2025 Spring Speakers
Mike Abraczinskas​
Director - North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Air Quality
Mike Abraczinskas is currently the Director of the North Carolina Division of Air Quality (DAQ) and has worked for DAQ for 25 years as of July 1, 2024. Mike oversees DAQ’s program activities including technical and policy issues, budget, operations, and strategic planning. Mike has diverse experience in air quality, including compliance activities, emissions and air quality modeling, regulatory development, planning, and quality management prior to being named DAQ’s Deputy Director in 2010, and Director in 2017.
His roles have involved leading technical staff working with diverse stakeholders to meet DAQ’s important mission. Mike is a leader in the air quality management field and is active in national and regional organizations comprised of State and Local Air Quality Agencies, including serving in 2024 as the immediate Past President in both the Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies (AAPCA), and the Carolinas Air Pollution Control Association (CAPCA).
And, in 2024, Mike is serving as Vice-Chair of the Southeastern States Air Resource Managers Association (SESARM).
Mike graduated from North Carolina State University with a B.S. in Meteorology and a Minor in Environmental Science; is certified as an Engineer-In-Training (EIT); and is a graduate of the North Carolina Public Managers Program.
T.R. Andrake​
Environmental Technical Advisor - Dominion Energy, Inc.
T.R. Andrake is an Environmental Technical Advisor for Dominion Energy within the Environment & Sustainability Corporate Air Department since 2016. He is responsible for managing all aspects of air permitting for major capital projects across various business departments and states. Has led the air permitting efforts for numerous projects within Dominion to include power generation, natural gas compressor stations, LNG, renewable natural gas projects, and offshore wind. T.R.’s professional career has spanned almost 30 years in the environmental field working for industry and environmental consulting firms specializing in environmental permitting and compliance with a focus in air quality. T.R. earned a Masters degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Delaware, and a Bachelors of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from Wilkes University.
Matt Baumann​
Director of the Aquatic Science Division for the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) Bureau of Water
Matt Baumann is the Director of the Aquatic Science Division for the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) Bureau of Water. He has nearly two decades of environmental and marine science experience working in the academic, public, and private sectors. Matt has undergraduate degrees in Chemistry and Entrepreneurial Studies from Carthage College and a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. He specializes in marine and freshwater nutrients, geochemistry, and biogeochemistry and has led field studies for SCDES since 2018. Prior to joining SCDES, Matt worked as an environmental science consultant on a variety of projects including the NOAA-led Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration case.
Phillip E. Cobbs, MSEM
Director, Environmental Compliance - Builders FirstSource
Phillip Cobbs is the Director of Environmental Compliance with Builders FirstSource, the nation’s largest supplier of structural building products and value-added components for single-family and multi-family home construction, repair and remodeling. He has 31 years of experience in environmental compliance and permitting and has been with Builders FirstSource since 2020. During his 24 years of Wood Products Industry experience, he has led environmental, health, safety and sustainability (EHS&S) compliance programs and systems development for facilities located within the US, Canada and South America. Phillip is a certified LSS Blackbelt and holds a MS in Environmental Management from Samford University and a BS in Biology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Ashley Featherstone
Ashley Featherstone is the Director of the Asheville-Buncombe Air Quality Agency. She has been with the local agency for 23 years, serving as Director for the last 5 years. Prior to joining the local agency, Ms. Featherstone worked in consulting for 3 years. She has a BSPH in Environmental Science and Policy from UNC Chapel Hill and a MSPH in Environmental Health Sciences from USC Columbia.
Will Frierson
Will Frierson is the Executive Vice President and Chief Government Affairs Officer for the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. As a member of the organization’s executive leadership team, he is responsible for the development and management of the organization’s overall government affairs, public policy, and communications strategies, and its day-to-day lobbying activities. Before joining the SC Chamber in 2021, Frierson was the Government Relations Manager for the National Cotton Council of America (NCC) in Washington, DC where he assisted in coordinating the Washington activities of the NCC and oversaw the organization’s political activities.
A native of Orangeburg, SC, Frierson attended Wake Forest University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in politics and international affairs. He and his wife Emily live in Columbia with their Boykin Spaniel Auggie.
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Jim Henderson
Jim Henderson is Director of Business Development for Heartland, bringing 37 years of experience in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment, potable water management, specialty chemicals application, and residuals solutions. Throughout Jim’s career, he has held many leadership positions, primarily responsible for developing and implementing business plans for targeted market segments and identifying opportunities and platforms for growth. At Heartland, Jim leads global business development for the full suite of the company’s technologies including HelioStormTM, LTC DryTM, and its award-winning Concentrator. Jim works with a broad array of clients to develop sustainable, waste-to-energy strategies focused on landfill diversion and destruction of contaminants of emerging concern such as PFAS.
