|
EPA Alumni Association
Newsletter
| | |
|
President
Dave Ullrich
Vice President
Bruce Diamond
Secretary
Tom Kenney
Treasurer
Tom Voltaggio
Executive Director
Chuck Elkins
Deputy Exec. Director
Lori Boughton
| |
John Armstead
Beverly Bannister
Bruce Diamond
Carol Kemker
Tom Kenney
Caren Madsen
Walter Mugdan
Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta
William Pederson
John Reeder
Sara Russell
William Sanders III
Hilary Thornton
Ann Vanino
Lydia Wegman
| |
Dave Calkins
Chuck Elkins
Dave Menotti
Tom Voltaggio
David Ullrich
| | |
Dear Members,
The challenges continue to mount for those who recognize the importance of protecting human health and the environment. Now, with our surge in membership to over 3,000 representing over 75,000 years of experience in the field, we need to ask ourselves what it is we can do as an organization to help address these challenges. I can assure you it will not be easy, but I am confident we up to the task as we all know “We are not done yet.”
I am pleased to announce the results of the election for the Board of Directors. The new members elected are Ann Vanino, Tom Kenney, Carol Kemker, and Sara Russell along with returning directors Bruce Diamond and Cindy Singletary. Due to other commitments, Cindy has stepped down from her position. We thank her for her contributions and welcome Hilary Thornton, who has been elected by the Board to take her place.
In addition to the changes in the Board, the outstanding work of Beth Craig as Deputy Executive Director was recognized as she stepped down from her position and Lori Boughton assumed Beth’s duties, with Allison Debicki taking on the role of Program Manager. While our Board members are deeply involved in the Association’s day-to-day work, the success of our mission relies on broader member participation. If you are interested in contributing to our efforts, please reach out to Lori or Allison—we would love to have you involved.
The Association continues to have a very active and informative Academy and is looking to expand its educational efforts. To make us more effective, we are revamping our website to make it more user friendly and attractive. Our Job Center is especially important these days, so if you are aware of opportunities, please let Lori know so she can add them to the site.
No one said it would be easy to protect human health and the environment, and they are more right than ever before. I am convinced that we at the EPA Alumni Association are fully up to the task.
Sincerely,
Dave Ullrich
President
| | | Since our last newsletter went out in January, more than 370 people have joined the Association. Our new members are a diverse group of individuals who represent all EPA Regions in more than 30 states and the District of Columbia. They have knowledge and experience working in many different departments and offices at the Agency. We would like to extend a warm welcome to these new members and express our gratitude for their civil service, whether their time at EPA was brief or extensive. | |  | |
Want to learn more about our new members?
Scroll to the bottom of the Newsletter for a list. Click on a name in order to go to the member's profile in the Directory
| | | |
| |
We had a successful Annual Meeting in May, highlighted by a compelling keynote address from former administrator Bill Reilly. His speech offered insightful reflections on the challenges he navigated during his tenure, as well as in other prominent environmental roles throughout his career.
Mr. Reilly reaffirmed that the EPA remains the gold standard among environmental agencies worldwide. He praised the Alumni Association’s efforts in supporting both current and former employees, calling it a powerful tribute to their enduring loyalty and compassion—and a source of pride for the EPA.
The event attracted a strong in-person turnout, complemented by even greater virtual participation—highlighting the wide-reaching interest and enthusiasm it inspired. The energy carried into the post-meeting reception, where nearly everyone stayed to mingle and enjoy the evening right up until closing time. A video of Mr. Reilly’s address is available here.
| | | EPA Alumni Association Academy | | | |
The EPA Alumni Association's Speaker Series (called The Academy) is planning its Fall 2025 programs, and the Academy Committee Deans (Walter Mugdan and Lydia Wegman) welcome your ideas for topics and speakers. If you have ideas for the Committee or would like to join it, please reach out to the Association at epaalumni@aol.com
We record our sessions, so if you can't join live, please check www.epaalumni.com/videos to watch the recording.
| |
Protecting Our Future: An Introduction to the
Environmental Protection Network
| |
Our most recent program focused on our "sister" organization, the Environmental Protection Network (EPN), a nonprofit organization composed of over 650 former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) professionals across the country volunteering their time to protect the integrity of EPA, human health, and the environment. In addition to introducing the work EPN is currently doing, the panelists discussed three priority areas: technical assistance, policy and public affairs, and civil service resiliency.
Association members are encouraged to also join EPN and participate in these important efforts.
| | | |
Annel Cabrera-Marus
Senior Director of
Technical Assistance
| |
Steven Fantes
Manager, Civil Service
Resilience Initiative
| |
Mark Hague
EPN Board President
| |
| |
Peter Murchie
Senior Director of Policy
| |
Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta
EPN Board Member
| | |
|
Supporting EPA Colleagues -
Past & Present
| |
Our primary focus continues to be supporting the dedicated employees of the Environmental Protection Agency, especially during these challenging times. Following the layoffs in February and March, we organized a series of webinars to empower affected staff with critical resources—covering employment rights, resume and interview preparation, and the potential impacts to federal benefits under proposed legislation and Executive Orders.
