ACHMM Philadephia Chapter Officers and Committee Members
OFFICER BIOGRAPHIES
President
H. Brandt Widdoes, Jr.
Sr. Manager, SHE
Brandt joined MedImmune (AstraZeneca Global - Supply Biologics) in 2012 in his current capacity as Sr. Manager, SHE where he is
responsible for developing, implementing and monitoring the sites' SHE Management System and compliance programs to ensure
continuous improvement.
Prior to joining MedImmune / Astra Zeneca, Brandt served 17 years with Wyeth and then Baxter Healthcare's parenteral
manufacturing operation in Cherry Hill, NJ as Manager EHS. Brandt lead the manufacturing management team through the journey
to ISO 14001 certification. Through Brandt's mentoring the Medication Delivery Manufacturing site attained 5 Million hours
without a Lost Time Injury and maintained a record of no environmental NOVs. Brandt was an active participant on Regional and
Corporate Compliance and ISO audit program for Baxter Healthcare, assisting domestic and international facilities.
Vice President (President-Elect)
Dave Hoppy, CHMM, CDGP
Agilent Technologies, Inc.
David is the Eastern Region Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) Manager
for Agilent Technologies in Wilmington, DE. He has more than 12 years of
experience working in the EH & S world, primarily in EH & S compliance. Areas
of expertise include: RCRA, Radioactive Waste, DOT, Biosafety, Chemical &
Hazardous Materials Management, Laboratory Safety, ISO 14001, Emergency
Response, EH & S Due Diligence, Environmental Permitting & Auditing.
Past job history includes: Environmental Consultant at URS Corporation,
Environmental Compliance Specialist at Compliance Management International,
Field Service Technician for Onyx Environmental (now Veolia Environmental),
and EHS Assistant at Colorcon.
David earned a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from
Philadelphia University in 2002.
David took and passed the CHMM exam in 2009. Additionally, David became
a Certified Dangerous Good Professional (CDGP) in March 2014.
Secretary
Don Bowman
Maser Consulting P.A.
Treasurer
Joseph Murphy
Aires Consulting Group
Past President
Tom Dalton
Guardian Environmental Services Company, Inc
Tom is the Director of Business Development and a Program Manager for GES. He has more
than 30 years of experience in conducting environmental remediation and emergency
response operations. Throughout his career, Tom has managed over 200 remedial
construction activities including; hazardous waste site cleanup, MGP site restoration,
underground storage tank management, onsite soil treatment, radioactive materials
remediation, slurry wall construction, installation of water treatment systems, UXO/MEC
clearance and the restoration of tidal wetlands. His areas of expertise include;
business management, project planning, site operations, logistics support, project
management and controls, design/build and innovative project delivery systems, business
development, technical proposal and cost estimate preparation.
In 1984, Tom took and passed his CHMM exam. He was a charter member of the New Jersey
Chapter and has been active with the Philadelphia Chapter since 1993. He has a BS in
Environmental Science and is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He is also
actively involved in organizations that support veteran and service disable veteran's
rights and opportunities.
Government/Regulatory Affairs Chair
Mark Bruce
Environmental Products & Services of Vermont, Inc.
I have been a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) since 2002 and have
over 26 years of emergency response, corrective action, waste management, safety
management, and industrial maintenance experience.
I am a project manager for the EPS of Vermont Corporate Special Projects Group
and my duties include regional business development (Mid-Atlantic Region) and
management of long term, high profile and time sensitive projects, which includes
extensive traveling across the country. Response to emergencies and management of
projects including: corrective actions for natural and man made disasters,
facility closures, remedial investigations, procurement of in-house and out
sourced contract services, project safety lead, and project accounting. I also
assist customers with improvements to their Business Continuity and Disaster
Recovery Plans for salvage operations and hazardous materials management.
I have a degree in Business, Management and Economics with a concentration in
Emergency Management from the State University of New York (SUNY) Albany/Empire
State College.
Meetings/Professional Development Chair
Donna Switzer, CHMM
Donna became a CHMM around 1994 and joined the Philadelphia ACHMM Chapter
soon after. She started her involvement with the Chapter as the Meetings
Committee Chair and then progressed from Chapter Secretary to Chapter
President. She currently holds the Treasurer position for the Chapter and
sits on the National ACHMM Chapter Development Committee.
She started in the environmental industry in 1989 in the Asbestos industry.
She was employed by one of the Waste Management, Inc. divisions or
subsidiaries or joint ventures or whatever for about 10 years, focusing on
Hazardous Waste disposal and cleanup. She then earned a Masters Degree in
Environmental Science and made a jump to waste generation. Once on that side
of the fence, she managed compliance for several manufacturing companies –
plastics, pesticides, lead-acid batteries.