Tony Jabon, PE
Regional Director – Trinity
Tony Jabon, PE, serves as Regional Director for Trinity's Carolinas, Louisiana, and Mississippi region (Charlotte, Raleigh, Mt. Pleasant, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Tupelo, and Jackson, MS offices). Tony is based in Trinity's Charlotte, North Carolina office. Since joining Trinity in 1998, Tony has extensive experience providing consulting services to a variety of industries, rubber tire, wood products, and automotive assembly facilities. He specializes in PSD/NSR permitting, Title V permitting, NESHAP compliance, and Compliance Assurance Monitoring plans. In addition to his consulting services, Tony is an instructor for Trinity's national Title V Compliance Workshop course. He earned both a B.S.E. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a M.S.E. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan.
Janie Johns
Project Scientist – Hart & Hickman, PC
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Janie Johns is a Project Scientist with Hart & Hickman, PC, an environmental engineering and consulting firm based in North Carolina. Hart & Hickman specializes in assisting public and private clients with industrial compliance, property transaction and redevelopment assistance, environmental litigation, and site assessment/remediation. Since joining the firm in 2021, Ms. Johns has been integral to the growth of the compliance team by helping her clients navigate complex environmental regulations across various industries.
With expertise in air permitting, TSCA/EPCRA reporting, RCRA and CERCLA compliance, and NPDES program management, Janie provides strategic guidance to ensure businesses meet regulatory requirements. Ms. Johns earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Kentucky, which gives her a deep understanding of industrial processes and the environmental challenges they present.
Dr. Richard Kilpatrick
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Rick is currently the Director of Environmental, Health & Safety at Shurtape Technologies located in Hickory, NC. He has been with Shurtape since 2016 and previously served as the Corporate Environmental, Health, & Safety Manager for Gerdau Longsteel North America’s Downstream Operations. He has a Bachelor’s degree from Western Carolina University and a Masters from the University of North Carolina – Charlote and holds certification as a Registered Environmental Manager and a Certified Safety Professional. In the Fall of 2012 he applied to, and was subsequently accepted, into Cohort #1 of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Safety Sciences Ph.D. program – during that segment of his education, and due to workplace events, he became very involved in research related to mobile equipment and employee safety. He is a published author and serves as an expert witness for workplace fatalities involving mobile equipment and pedestrian interactions.
Adam Krieg
Adam Krieg is a Senior Environmental Manager with Domtar Corporation and has nearly 20 years of experience in multimedia environmental compliance. Adam has held various roles in the Pulp and Paper industry, in both environmental and production capacities. Adam specializes in regulatory development strategies and implementation of new requirements into mill systems. He also focuses on environmental audit management, compliance system improvements, and training development. Adam is a graduate of Purdue University with a B. S. in Chemical Engineering and holds a Professional Engineering License, Class IV Wastewater Operator License, Class II-BD Drinking Water Operator License, and a Landfill Manager / Operator License in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Dr. Arunachalam Lakshminarayanan
Rolls Royce Solutions America Inc.
Dr. Arunachalam Lakshminarayanan analyzes trends in decentralized and clean energy transition, while also managing strategic partnerships supporting the company's North America growth. He has been serving the energy industry for 17 years in various capacities – ranging from academia, business, sales, service and engineering. Arunachalam holds a PhD in mechanical engineering and strives to bring a holistic view of the ever changing energy market landscape by striking a balance between technology, business and economics. Arunachalam has a passion for team sports, especially cricket, and enjoys hiking and swimming.
Amy Marshall
Air Quality Practice Director - ALL4 NC, P.C.
Amy Marshall is a professional engineer with 30 years of air quality consulting experience. Ms. Marshall started her career as an EPA contractor and worked on updates to AP-42 sections (such as organic liquid storage tanks), preparation of guidance documents, and air quality regulations such as MACT standards. She began providing air quality consulting support to industry in 2001 and has since focused on PSD/NSR air permitting, air quality compliance support, control technology analyses, and strategic support to industry associations. Her industry association support has included analyses of impacts to industry of EPA policies and regulations and preparation of technical comments on EPA’s proposed revisions to various MACT standards, such as recent risk and technology reviews and HAP gap filling efforts, and on the new TANKS web-based emissions calculation tool.
