Senior Personnel









 

Valerie Ann Lee, President

Ms. Valerie Lee, the President and founder of Environment International Ltd., has more than 20 years of combined experience as an environmental mediator, attorney, and engineer. Recognized for her outstanding expertise, she has conducted training internationally educating judges, lawyers, and environmental scientists regarding the development of environmental statutes and regulations, alternative dispute resolution techniques, strategic enforcement schemes, and institutions to protect and manage the environment under sustainability strategies. Ms. Lee's strong science and engineering background gives her a capability exceptional among lawyers to deal with environmental issues and problems. Ms. Lee received an undergraduate degree magna cum laude in biology from Bates College, a masters in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1976 and her J.D. from the Yale Law School in 1984. Ms. Lee has a broad range of interdisciplinary professional experience in the environmental arena.

Ms. Lee has managed and facilitated teams of experts from diverse disciplines to determine the extent of environmental injury from pollution and to develop innovative plans to restore injured ecosystems. She also supervised scientific teams investigating the scientific basis for liability and cost allocation at Superfund sites. She has studied the effects of air pollution on terrestrial ecosystems and the effects of water pollution on biodiversity. Ms. Lee has participated in the development of air quality regulations. She has provided scientific/legal analyses to members of the U.S. Congress regarding the implications of proposed environmental protection statutes. Ms. Lee has drafted water quality legislation adopted at the state level. She has presented testimony before state congressional committees and federal environmental regulatory bodies. She has analyzed local land use laws for their environmental implications.

Ms. Lee has ten years of experience as an environmental litigator representing both public and private clients. For over six years she was a trial attorney for the Environmental Enforcement Section of the U.S. Department of Justice and litigated a variety of environmental cases involving air, water, hazardous waste, and natural resource damages obtaining over $35 million in judgments and settlements. She also facilitated the development of innovative interagency cooperative agreements to resolve complex environmental problems. *top

P.J. Bridgen, CEO/Senior Scientist/ISO 14001 Lead Auditor

Dr. Bridgen is one of the country's most experienced experts in environmental management system (EMS) development and implementation, training and environmental compliance auditing. She is an extremely experienced program manager who has spent many years coordinating large, complex multi-task consulting projects. Dr. Bridgen received a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Leicester, England followed by postdoctoral fellowships at Cambridge University, England and the National Institute of Health, Maryland, working under a Nobel Laureate. After receiving an M.B.A. with Distinction from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Bridgen spent 12 years with ICF Kaiser International, becoming a vice-president and Seattle regional manager. She managed interdisciplinary teams of scientists and engineers and conducted numerous projects including complex contracts for government agencies with focus on environmental management.

Dr. Bridgen's EMS advice is particularly practical and cogent as a result of more than 20 years of experience in environmental consulting providing senior level advice to clients in the areas of risk assessment, pollution prevention, hazardous waste management and environmental management. Dr. Bridgen's strong business management training from the Wharton School and her years of experience in project and organizational management allow her to help managers chart a course that achieves environmental goals while meeting practical business objectives. Dr. Bridgen takes her place among a select group of experts as a Registrar Accreditation Board (RAB) Certified ISO 14001 Lead Auditor; she was one of the first people to become certified in the United States. In mid-1997, she completed the Lead Auditor certification requirements: at least 50 days of ISO 14001 audits at a dozen different facilities and completion of the RAB accredited training course. Dr. Bridgen has continued to work actively with clients on EMS development, implementation and training to all levels within the organization and has worked with a range of clients across business sectors. She has provided training on EMS implementation in the U.S., Latin America and Asia. Dr. Bridgen has authored numerous papers on EMSs including the lead chapter for the book Moving Ahead with ISO 14000, and a chapter for the book ISO 14001: Case Studies and Practical Experiences.

In addition to her credentials and experience working with industry, Dr. Bridgen has exceptional credibility with federal and state regulators and tribes. She was the Lead Scientist conducting an EMS study on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 10 that investigated key steps that led to the development of an effective EMS in a variety of industries. She has developed and conducted EMS general awareness and auditor training for EPA's managers and auditors around the U.S. Dr. Bridgen assisted the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality in developing environmental performance indicators and provided advice to the Kalispel Tribe on development of an ISO 14001-conforming EMS. In recognition of her expertise in environmental management nationally, Dr. Bridgen was appointed by the Administrator of EPA to the National Advisory Council on Environmental Policy and Technology to serve on the Technology and Innovation Committee and was appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to the National Biotechnology Policy Board to advise the President and Congress on issues relating to biotechnology and the environment. As Executive Director of a trade organization, Dr. Bridgen testified before Congress on environmental issues and provided liaison with the press, Congress and the White House. *top

Rob Frazier, P.E., Principal and COO

Mr. Frazier has more than 32 years of professional experience with the government and industry, which includes a successful 27-year career in the U.S. Navy. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and the Naval Postgraduate School with honors in Mechanical Engineering, he has worked extensively in acquisition management, engineering design, military construction, environmental management, disaster preparedness, emergency response and information technology.

