Winter 2025 Newsletter

EPA Alumni Association

Winter 2025

Association Leadership

President

Dave Ullrich

Vice President

Bruce Diamond

Secretary

Tom Kenney

Treasurer

Tom Voltaggio

Executive Director

Chuck Elkins

Dep. Executive Director

Lori Boughton

Program Manager

Allison Debicki

Board of Directors

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

Ex Officio Members

Dave Calkins

Chuck Elkins

Dave Menotti

Tom Voltaggio

David Ullrich

President's Message

Dear Members,

As we enter the holiday season, I send you my warmest wishes for joy, peace, and meaningful time with your loved ones.

I’ve never felt prouder to serve as President of the Alumni Association than I do today. In the face of yet another Federal government shutdown affecting our EPA colleagues, your response was nothing short of extraordinary. With compassion and solidarity, more than 200 alumni came together to pledge an incredible $48,400 in $10 and $20 gift cards. Thanks to your generosity, we were able to support 68 furloughed employees—each receiving $200 in gift cards to grocery stores and pharmacies to help ease the burden.

This is the true spirit of our community: stepping up when it matters most and rising to our motto, “We are not done yet”.

I also invited you to support the Alumni Association and the meaningful work we do—and once again, you are rising to the occasion. Your generosity continues to fuel our mission and strengthen our community. Thank you for standing with us.

The Alumni Association remains committed to supporting our members and EPA colleagues through our ongoing Academy Sessions. These webinars offer timely insights from leading experts on environmental issues that matter. You can explore recordings of past sessions and find details about upcoming events on our website: www.epaalumni.com.

We have an exciting lineup ahead:

January 28: A deep dive into the science and implications of the Polar Vortex
February [Date TBD]: Panelists from the Environmental Defense Fund detail the progress that has come from sustainable fishing regulations
March 19: A forward-looking session on The Green Grid and the future of sustainable energy infrastructure.

We hope you'll join us for these thought-provoking discussions and continue to be part of our vibrant learning community.

Our newsletter recently got a fresh new look—and we’re not stopping there. We’re also working behind the scenes to redesign our website, making it more intuitive and user-friendly while preserving the resources you rely on: the Job Center, historical documents and reports, and tools to help you stay connected with fellow alumni. Stay tuned for the big reveal in early 2026!

We’d love for you to stay connected and engaged with the Alumni community. Whether it’s attending local events, joining one of our committees, or sharing your skills through volunteer opportunities, there’s a place for you here.

If you've lost touch, we'd be thrilled to reconnect. Just send a quick note to EPAAlumni@aol.com, and we'll make sure your contact information is current, so you don't miss out on future updates and opportunities.

Thank you for your kindness, your commitment, and your unwavering support.

Wishing you a joyful and restorative holiday season,

Dave Ullrich

President

Since our last newsletter went out in August, more than 100 people have joined the Association.

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.

"Fresh Look" Initiative

Since January 2025, major changes in environmental and public health policy have deeply affected the EPA and its employees. In the spirit of making the best use of our resources and providing the maximum benefit, a “Fresh Look” work group and the Executive Committee have discussed the areas of possible expansion of our efforts and where we might cut back. It is important to keep in mind that we are primarily a social and professional organization, support EPA staff, provide education, and are a source of institutional history of EPA. Set out below is a summary of the direction recommended by the two groups for a “Fresh Look” initiative.

Administration

The Association now has over 3,000 members with a vast collective experience. It remains focused on efficient operations, membership management, fundraising, annual events, and a major website upgrade planned for early 2026.

Communication

The EPA AA uses its website, weekly news summaries, newsletters, and social media (mainly Facebook) to connect with members. It plans to enhance regional and local engagement and highlight members’ community projects.

Employee Assistance

Many EPA employees and recent retirees have faced hardship due to new administrative policies. The Association provides housing help, legal referrals, job placement, mentoring, and visible support at demonstrations, which has been greatly appreciated.

Programs

While primarily a social and professional organization, EPA AA will avoid direct advocacy, instead supporting the Environmental Protection Network (EPN) in that role. The successful EPA AA Academy will continue offering educational programs, and the Association is reviving its education initiatives for schools and the public. A member survey is planned to guide future programming.

Conclusion

The Association views this as a pivotal moment to uphold EPA’s legacy of protecting public health and the environment. The “Fresh Look” initiative aims to ensure resources are used effectively to strengthen that mission.

EPA Alumni Association Academy

The EPA Alumni Association's Speaker Series (called The Academy) is planning its Spring 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.

Most Recent Session

The Impact of Agriculture on Climate:

It's More Than You Think...

Held Thursday, December 11, 2025

View Recording

Most people think of climate change as a result of burning fossil fuels that release carbon dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas (GHG). Agriculture has a role there, as tractors burn fuel, irrigation pumps use electricity, etc. But most of agriculture’s contribution to climate change involves other GHGs, chief among them Nitrous oxide (NOx), which is about 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Farmers around the world use twice as much nitrogen fertilizer as their crops can absorb, potentially contaminating nearby water, but much of it goes into the atmosphere as NOx. Around 80% of NOx emissions in the U.S. come from agriculture. Methane, another GHG, is about 85 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over 20 years. The largest and second largest sources of methane in the US, respectively, are cows and cow manure. Agricultural activities also release large amounts of carbon typically stored in untilled land.

The bad news is that agriculture is a major worldwide contributor to climate change, but the good news is that there is much that can be done to reduce the climate impacts of agriculture. Join us to learn more from our speaker Peter Lehner, manager of the Sustainable Food & Farming Program at Earthjustice, about the climate impacts of agriculture and the opportunities for dramatically reducing them.

Other Recent Sessions

An Update on Litigation

Affecting EPA

Held 11/18/2025

During this webinar, our panel of well-regarded legal experts (John C. Cruden, Sanne H. Knudsen, Robert V. Percival) brought us up to date on the actual and potential practical effects of recent of some of the numerous cases filed in federal courts which directly impact the U.S. EPA and its staff.

View Recording

Empowering EPA Professionals:

Resources for Every Stage

of Your Journey

Held 10/29/2025

Speakers from The Partnership for Public Service (Kristen Carroll, Georgia Haddad, Lindsay Laferriere) & FedsForward (Karen F. Lee) talked about how their organizations are supporting current and former Federal government employees, and the tools they've developed to assist them explore new career options, highlight their unique skills and expertise, and share their stories about the importance of civil service.

View Recording

The Radium Girls

Held 9/25/2025

EPA Alumni Association board member Walter Mugdan presented the story of the Radium Girls, a group of young women who suffered from the devastating consequences of radiation exposure at their jobs painting watch dials with glow-in-the dark radium-infused paint. The subsequent lawsuits and public outcry brought about a renewed push for workplace safety, a cause that remains relevant to this day.

View Recording

News and Events

Upcoming Virtual Events

Regional EPN Gathering - North Carolina Hub

Our "sister", but separate, organization, the Environmental Protection Network will be hosting an inaugural (virtual) meeting of the North Carolina Campaign Hub on January 14th, at 2 p.m. ET. The North Carolina Campaign hub aims to connect local voices—scientists, public health experts, environmental experts, etc. who want to defend protections for clean water, safe air, and community health in North Carolina.

Those who join the Zoom call on January 14th will learn more about how volunteers can get involved in essential work to raise awareness, share real-world impacts, support communities, and protect science-based environmental safeguards.

To RSVP for the Zoom link, please fill out this Google Form.

For questions, please email Emmett Blaney at emmett.blaney@environmentalprotectionnetwork.org

Member Writes Book

Former Region I Deputy Regional Counsel and EPA AA Member Pam Hill recently had a book published by Oxford University Press.

In an engaging and approachable way, Environmental Justice: A Very Short Introduction defines the concept, identifies specific environmental justice populations, examines root causes, including racism, capitalism, and colonialism, and traces the history of the environmental justice movement and governmental responses to it. It concludes with suggestions for achieving this elusive goal.

You can purchase the book and learn more about it here.

Upcoming In-Person Events

The Environmental Protection Network (EPN) plans to host in-person gatherings at each of the 10 EPA Regional Office locations. They hope to provide a space for alumni to connect with their peers, hear updates on EPN's work to further EPA's mission, and learn more about how to get involved in volunteer opportunities with EPN.

EPN kicked off their regional gatherings in Fall 2025 in San Francisco (R9), and will continue with the next gathering for Region 10 Alumni in Seattle on January 12th, and then with Region 5 Alumni in Chicago on January 21st. Future gatherings will be announced throughout the next year.

If you have questions, want to RSVP, or want to be involved in the planning of the gatherings, please reach out to Emmett Blaney at emmett.blaney@environmentalprotectionnetwork.org

Recent Alumni Events

December 3, 2025 - The Region 6 Annual EPA Alumni and Employees Lunch at Al Biernat's Oaklawn in Dallas, Texas.

~~~

November 20, 2025 - The Region 5 Third Thursday Happy Hour met at Little Toasted in the Loop. The event featured current EPA employees and retired folks. It was put together by Anne Rowan and Mick Hans who organize outings in Chicago.

