid-Atlantic. He’s also a former member of the Board of School Directors for the Lower Dauphin School District. Mr. Siegel earned his J.D. degree from Temple University Beasley School of Law.  

Ms. Verville joined Sand County Foundation in 2021 to lead a regenerative agriculture initiative in Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan Basin. She works with farmer-led groups to achieve water quality and climate resiliency goals. She previously served as a research project manager and safety lead for the Soil Health Partnership, a project of the National Corn Growers Association. Prior to that, she worked as a crop specialist, and as a deputy conservation warden for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Based in Wautoma, Wis. she plays an active role in Sand County Foundation projects across the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins.