The NEBRA Board of Directors is responsible for NEBRA's general policies and fiscal health.  The Board hires and oversees NEBRA's Executive Director, provides guidance on NEBRA activities and priorities, and responds to the requests and needs of NEBRA Members.

The NEBRA Board meets the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 11:30 am EST. Use this link to join the Zoom meetings.

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING between NEBRA and the Mid-Atlantic Biosolids Association regarding Membership Pricing for Biosolids Related Training.

See heartfelt tribute to retiring NEBRA Executive Director, Ned Beecher, at the October 15, 2020, Membership Meeting: video or slide show.

(The year in parentheses, below, designates the year in which the Board member's term expires; terms end at the Annual Meeting in the fall.)

Charlie Alix (24)
P. E., Stantec
Burlington, MA
office: 978-577-1441

Charlie Alix is a professional engineer with over 30 years experience.  He has worked in both consulting and manufacturing.   He has spent the last 22 years working on biosolids, waste, and odor related projects.  Charlie’s biosolids experience includes: emerging technology review; master planning; facility development and design; and facility operations review, troubleshooting, and support.

Charlie is active in several professional organizations, including the Water Environment Federation, WEF Residuals and Biosolids Committee (RBC), Vice Chair of WEF Communications Subcommittee to RBC, New England Water Environment Association (NEWEA), Past Chair of NEWEA Residuals and Biosolids Committee, and Past Chair of NEBRA Research Committee.

Charlie has authored dozens of articles, presentations, and other publications, including: the "Composting" chapter in the USEPA/WEF/WERF manual Solids Process Design and Management (2011); the "Odor Control " chapter in the WEF MOP 8 (2010); the "Composting" subchapter in WEF MOP 8 (2010), and "Total Cost Accounting for Biosolids Management," WEF (2003).

Eryka Clive (26) — President Elect
Lead Dispatcher
Resource Management, Inc. (RMI)
Holderness, NH
office: (603) 536-8900

Eryka (Reid) Clive graduated from Plymouth State University with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science. While in college she spent two summers as an intern with NEIWPCC as their Youth and Environment Coordinator.  Since March 2016, Eryka has been working with Resource Management, Inc. (RMI) as a Project Assistant for their Compliance and Marketing departments and is currently the Lead Dispatcher for RMI’s fleet of tractor trailers.
 

Patrick Ellis (24)
Director of Organics
Casella Resource Solutions
Portsmouth, NH
office: 603-290-5819

Patrick Ellis has worked in world of Biosolids and Residuals since 1994. Originally hired to market Biosolids and residual derived Products, Patrick was responsible for driving value of these materials in central New England. Patrick moved on to lead Casella’s efforts to sell the services of the company to municipalities, and industrial producers of organic residuals. Patrick’s efforts expanded Casella’s foot print into New York, and allowed Casella to more than double the volume of material that they managed. Patrick now leads Casella Waste Systems biosolids business, overseeing the development of additional biosolids process capacity, and the efforts to provide service to additional customers.

Patrick thinks of himself as a true New Englander having been born in Massachusetts, raised in Connecticut, and now living in New Hampshire. He attended the University of Maine where he obtained a B.S. with a focus on Environment Sciences. He has been elected and previously served on the Portsmouth, NH School Board for 9 years, serving as Board Chair during his final two years.

Aaron Fox (24)
Operations Manager
Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility
Lowell, MA
office: 978-674-1604

Aaron Fox is the Operations Manager of the Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility, LRWWU. His career has been dedicated to public service and encompasses over 20 years of operational and management experience in the municipal wastewater field. This includes planning and supervisory work in wastewater utility collections, maintenance, operations, and engineering divisions. Aaron holds a MS in Civil Engineering from University of Massachusetts at Lowell. He is also a Licensed Grade 7-C Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator.

Mike Hodge (25)
Vice President — Organics & Product Marketing Synagro Technologies, Inc.
New Hampshire
work: 443-941-5435

Michael Hodge has been part of Synagro’s organics recycling team since 2021. Prior to that, he worked many years in various capacities for Casella’s Organics group and has dedicated his career to finding sustainable solutions for a variety of organic residuals.  Mike has gained a keen understanding of the operational challenges and rewards of providing services and solutions for organic “wastes”.  

Mike has a combination of personal interests in conservation, a comprehensive education, and an assortment of professional experiences.   He has his B.S in Natural Resource Management from Cornell University and has accumulated over 20 years of professional experience serving as a landscape foreman, a wildlife biologist with a national non-profit conservation organization, and with Casella’s organics team. 

Michael Lannan (25) -  Past President
P. E., President
Tech Environmental
Waltham, MA
office: 781-890-2220

Mike Lannan is a chemical engineer who specializes in air quality, odor control, noise, and dust mitigation. He worked for more than 10 years on air pollution and odor analysis and control projects for Camp, Dresser & McKee (CDM). He joined Tech Environmental in 2002 and became President in July 2015. He has provided solutions for facilities all over the United States, including piloting new air quality and odor control technologies, updating United States odor sampling standards, improving vendors’ “standard” products, providing nuisance litigation support, and executing over one hundred air pollution and odor control studies, designs, permit acquisitions, installations, start-ups, and system optimization studies. He has also completed projects to mitigate noise related issues and has helped clients distinguish between dust nuisances and health concerns.

Lise LeBlanc (26) — President
B.Sc., M.Sc., B.Ed., P.Ag., CNMP
Principal
LP Consulting
Mount Uniacke, NS
office:  902-256-2636

Lise LeBlanc is a Professional Agrologist who started her career with the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture. She stayed with Agriculture for 10 years, building her agricultural background before moving on to start her own company, LP Consulting. She has gone on to diversify and expand her expertise over the past 20 years by working with the agricultural, forestry, private and industrial sectors.

Lise has assisted in developing guidelines for Land Application of Biosolids and other non-agricultural organic waste (NAOW) with the Nova Scotia Departments of Agriculture and Environment. She has been providing science and technical knowledge for N-Viro Systems Canada in Ontario and Nova Scotia, including marketing publications and public education programs. And she has developed programs that incorporate manures, wood ash, paper mill sludge, biosolids, digestate, rendering plant effluents, and off-shore drilling wastes for land applications, soil blending, and land reclamation.

Tom Schwartz (25) - Past President
P. E., Project Manager
Woodard and Curran
Portland, ME
office:  207-774-2112
 

Tom Schwartz has, for many years, been a Project Manager specializing in wastewater and biosolids management projects. He has shared his expertise through numerous volunteer positions with the New England Water Environment Association - including serving as Chair of the Residuals Management Committee and Chair of the Energy Committee - and with the Maine Water Environment Association, as well as with NEBRA.

Arthur Simonian (24) - Treasurer
P. E., Executive Director
The Mattabassett District
Cromwell, CT
office: 860-635-5550

Mr. Simonian is a Registered Professional Engineer and has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He has been the Executive Director of The Mattabassett District since June 2015, where he directs and supervises the operation and maintenance the Mattabassett District trunk line sewer and right of way, outfall, the ash landfill and incidental facilities connected therewith; plans for short and long range needs of the District; recommends need for contractual services for Board approval; coordinates District projects and plans with outside consultants and public agencies; and prepares the annual budget and calculates user fees. From 2006-2015 he was Director of Public Works & Town Engineer for the Town of Berlin, CT and responsible for the Water Sewer Commission, Engineering, Highways, Facilities/Building Maintenance Departments with 39 personnel. From 2000-2006 he was Senior Project Manager for Diversified Technologies Consultants – overseeing the design and construction of two public school projects (26 million dollars and 60 million dollars) and two design/build dormitory projects (50 million dollars combined) overseeing Civil, Environmental, Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing design groups. Arthur’s awards and achievements include: Editing Board of a Public Works Journal; Implemented LEED and Clean Energy Resolutions for the Town; Member of ASCE, America Public Works Association; Lincoln Arc Welding Award for Parking Garage Design; ACEC Engineering Excellence Award on behalf of the Mattabassett District for the WPCF Upgrade; and AGC Build CT 2016 Award for Construction Manager/General Contractor Large Renovation for Facility Upgrade.

Philip Tucker (26) - Vice President
Superintendent
York Sewer District
York, ME
office: 207-363-4232

Phil Tucker started his career in 1998 at the Bar Harbor Wastewater Treatment Department during which time he acquired his Grade 4 Wastewater Operators License, a Grade 4 Collections certificate, and a Grade 1 laboratory analyst certificate. In 2009, he took a position at the Waste Management Leachate Facility in Rochester, New Hampshire, where he upgraded to a Grade 2 lab analyst. In 2013, he took a position at Sanford Sewerage District as the Collections System Foreman and earned his Grade 5 Wastewater Operators License for the State of Maine. In 2017, he became Assistant Superintendent at the York Sewer District and has since been promoted to Superintendent. Phil is very active with the Maine Water Environment Association, serving as President in 2021, and also serves on the Executive Committee of the New England Water Environment Association.

Staff

Janine Burke-Wells, Executive Director

Janine became Executive Director in May of 2019. She is responsible for achieving NEBRA’s vision and implementing its strategic plan through work with the Board of Directors and the various committees. She has twenty years’ experience in wastewater operations and also worked for the U.S. EPA for a decade. Janine has an MPA from Northeastern University and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island.