~~~

Dan McGovern (past Region 9 RA), Martha Guzman (past Region 9 RA), Debbie Jordan (past Region 9 Acting RA and Deputy RA), and Dave Calkins (EPA Alumni Association)

~~~

Approximately 75 current and alumni of EPA attended a Happy Hour event hosted by the Environmental Protection Network (EPN) in September. Attendees included staff who have been with the agency since its inception, to those with less than a year of experience. Dave Calkins gave an update on the Alumni Association. They gave an early pitch for how to support current employees for what turned out to be a very long shutdown, emphasizing the crucial role of alum support during this challenging time. EPN’s Peter Murchie, the Senior Director of Policy highlighted their current work, including their recent comment on EPA’s proposed rule on Procedures for Chemical Risk Evaluation under TSCA, the need to fully fund the agency to fulfill its mission, and their support for current and recently RIFed employees through sharing resources, internships, and webinars. San Francisco-based Jamie Zwaschka, Senior Policy Associate at EPN, organized the event.

Four past Region 9 Regional administrators were in attendance, including the most recently separated Martha Guzman. All took time to thank current employees, encouraging them to weather the storm, and for all the alumni who have been volunteering to support the agency’s mission.

Helpful Career Tools

During our October 29 Academy session, Empowering EPA Professionals: Resources for Every Stage of Your Journey, panelists from the Partnership for Public Service and FedSupport shared a number of resources they've created to assist current and recently departed Federal employees with recent challenges in their jobs and tools designed to help them transition toward a career away from the Federal government. Here are some of the links they shared with us:

FedSuppport Hub

The Partnership for Public Service’s FedSupport Hub is a centralized resource platform offering fact sheets, FAQs, webinars, and guides covering topics like employee rights and benefits, career transition information and changing workforce policy. It links to legal-support networks, hosts timely events and analysis, and invites users to subscribe for weekly updates.

Career Pivot Bootcamp

Free, seven module course designed specifically for current and former feds covering the full career search process from elevator pitch to conducting a job search, transitioning to a non-federal resume, utilizing AI in your job search, interviewing, and salary negotiation.

Career Pivot Coaching

Paid, personalized support for current and former federal employees navigating career transitions. Each session is tailored to your background and goals, whether you’re exploring opportunities beyond government, refining your resume, preparing for interviews, or navigating salary negotiations. Career coaching provides the guidance and tools you need to take your next step with confidence.

Public Engagegment and Storytelling

Federal Harms Tracker

The Federal Harms Tracker is a new data and storytelling project developed by the Partnership for Public Service to demonstrate what is at stake when the federal government is weakened from within. The next release "Cost to Your Community" will include a form to submit stories or impacts you are seeing in your community.

The Partnership is partnering with nontraditional media creators to share the story of civil servants' impact (like this Instagram reel featuring Dr. Francis Collins). If you. have a story of impact you think we should feature, please email Hanadi Jordan at hjordan@ourpublicservice.org

Want to be more involved?

Let us Know!

If you are interested in being more active in the Association and helping us better serve our membership, please get in touch.

We're looking for individuals to join committees that brainstorm and organize Association activities, including our Academy series. We would also like to assist members in organizing and potentially funding virtual or in-person local gatherings and networking events.

If you have any ideas you would like to share, or want to participate in the process, please contact Deputy Executive Director Lori Boughton at EPAAlumni@aol.com

~~~

In Memoriam

Since the Summer 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.

William B Hathaway

John Martin Begley

Nancy Grantham

Sallyanne Harper

Gail Louis

Henry "Hank" Mazzucca

Rich McAllister

Carolyn Mitchell

Steve Pardieck

Arthur Pavluvcik

Richard (Dick) Elmer Sanderson

Robin Woods

James M. Younger

Thank You, Donors!

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 Summer 2025 Newsletter through December 14:

Allan Abramson, Diane Ajl, Frederick W. (Derry) Allen, John Allis, Joanne Amorosi, Timothy Amsden, Phyllis Anderson, Michael Ardito, John Armstead, Daiva Balkus, Michael Bandrowski, Beverly Banister, Linda Baric, Mike Barry, Kathy Baylor, Paul Berger, Leon Betowski, Blake Biles, Gordon Binder, Victoria Binetti, Wayne Blackard, Richard Boice, Elaine Brenner, Elaine Brenner, Rob Brenner, Dale Bryson, William Burnam, Bonnie Bush, Joe Boyle, Tom Cackette, Georgia Callahan, Carol Campbell, John Cantilli, Glenn Cekus. Susanne Cerrelli, Colburn Cherney, John Chicca, Jeffrey Clark, Stephen Clark, Sally Cole, Margaret Conomos, Basil Constantelos, Susan Conti, Norman Cook, Marian Cooper, Valerie Cooper, Melville Cote, Elizabeth Craig, Gracy Danois, Elaine Davies, Belle Davis, Thomas Devine, Bruce Diamond, Thomas Dickerson, David Dickinson, William Dickinson, Mary Dominiak, William Drayton, Marguerite Duffy, Gerallyn Duke, David Dunbar, Linda Durkee, Greg Eades, Barbara Elkus, Jerry Emison, Gregory Fabian, David Fege, John Fehrenbach, Fraser Felter, Penelope Fenner-Crisp, Abraham Ferdas, Jerry Filbin, Charles Findley, Beverly Fletcher, Robin Fletcher, Miguel Flores, Michael Flynn, Jeanne Fox, J. Charles Fox, Elaine Francis, David Friedman, Rene Fuentes, Laura Fuji, Thomas Gallagher, Linda Garczynski, Ruth Gibson, Anne Giesecke, Ken Gigliello, Gail Ginsberg, Sherry Glick, Annie Godfrey, John Goodin, Lois Green, Mark Greenwood, Louise Gross, Georgina Guernica, Richard Haeuber, Sally Hanft, Edward Hanley, Olof Hansen, Janis Hastings, Erik Hauge, Al Havinga, James Heenehan, Pamela Hill, Matthew Hoagland, Ron Hoffer, Stephen Hoffman, Stephen Hogye, Jeff Holmstead, Dennis Huebner, Susan Janowiak, David Jesson, Woodruff Barnes Johnson, Rebecca Jones, Russell Jones, Bobbie Kahan, Druscilla Keenan, Carol Kemker, Michael Kenyon, Glenn Kistner, Chuck Kleeberg, David Kling, Myron Knudson, Michael Kosusko, Walter Kovalick, Thomas Krueger, Marilyn Kuray, Ellen Kurlansky, Nathan Lau, Arnold Leder, Susan Lepow, Margaret Leshen, Thomas Lieber, Karen Lumino, Bruce Macler, Douglas MacMillan, Mario Mangino, Justice Manning, Felicia Marcus, Peter Marx, Mark Masarik, Bharat Mathur, Craig Matthiessen, Kevin Maxfield, Diane McCreary, William McDavit, Jeffrey McDonald, James McGrath, Dorothy McManus, Robert McManus, Patricia Meaney, Dale Medearis, Mary Melley, David Menotti, William (Bill) Miner, Nell Minow, John Moebes, Mark Moloney, David Monroe, Jane Moore, David Morell, Walter Mugdan, Elizabeth Mullin, Douglas Mundrick, William Muno, Linda Murphy, James Murphy, Edward Murphy, Carlton Nash, Leverett Nelson, Bill Neuffer, Jane Neumann, Gary Nurkin, Barry Nussbaum, John O'Connor, Donald Olson, Marria O'Malley Walsh, Ronald Outen, Stephen Owens, David Parrish, Susan Pastor, Dorothy Patton, William Pedersen, Donna Perla, Jeffrey Peterson, Michael Petruska, Gloria Posey, Hema Prado, Phyllis Reed-Halloran, William Rice, Ellen Riley, Michael Risner, Gail Robarge, Ruth Robenolt, John Rogers, Marvin Rubin, Sara Russell, Sam Sasnett, Eric Schaaf, Jeanne Schulze, Suzanne Schwartz, James Seif, Michael Shapiro, Debra Shore, Gajindar Singh, Arthur Smith, Jr., William Spratlin, Leo Stander, David Stangel, Bob Stewart, Roger Strelow, Robert Sussman, Charles Sutfin, Joni Teter, Lee Thomas, Joseph Tieger, Joseph Tikvart, Nikki Tinsley, Richard Troast, Stephen Tuber, Linda Tuxen, David Ullrich, Georgia Valaoras, Robert Varney, Julie Vergeront, Winona Victery, Craig Vogt, Tom Wall, Steve Wassersug, Edward Watters, Susan Wayland, Robert Wayland, Bruce Weddle, Lydia Wegman, Kenneth Westlake, John Wheeler, John White, J. Kemper Will, Jim Willis, Michaelle Wilson, Sharon Wilson, Catherine Winer, John Wise, Eugene Wojcik, Gene Wossum, Susan Wyatt, Peter Wyckoff, Victor Yamada, Kenna Yarbrough, Dan Yurman, and Paula Zevin.

Stay Informed!

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 prefer to not receive these seasonal newsletters, please email us at EPAAlumni@aol.com rather than using the unsubscribe link below.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~