Nikki McDill
Mercedes-Benz Vans
Nikki McDill currently is an Environmental Engineer at Mercedes-Benz Vans and has been with the company since 2019, specializing in air quality. She has been working in the environmental industry for ten years, previously working as an Air Permitting Engineer for SCAQMD and an Environmental Consultant for ERM. She graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelors in Chemical Engineering. Nikki is an active member of the SC Aquarium’s Ocean Alliance board and a recently completed the Sustainability Leadership Initiative Program through Sustain SC. Outside of work, she enjoys working on her garden and solving puzzles.
Steve Moore
ALL4
Steve Moore is a Senior Managing Consultant with ALL4 located in Greenville, SC. Steve has 35 years of experience in areas of air permitting, air dispersion modeling, air quality auditing and compliance support, risk management and accidental release planning, and environmental reporting.
Alyssa Morrissey
Director of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs
As Director of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs, Alyssa advocates for the NC Chamber’s legislative and regulatory agendas, focusing specifically on agriculture, energy, environmental, labor, and telecommunications policies.   Prior to joining the NC Chamber, Alyssa worked on the federal government relations team for Primerica Inc., a financial services company. Based in Washington, D.C., she oversaw policy areas including insurance, securities, mortgage, corporate governance, and data privacy. Morrissey also managed the Primerica Political Action Committee.  Morrissey previously served as a staffer for the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations at the North Carolina General Assembly. During her time at the NCGA, Alyssa drafted legislation addressing orphan roads and worked with the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency to expedite hurricane recovery efforts in eastern North Carolina. Most notably, Morrissey testified before a Gov Ops hearing to address K-12 learning loss as a result of COVID-19.  Alyssa earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and Spanish and a Master of Arts in political science from Vanderbilt University, all with a focus on Middle East politics.
Lawrence Otwell
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Lawrence began his environmental career as an entry-level wastewater treatment plant operator. He was given a shovel and a wheelbarrow and was pointed toward a sludge drying bed. He began his air regulatory career in 1976 as a stack tester and in 1981 was hired by Georgia-Pacific. He spent almost 40 years as part of GP’s corporate environmental staff. There he served as a SME in the areas of testing, permitting, regulatory development/compliance, and pollution control equipment operations and maintenance.
Lawrence came back to his stack testing roots in 2020 when he joined Advanced Industrial Resources (AIR) as Vice President of Client Services and continued in the role until 2024 when AIR was acquired by Alliance Technical Group (ATG). He continues to serve ATG as a Technical Advisor.
Staci Sorgee
Executive Vice President- Palmetto Plating Co., Inc
Staci Sorgee is the Executive Vice President of Palmetto Plating Co., Inc., a leading provider of metal finishing services based in Easley, South Carolina. Founded in 1964, Palmetto Plating has a long-standing reputation for excellence in the industry. With over 15 years at the company, Staci has played a pivotal role in overseeing laboratory operations, facility operations management, and ensuring compliance with environmental and regulatory standards at both the state and federal levels. Staci is responsible for all permitting, including RCRA hazardous waste, air permitting, stormwater, and industrial wastewater discharge permits. She is a licensed Physical/Chemical Wastewater Operator (Level B) and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the College of Charleston. Additionally, she is a Certified Electroplater-Finisher (CEF), demonstrating her deep technical expertise in the metal finishing industry. Before transitioning into metal finishing, Staci spent 15 years in the chemical manufacturing industry, where she held roles as a research analyst and technical director. Her extensive background in chemistry and regulatory compliance has made her a key leader in her field.
Staci is actively involved in industry organizations and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Surface Finishers (NASF). She is also the past president of the NASF Palmetto Southeast Chapter, where she has been instrumental in advancing industry standards and professional development.
Rhonda Banks Thompson, P.E.
Chief, Bureau of Air Quality
South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (DES)
Columbia, SC
Rhonda Thompson has been with the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (formally DHEC) for over 34 years. She has been the Chief of the Bureau of Air Quality since 2016. Prior to becoming Bureau Chief, she served as Assistant Bureau Chief for 9 years and also director of the permitting division.
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At the regional and national level, Rhonda is immediate past Secretary/Treasurer of the Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies (AAPCA), Board Member and previous Chair of the Southeastern States Air Resource Managers (SESARM), and President of the Carolinas Air Pollution Control Association (CAPCA) Board of Directors. Rhonda was appointed by Governor Henry McMaster to represent DES on the Interagency Electric Vehicle (EV) Working Group.
Rhonda has a B.S. Degree in Engineering from the University of South Carolina, and she is a Registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) in South Carolina.
