Members of the North East Biosolids & Residuals Association gathered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire (and some online) for NEBRA’s 26th annual membership meeting on November 1st, before the start of the 2023 Northeast Residuals & Biosolids Conference. NEBRA members gathered for lunch to hear from officers and committee leaders about what NEBRA’s been up to the last year. There was also significant discussion about NEBRA’s future with the new 5-year strategic plan and bylaws changes. There were 29 NEBRA member organizations represented at the meeting (13 required – or 10% of member organizations – for a quorum).       

New Board members and officers were also elected, and NEBRA welcomed its first Canadian President, Lise LeBlanc of LP Consulting! (Full details of election below.)

Deborah Mahoney of Brown & Caldwell, who has been serving as NEBRA President for the last two years, led the membership meeting. She began by reviewing the Board’s work on NEBRA’s new 5-Year Strategic Plan. Members can access all meeting materials and presentations on the member-only website: NEBRA — Secure (nebiosolids.org).  For the next 5 years, the NEBRA Board intends to focus on five Key Strategic Priorities:

1.     Organization Management

2.     Finances

3.     Membership

4.     Advocacy

5.     Branding

Deb reviewed each of the priorities and associated activities. The Board has developed an implementation plan with tasks and timelines for accomplishing the goals set forth in the plan. Other detailed reports included a review of 2023 activities by Executive Director Janine Burke-Wells and an update on budget and finances by Treasurer Art Simonian.

All of the Committees reported out on their activities in 2023 and plans for 2024. Committees looking for members and new leaders include the Membership Committee, the Research Committee, the Residuals Committee, and the Carbon & Nutrient Trading Committee.

Most significantly, the Bylaws Ad hoc Committee (Chaired by Past NEBRA President Mike Lannan) presented the results of significant work done over the past year to update NEBRA’s enabling legislation. The last time the Bylaws were updated was in 2007 and the proposed revisions were major, including:

1.     Removing proscriptive language, moving it to the new Organizational Manual being developed.

2.     Adding NEBRA’s new mission developed during the Board’s Strategic Planning process: To cooperatively promote sustainable diversion, recycling and beneficial use of biosolids and residuals from the municipal and industrial sectors.

3.     Limits voting members to ten individuals from any one company/organization.

4.     Institutes terms limits for the Board of Directors

5.     Restructures the officers for better succession process, adding a President-Elect position and providing for automatic advancement in officer positions from Vice President to President-Elect to President.

Election of Board Members and Officers

There were four open Board positions this year. Lise LeBlanc of LP Consulting and Eryka (Reid) Clive of Resource Management, Inc. were reelected, each for another three-year term. Scott Firmin of the Portland Water District and Philip Tucker of the York Sewer District were elected for the first time and immediately begin their 3-year terms on the NEBRA Board of Directors. For officers, the membership elected the following slate as recommended by the Nominating Committee, Chair Tom Schwartz:

President & Chair of the Board: Lise LeBlanc (LP Consulting)

President-Elect: Eryka Clive (Resource Management, Inc.)

Vice President: Phillip Tucker (York Sewer District)

Treasurer: Art Simonian (The Mattabasett District)           

Secretary:  Laura Marcolini (Fuss & O’Neill)

The first Canadian NEBRA President, Lise LeBlanc, pledged to follow through with the Strategic Plan implementation started by her predecessor. She was especially excited about a new focus on non-biosolids residuals recycling.