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Elwood Black, Ph.D., President, E.D. Black

Elwood Black is the president of E.D. Black in Cary, North Carolina. A licensed Soil Scientist, Dr. Black provides consulting services around a wide range of soil science topics, including land application of residuals.  Elwood has more than 20 years of experience with byproducts in projects from Virginia to Florida, as well as a teaming partner with Advanced Residuals Management (ARM).  These projects range in size from 30,000 to 180,000 tons/yr.  Dr. Black's range of professional services has included discovery, marketing, regulatory, operations and technical services.  His 35 year career experience spans solid waste management, biosolids, RCRA, Superfund and agricultural byproducts.

Justin Macialik, P.E., Research Engineer, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, North Carolina State University

Justin Macialek received his Bachelor of Science degree from the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering department in 2004, with concentrations in machine systems and environmental engineering.  His career started as a research assistant in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at North Carolina State University in 2004.  He attended classes part time to work on his Master of Science degree which he received from the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering in the fall of 2010.  Also, during 2010 he received his professional engineering license.  Justin currently works on post-harvest projects involving tobacco, sweetpotatoes, and biomass energy.

Dr. Ray B. Bryant, Ph.D., Research Soil Scientist, USDA-ARS Pasture System and Watershed Management Research Unit

Dr. Bryant is a Research Soil Scientist for the USDA Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit in University Park, PA, as well as Adjunct Professor and Graduate Faculty Member in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at Pennsylvania State University.  He contributes to research projects “Management and conservation practices to improve water quality in agroecosystems of the northeastern US.” Dr. Bryant uses knowledge of soil and landscape processes to devise strategies, such as chemical- and bio-filtration, for preventing the movement of nutrients from agricultural fields to drainage waters that eventually flow to the Chesapeake Bay. He currently leads development of an NRCS Practice Standard for surface application of gypsiferous products. Most of his current research is conducted in partnership with faculty and students at Penn State and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, an 1890’s historically black university located in Princess Anne, MD, where Dr. Bryant is an Adjunct Professor and Graduate Faculty Member. From 1981 through 2001, Dr. Bryant was a faculty member at Cornell University after completing his Ph.D. at Purdue University.

Dr. Rufus L. Chaney, Ph.D., Senior Research Agronomist, USDA-ARS Crop Science and Global Change Laboratory, Beltsville, MD

Dr. Chaney conducts research on the fate, food-chain transfer, and potential effects of soil micro-elements. His research includes studies on 1) plant uptake of metals and translocation to edible plant tissues; 2) speciation of metals in plants and bioavailability to animals; 3) development of hyperaccumulator crops to phytoextract and recycle metals in contaminated soils; 4) bioavailability of Pb and other metals in soils, biosolids, and composts directly ingested by animals; 5) development of "Tailor-Made Composts and Biosolids" to remediate Pb, Zn, Cd, Ni, and other element contaminated soils; and 6) potential methods to reduce food-chain transfer or toxicity of metals in these organic resources and potential regulatory approaches to protect food safety and soil fertility.  Dr. Chaney has cooperated with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food & Drug Administration, the Office of Management and Budget, and many States in preparing advice and regulations for the ulitization of biosolids and remediation of metals-contaminated soils.  In addition to many other awards for excellence in research, Dr. Chaney was awarded the USDA Secretary's Honor Award for Environmental Protection in 1997. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America. Dr. Chaney received the B.S. degree in Chemistry (1964) from Heidelberg College in Ohio, and the Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry (1969) from Purdue University and is an Adjunct Professor of Agronomy with the Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. Gregory Evanylo, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Virginia Tech University

Greg Evanylo is a Professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences at Virginia Tech. His degrees are from the University of Connecticut (Biology, 1975), University of Massachusetts (Plant and Soil Sciences, 1978), and University of Georgia (Agronomy, 1982). He began his career as an agronomist at the Eastern Shore Agricultural Experiment Station in 1984 and joined the CSES department in 1989. His extension and research areas of expertise are waste by-product management and utilization. He is a member of the Soil Science Society of America, the American Society of Agronomy, the U.S. Composting Council, and the Water Environment Federation.

Dr. William C. Fonteno, Ph.D., Director, Horticultural Substrates Laboratory, North Carolina State University

Bill Fonteno has been affiliated with the Department of Horticultural Science at NCSU since 1976, becoming a full Professor in 1995. Dr. Fonteno's teaching emphasizes plant-soil-water-nutrition relations of container-grown crops.  His research areas include physical properties of horticultural substrates, water use and delivery systems, and computer modeling of aeration and drainage in horticultural substrates, as well as on-site nutritional monitoring and management of greenhouse crops. Additionally, Dr. Fonteno is the Director of the Horticultural Substrates Laboratory at NCSU.  Bill also serves as a Board Member and the Technical Director for the Mulch and Soils Council and is the Director of the Certification Program for the Council.  Bill received his BA and MA degrees in Botany from the University of Texas, Austin, and his Ph.D. in Horticulture from Texas A&M University.   

Saul J. Furstein, Senior Environmental Consultant, Georgia-Pacific LLC

Saul Furstein has been a Senior Environmental Consultant for Georgia-Pacific since 1994, working on a variety of waste reduction and byproduct management programs throughout the years.  Georgia-Pacific is one of the nation's largest forest products companies, with a longterm commitment to sustainable operations.  Prior to joining Georgia-Pacific, Saul held a variety of project management positions in environmental consulting firms, a petroleum refinery,  and a hazardous waste clean-up contractor.  Saul holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. 

Woody Graham, Environmental Specialist, Domtar Paper Company

Woody Graham is employed by Domtar Paper Company (formerly Weyerhaeuser Industries) at the Kraft pulp and paper mill in Bennettsville, SC (Marlboro County).  He is the Environmental Specialist for the mill and has been there since startup in 1990. Prior to that, he worked as the Plant Chemist and Production Manager for Lobeco Products, a custom chemical manufacturing company in Beaufort, SC.  Mr Graham started his professional career with Sonoco Products Company in Hartsville, SC as an Analytical Chemist in 1979.  He graduated from Saint Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, NC with a B.S. degree in Chemistry in 1979.

Dr. Brian Jackson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University

Brian Jackson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Jackson earned his B.Sc. in Horticulture and Botany at NCSU, his M.Sc. in Horticulture at Auburn University, and Ph.D. at Virginia Tech.  All of Brian's graduate work involved research with substrates including cotton gin compost for his M.Sc. project, which his doctoral work highlighted the physical, chemical and biological properties that influence plant growth in a pine tree substrate.  Since arriving to NCSU Brian has joined Drs Bill Fonteno, Ted Bilderback, and Helen Kraus to continue work with wood-based, and other alternative substrates focusing specifically on the processing and development of these materials.  Brian is also a full partner in the Horticultural Substrates Lab at NCSU.

Dr. Helen Kraus, Ph.D., Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University

Helen Kraus is an Assistant Professor and the Undergraduate Coordinator for the Department of Horticultural Science.  Helen holds BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees in Horticultural Science from North Carolina State University, where she currently teaches a variety of classes including nursery management, plant nutrition, and principles of horticulture.  Her research interests include irrigation management and plant nutrition for the containerized plant production nursery industry and rain garden substrate and plant selection. Helen is the co-author of Rain Gardening in the South: Ecologically Designed Gardens for Drought, Deluge & Everything in Between which is a Gold Metal Award Winner for Best Gardening Book and A Silver Metal Award Winner for Achievement, both from the Garden Writers Association of America.

Dr. Lindbo is a Professor and Director of Undergraduate Programs in NCSU's Department of Soil Science, where his specialty is Soil-Environment Relations. David's research and extension programs focus on non-agricultural land use and management of soils throughout North Carolina. His primary interest involves correlating soil morphologic and physical properties to environmental conditions so as to develop procedures and criteria for site characterization and identification of soil properties related to treatment and disposal of domestic wastewater, hydric soil identification, and water quality improvement. Dr. Lindbo's research in these areas involves investigation of BMPs for soil/site evaluation (soil morphology), evaluation of innovative on-site wastewater systems, and analysis of septic system performance. In addition, he holds an appointment as an Extension Specialist in Non-Ag Soils where his efforts include management of on-site wastewater training facilities and instruction for the Soil on Onsite wastewater Training Academy.