James Topp
Mr. James Topp – Process Hazards Analysis (PHA) Manager, Houston, Texas
Mr. Topp serves as a Managing Consultant in Trinity’s PSM/RMP team, providing process safety support and manages the PHA team. He has performed PSM Program Implementation and PHAs for clients in the refinery, petrochemical, specialty chemical, refrigeration, and midstream facilities. He has supported our clients with PSM/RMP applicability determinations as well as the implementation of various program elements, including Process Safety Information (PSI), Management of Change (MOC), Pre-Startup Safety Review (PSSR), Mechanical Integrity (MI) and Process Hazard Analysis (PHA). He has experience facilitating What-if?, Checklist, HAZOP, HAZID, Bowtie, Fault Tree, Event Tree, and LOPA studies. Additionally, Mr. Topp has a background in relief systems design and mitigation, including the determination of appropriate relief requirements and generation of designs to mitigate any deficiencies.
 
Mr. Topp earned a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Leo Tramm
Technical Director, Process and Pollution Control Engineering - TRC
Leo has more than 37 years of experience in the fields of industrial process design, air pollution control, and indoor air quality management. Leo’s industrial process design experience includes projects involving process improvement, waste heat recovery, energy efficiency, chemical addition, heating and thermal processing, and wastewater treatment. These projects have been for a wide variety of industries around the world, including primary and secondary metals, wood products, battery, pulp and paper, chemical, food, glass, printing and coating, plating, fertilizer, and vehicle manufacturing. Leo is a key internal expert in ventilation and air pollution control for indoor air quality or environmental compliance. These projects have included the need to address the hazards associated with flammable liquids and gasses, combustible dusts, and toxic materials with occupational and ambient exposure concerns. Project work has ranged from strategic technical and economic evaluations for capital improvements to new plant and process construction. Leo has been with TRC since 1992.
Adam Ulishney
Deputy Director for the North Carolina’s Division of Waste Management
Adam Ulishney is currently the Deputy Director for the North Carolina’s Division of Waste Management. He has been with the Division of Waste Management since 2009 and previously served in roles as the Hazardous Waste Section Chief, Solid Waste Section Environmental Program Supervisor, and as a hydrogeologist in both the Superfund and Hazardous Waste Sections. Prior to joining NCDEQ, he worked in the private sector supervising the assessment and remediation of releases from underground storage tanks, as well as conducting Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments at commercial and industrial facilities. He has a B.S. in Environmental Geoscience from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and a M.S. in Geology from the University of North Dakota.
Jason Watkins
Jason Watkins is currently the Solid Waste Section Chief for NCDEQ’s Division of Waste Management. He has been with DEQ since 2000 serving in a variety of inspection and management roles in the Division of Waste Management and the Division of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources. In addition, he assists in managing DEQ’s planning and response efforts for natural disaster debris management and foreign animal diseases.
Daryl J. Whitt, P.E., C.E.M.
Daryl is ALL4’s Technical Director, Climate Change & Sustainability. He has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Clemson University and a Master’s in Project Management from Western Carolina University as well as being a licensed Professional Engineer and Certified Energy Manager. He is a Sustainability Leadership Initiative Fellow.
His experience spans 35 years in sustainability and environmental engineering, in both process manufacturing and the consulting industry. He provides expertise in developing greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories, corporate carbon management strategy, carbon footprinting for products, and life cycle assessment. Mr. Whitt also provides expertise in energy efficiency and energy management for decarbonization and cost savings. Daryl supports clients reporting to the various sustainability and international ESG reporting frameworks. This includes strategic consulting, facilitating materiality assessment workshops, performance benchmarking, initial and annual report development, and verification.
Daryl has experience in a broad range of industries including aerospace component and industrial equipment manufacturing, packaging, breweries and distilleries, railroads, electric utilities, automotive and heavy truck original equipment manufacturing and Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers, cement, chemical commodity and fertilizer manufacturing, mid-stream oil and gas, pulp and paper, and forest products manufacturing.
Nina Zerman
Senior Manager, Dürr Systems Inc.,Clean Technology Systems (CTS)
Nina Zerman is a Senior Manager at Dürr Systems Inc., specializing in air pollution abatement for petrochemical, pharmaceutical, semiconductor, and alternative energy industries. With over 30 years of experience, she integrates process engineering expertise with business strategy to develop energyefficient, sustainable solutions while ensuring environmental compliance. Previously, Nina held leadership roles at 3M, and Kraft Food Industries, among others. She has advised regulatory agencies like the EPA, TCEQ, and AQMD and has contributed to air pollution regulations worldwide. A chemical engineer and advocate for sustainability, Nina is passionate about developing cleaner industrial solutions and fostering collaboration between industries and regulatory bodies to create a more sustainable future.