Membership Development Chair
Joann Cortese, CHMM
Sartomer Company, Inc.
Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) with a bachelor's degree in
Chemical Engineering from Drexel University. Environmental, Health, and
Safety Manager with Sartomer Company, Inc. since 1986. Responsibilities
include compliance with Federal, State, and local regulations concerning
environmental, health, and safety issues at the manufacturing sites and the
R&D facility. Previous positions held include Process Engineering (4 years)
and R&D (4 years). Years of company service began in June 1977.
In addition to the above stated responsibilities, holds the positions of the
company Responsible Care® Coordinator and have been very active in Sartomer's
community outreach.
As a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager has been active as a Charter
member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Academy of Certified Hazardous
Materials Managers since 1993. Has held the positions of Chairperson of the
Membership Committee, Treasurer and have been Chapter Vice-President since
2000.
Has coached girl's softball with husband since 1992. Have also coached girl's
soccer and basketball.
Married since July 1977 and have two daughters. Hobbies include traveling as
much as possible on vacations, reading, photography and gardening.
Website Maintenance Chair
Donna Switzer, CHMM
Donna became a CHMM around 1994 and joined the Philadelphia ACHMM Chapter
soon after. She started her involvement with the Chapter as the Meetings
Committee Chair and then progressed from Chapter Secretary to Chapter
President. She currently holds the Treasurer position for the Chapter and
sits on the National ACHMM Chapter Development Committee.
She started in the environmental industry in 1989 in the Asbestos industry.
She was employed by one of the Waste Management, Inc. divisions or
subsidiaries or joint ventures or whatever for about 10 years, focusing on
Hazardous Waste disposal and cleanup. She then earned a Masters Degree in
Environmental Science and made a jump to waste generation. Once on that side
of the fence, she managed compliance for several manufacturing companies –
plastics, pesticides, lead-acid batteries.
POSITION DESCRIPTIONS
All Officers shall be Members in good standing with the Chapter and the
National AHMP. They shall be responsible for the day-to-day management of Chapter
affairs, implementation of policy set by the Board of Directors, and execution of the
Operating plan.
Elective Offices/Board of Directors
The Elective Officers shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary and
Treasurer, all of whom must be voting members of the Chapter. The Elective Officers, in
addition to the Immediate Past President, will be considered the Board of Directors of
the Chapter.
Officer's Duties
- President:
The president, elected to serve at least two years, presides over Chapter meetings and
interfaces with other chapters, the Academy, and other environmental organizations. All
committees report to the President, who is responsible for day-to-day Chapter management.
In the absence of the president, the Vice-President shall preside at these meetings. In
his (her) absence, the Secretary shall preside at these meetings.
- Vice-President (President-Elect):
The vice-president, who is elected to serve at least two years and expected to serve as
President the following term, presides over Chapter meetings in the absence of the
President and ensures the development and execution of an appropriate annual educational
program for the Chapter.
- Secretary:
The secretary, who is elected to a term of at least two years, documents Chapter meetings,
maintains and updates Chapter records and mailing lists, documents Chapter-sponsored
training, and manages mailing of official notices to the membership.
- Treasurer:
The treasurer, who is elected to a term of at least two years, documents Chapter membership,
manages the Chapter's financial affairs, maintains the Chapter's financial records, mails
invoices, pays obligations, collects receivables, makes bank deposits, and interfaces with
applicable government entities to maintain the Chapter's nonprofit and corporate status.
- Immediate Past President:
The responsibility of this unelected position, which is assumed by the previous term's
President, is to recruit Chapter members and assist the Board of Directors in achieving
Chapter objectives.
Committees
The work of the Chapter shall be conducted by four Standing Committees of which the
chairperson is expected to serve for a period of at least two years. The Elected Officers
shall appoint committee chairpersons for the following standing committees:
- Government/Regulatory Affairs:
This committee is the focal point for communication to the Chapter on actions, proposed or
otherwise, taken at all levels of government in regard to management of hazardous materials.
The chairperson is encouraged to be a member of the National Government Affairs Committee
and shall conduct the chapter committee efforts in concert with the National Academy.
- Meetings/Professional Development:
Continuing education of the CHMM is an important part of the fulfillment of the Chapter's
Mission. This committee will develop the educational programs for the Chapter meetings, as
well as any other programs that can be used to further the exchange of information and ideas.
- Membership Development:
Working with the immediate Past President, this committee recruits new members for the
Chapter. The committee will develop and execute recruiting plans including the direct mail,
telephone campaigns, and membership incentive.
- Website Maintenance:
The primary purpose of this committee is the establishment and maintenance of a positive
impression of the CHMM certification, the membership, and the Chapter through the Chapter
website. This committee will focus on efforts that will increase the awareness of the CHMM
program and attract new members, and provide Chapter information to its membership.