Elizabeth Olenbush, President, EO Associates, Inc.

EO Associates is a WBE that provides sustainabilty training, environmental communications, strategic business planning and marketing services to public and private sector clients.  Ms. Olenbush founded EO Associates in 1994, following five years of service as the Director of Marketing for the Steel Recycling Institute.  Her work with the transportation sector began during her tenure as a contractor for the Wisconsin Recycling Market Development Board.  From 1999 to 2009, Ms. Olenbush served as Executive Director for Foundry Industry Recycling Starts Today, where she was one of the founding directors of the Industrial Resources Council.  She continues to provide project management services for the IRC and AFS-FIRST, in addition to Green Facilities Training through community colleges and workforce development programs in New England and the mid-Atlantic states. She previously held a number of positions in sales and marketing in the cable television industry following her graduation from Duke University. 

Dr. Deanna L. Osmond, Ph.D., Professor and Soil Science Department Extension Leader, NC State University

Dr. Osmond is a Soil Science Professor at NC State, where she teaches courses on watershed, soil fertility and nutrient management.  Her research is focused on agricultural production, reduction of agricultural pollutants through the use of conservation practices including riparian buffers and the development of decision support systems that both function at the watershed-scale and are applicable to field-scale soil fertility issues. Deanna also holds an appointment as the Department leader in the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, is currently serving as the President of the Soil Science Society of North Carolina, and was named a Soil Science of America Fellow in 2014.  She received her Ph.D. in Agromony from Cornell, her M.S. in Soil Science at NCSU, and her B.S. in Agronomy and Anthropology from Kansas State University.  From 1981-1983, she served as an Agricultural Project Officer for U.S. AID in Zaire, Africa

Dr.  Chad Penn, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Soil and Environmental Chemistry, Oklahoma State University 

Dr. Penn joined the Department of Plant and Soil Science at Oklahoma State University in 2005. His current research is focused on (i) water quality, (ii) the re-use of industrial by-products in agriculture and for environmental protection, (iii) nutrient and animal waste management, (iv) transport of phosphorus to surface waters, and (v) thermodynamics of sorption and other soil chemical processes via isothermal titration calorimetry. Dr. Penn’s appointment is 35% teaching and 65% research. He teaches undergraduate level soil and environmental chemistry every spring semester and graduate level soil chemistry courses every fall semester.  Dr. Penn received his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in 2004 after obtaining his BS at Penn State and his MS at the University of Delaware. 

Jon Risgaard, Supervisor, Non-Discharge Permitting Unit, Division of Water Resources, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources

Jon Risgaard is Supervisor of the Non-Discharge Permitting unit of NCDENR's Division of Water Resources. The unit is responsible for permitting and compliance of the residuals management, wastewater irrigation, and reclaimed water programs with a focus on beneficial reuse of these resources. Jon has more than 10 years of experience with the DENR working as both an engineer and supervisor. Jon has a BS and MS in Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Michael E. Scott, Deputy Director, Waste Management Division, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources

Michael Scott received B.S. and M.S. degrees from North Carolina State University in Agronomy and is a graduate of the NCSU Natural Resources Leadership Institute.   Michael has worked for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for over 13 years, previously serving as the Branch Head of the Composting and Land Application Branch and the Section Chief of the Solid Waste Section before becoming the Deputy Director of the Division of Waste Management in 2014. As the Deputy Director, Michael is responsible for several Division program areas (Brownfields, Safety, Information Technology and Public Information) while also assisting the Director with management of the Division’s four sections (Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste, Superfund and Underground Storage Tanks).