For those required to relocate, the EPA Alumni community stepped up in meaningful ways. Many generously opened their homes to colleagues seeking housing, reflecting the solidarity that defines our network. Others chose to transition away from the Agency, and in response, we enhanced our Job Center to better support career exploration and new employment opportunities.
In May, our Board of Directors issued a letter to EPA Administrator Zeldin and key staff on Congressional committees. This letter addressed the Administration’s announcement of 100 achievements during its first 100 days and conveyed our perspective on recent developments and pointed out that those accomplishments were achieved primarily on work done prior to this administration with a fully funded and staffed agency. The full text of the letter is located here.
| | | Since the Winter 2025 Newsletter, the Association has been informed that the following former EPA employees have passed away. If you learn that a former colleague has died, please let us know at EPAAlumni@aol.com so we can post it on the Association website. | |
Dr. Marcia Anderson
Scott Patrick Berdine
Karen Ann Bond
Diana C. Dutton
Carl Edlund
Alice Fitzgerald
Carl R. Gerber
John (Jack) Hidinger
Alan Kirk
Dr. Jan C. Prager
Steven Schatzow
James (Jim) Scherer
Paula Jean Smith (Vollmer)
Martha Ann "Mazzie" Talley
Carl Walter
Joseph (Joe) Carlton Wyche
Dr. Hal Zenick
| | | New Faces at the Alumni Association | | | | |
New to the Board of Directors | | | | |
After many years of exceptional service as Deputy Executive Director, Beth Craig has chosen to step down from her leadership role. Her impact, however, remains ever-present—Beth continues to actively engage in numerous Association initiatives and serves as a trusted advisor to both new staff and long-standing members.
Her dedication to the Association, EPA employees, and our community of members has been nothing short of extraordinary. Beth has been the steady force behind the scenes, keeping the train not only on the tracks but moving forward with purpose and grace.
Words fall short in expressing our deepest gratitude for her unwavering commitment, her wealth of knowledge, and her decades of service. Beth’s legacy will continue to inspire us for years to come.
Lori Boughton assumed the position of Deputy Executive Director in May, bringing with her over three decades of environmental leadership and policy expertise. From 1992 to 2003, she served in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Site Remediation Enforcement. Following her tenure at the EPA, Lori spent twenty years with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. There, she held pivotal leadership roles including Chief of the Office of the Great Lakes and Regional Program Manager for the Waterways and Wetlands Program, championing sustainable water resource management across the state.
To assist Lori in her new role, Allison Debicki has been promoted to Program Manager. Allison was originally brought on in August 2024 to assist in the overhaul of the Jobs Center on the Association website, and since then her duties have expanded to include member communications, promoting/facilitating Academy webinars on Zoom, and contributing to the planning and implementation of the upcoming website redesign. Allison studied graphic design at Northern Virginia Community College before switching to a public health focus. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Community Health from George Mason University. In addition to her work for the Association, Allison is a newborn hearing screener at the INOVA Fairfax Women’s Hospital in Northern Virginia.
| | | |
The Association is supported entirely by voluntary contributions. If you have not given, or gave a year or more ago, please consider donating now. Click Here to make a secure online donation now. If you prefer to send a check, please send to:
EPA Alumni Association
628 Chester River Beach Rd.
Grasonville, MD 21638
We are most grateful for donations of any size. We want to thank these members who have donated since our Winter 2025 Newsletter through July 25:
| | | Jeffrey Alson, John Bachmann, Jacqueline Beatty-Smith, Nancy Beck, Michael Berman, Judy Bloom, Kevin Bolger, Virginia Capon, Joe Cascio, Paul Cough, Kathy Daniel, Sally Darney, J. Davies, Walter DeRieux, Richard Dowd, Linda Durkee, Darice Ellis, Margaret Gerardin, Stephen Goranson, Louise Gross, Debra Gutenson, Edward Hanley, Stephen Hoffman, Julie Jensen, Tom Jorling, Mark Joyce, Thomas Kelly, Carol Kemker, Thomas Kenney, Kathleen Knox, Michael Kosusko, Jamie Langlie, Mary Lindsay, Jack McGraw, Colleen McKaughan, Charles (Chuck) McKinley, Thomas Miller, Susan Mooney, Peter Murchie, Vanessa Musgrave, Niloufar Nazmi, Carol Parker, John Rogers, Sara Russell, Jeanne Schulze, Kris Shurr, Winston Smith, Harry Sprague, Bob Stewart, Judy Stober, June Taylor, Hilary Thornton, Donna Twickler, Ann Vanino, Anne Weinberg, Kenneth Westlake, James Willis, Michaelle Wilson, Robert Wolcott, Terry Yosie, Amy Zimpfer | | |
|
Sign up for the Weekly EPA and Environmental News Update - its primary focus is on new people, budgets, and policies of the current administration. It's great reading!
Go to: https://www.epaalumni.com/transition-news to read it or subscribe.
| | |
If you would rather not receive these seasonal newsletters, please email us at EPAAlumni@aol.com rather than using the unsubscribe link below. | | | (click on a name to go to their profile in the member directory) | | | | | |