John Sheerin, Director of End-of-life Tire Programs, Rubber Manufacturers Association

Mr. Sheerin is responsible for environmental, regulatory and legislatives issues relating to end-of-life tires for the Rubber Manufacturers Association.  In this role, he participates in various state, trade association and standard making committees to encourage markets for End-of-life tires addressing both annual generation and abandoned piles. Before joining the RMA in 2014, Mr. Sheerin was the Retail Environmental Director for Bridgestone Retail Operations, responsible for all the environmental aspects of the retail company including compliance management, environmental education, property related environmental issues, waste recycling and disposal and emergency situations. Prior to that, he worked as a Professional Environmental Engineer consulting for Environmental Resources Management and Eichleay Engineers working on wastewater, site remediation and other projects as well as industrial environmental management. John holds a B.S. in civil engineering and an MS in environmental engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He is also a JD graduate of the Chicago Kent School of Law.

Rhonda Sherman, Extension Specialist, North Carolina State University

Rhonda Sherman has been with the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at NC State University for 21 years, providing education and technical assistance on vermicomposting, composting, recycling and waste reduction through the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. She has assisted people throughout the United States and 98 countries. Rhonda is considered one of the leading authorities on vermiculture and vermicomposting, and organizes an annual conference on large-scale vermicomposting that draws participants from all over the world.  Rhonda co-founded the North Carolina Composting Council and is currently serving as its President.  She holds degrees in Environmental Studies and Urban/Regional Planning, as well as Environmental Resources Analysis with an emphasis on solid waste management.

Dr. H. Allen Torbert, Research Leader, National Soil Dynamics Lab, USDA-Agricultural Research Service

Dr. H. Allen Torbert is a Soil Scientist and the Research Leader (Laboratory Director) for the USDA-ARS National Soil Dynamics Laboratory in Auburn, AL, where he manages human and physical resources as well as research activities.  He earned his B.S. (1983) and M.S. (1985) degrees from Auburn University’s Agronomy and Soils Department and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Illinois in the Agronomy and Soils Department (1989).  After a Post Doctorate in Auburn, Dr. Torbert served as a Soil Scientist at the USDA-ARS Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory in Temple, TX.  In 2001, Dr. Torbert returned to Auburn as a Soil Scientist and was appointed Research Leader in 2005 for the National Soil Dynamics Laboratory.  Dr. Torbert’s program focuses mainly on soil fertilizer practices to develop cropping systems that optimally integrate animal manure into sustainable agriculture while safeguarding environmental integrity.  This includes developing knowledge regarding the relationship of agriculture to global environmental change.  Dr. Torbert also is an affiliate faculty member at Texas A&M University and Auburn University in the Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Department.

Danny Turner, Seed and Fertilizer Section Administrator, North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

In February of 2012, Danny Turner was named Adminstrator of the Seed & Fertilizer section of NCDA&CS by Agricultural Commissioner Steve Toxler.  The NCDA&CS Plant Industry Division is a service and regulatory agency responsible for regulating seed, fertilizer, lime and soil additives to ensure these products meet label guarantees. The division also supports agriculture, horticulture and related industries by providing inspection and export services necessary to facilitate the movement of North Carolina commodities, biological control elements and honey bees. It is also responsible for protecting the state’s rare native plant species. Mr. Turner has served in several field and supervisory roles with the Seed and Fertilizer Section, including most recently as the fertilizer administrator. In addition, he produced tobacco, corn, soybeans and turkeys in Jones County. Turner earned an associate’s degree in field crops and soils from N.C. State University in 1970.

John Y. Yzenas, Technical Director, Edw. C. Levy Co.

The Levy Group of Companies were founded in 1918 and has grown through the past century into a multi-faceted company that provides steel mill services and material management services;  produces and distributes steel slag and natural aggregates; and develops and distrributes value-added products to serve the asphalt, cement, concrete and agricultural markets. John J. Yzenas Jr. is the Director of Technical Services for the Edw. C. Levy Company. He has been engaged in the construction and construction materials industry for over 30 years, working in operations, quality and new product development. He serves and participates in many local and national committees dealing with aggregate issues, including TRB and ASTM, where he has chaired numerous committees.  John is an ASTM International Fellow and a Member of the Indiana Mineral Aggregates Association Aggregate Hall of Fame.