He started his Navy career as an enlisted Air Traffic Controller during the Viet Nam War. Following duty on the Navy Command Staff for Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Mr. Frazier completed his career as the Navy’s Assistant Chief of Staff for Regional Environmental Coordination for the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. In this position, he was responsible for planning, development, and management of a broad spectrum of environmental and disaster preparedness programs, regulatory and legislative liaison, inter-governmental coordination with Native American tribes, coordination of environmental public affairs, and promotion of a proactive community relations program. These programs ranged across all environmental media and laws, from natural resources and compliance, to pollution prevention and emergency response. He was a co-author for the Navy Environmental and Natural Resources Program (OPNAVINST 5090.1B) and worked closely with the Navy Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest on the Navy’s Environmental Restoration Program. He was named as the Navy's Environmental Engineer of the Year for 1994 and was nominated for the equivalent DoD award.

Mr. Frazier has worked in the A/E/C consulting industry for the past 11 years as a Senior Program and Task Order Manager, managing programs, contracts and projects ranging from $10,000 to $7 million in size. He has extensive experience in planning, developing, and managing a broad spectrum of environmental programs and HTRW activities including contract management, quality management and safety. He has broad knowledge of and has implemented NEPA, CERCLA, RCRA, TSCA, SWDA, CAA, CWA, OPA, and the NCP. He has worked closely with the military services on joint environmental issues such as NEPA, EPA Munitions Rule, NRDA, range and natural resources management, ODS elimination, and oil spill prevention and response under OPA 90. Mr. Frazier has been responsible for providing direction, overseeing performance, and allocating resources for three Corps HTRW contracts, three Navy IDIQ contracts, three USCG IDIQ contracts, and one National Guard Contract, with projects located throughout the U.S. and Japan. *top

Helene Kornblatt, M.A., Architecture/Urban Planning, Principal

Ms. Helene Kornblatt has over 20 years of distinguished and wide-ranging public and private sector experience managing environmental compliance, planning and permitting for large scale public transportation and private development projects. Her areas of expertise include Project Management, Environmental Planning/Sustainable Project Implementation, Transit and Transportation Projects, Transit Joint Development/Transit Oriented Development, Project Permitting for all types of Public and Private Projects, and NEPA/State Compliance for Rail and other Complex Projects. Ms. Kornblatt’s proven ability to expedite large complex projects through a maze of challenging government requirements on the most demanding schedules is the driver behind her success in consistently delivering quality results on high profile public and private projects.

An effective strategist with extensive management experience, Ms. Kornblatt is recognized for attracting and motivating talented, top-performing technical teams whose performance exceeds expectations. She has provided strategy, oversight, team direction and technical quality control on range of significant projects. In each endeavor Ms. Kornblatt has merged client goals with environmental and community needs with great success. Ms. Kornblatt has served as principal-in-charge and project manager for numerous NEPA/State EISs and successful permitting efforts addressing environmental, land use and economic impacts of transit and transportation facilities and corridors, major sports facilities, brownfield redevelopments, and mixed use projects. Projects have included the Seattle Monorail Project (SMP Greenline), the King County Metro Transit Base Expansion Project, Washington State Major League Baseball Stadium Project, the Puget Sound Regional Council’s Metro Transportation Plan 2030 Update, Sound Transit “Sounder” Everett-Seattle Commuter Rail project, ,extensive work on San Diego’s trolley system, North County San Diego’s Coaster and Sprinter commuter rail lines, a Transit Oriented development strategy for Honolulu, an alternatives analysis for a major biotechnology mixed use community near SeaTac airport, and many other high profile public transportation and private sector projects.

Ms. Kornblatt received a Masters in Architecture/Urban Planning from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with Environmental Management Specialty and a Liberal Arts degree from University of Pennsylvania. *top

John W. Burke, Director, East Coast Operations

Mr. Burke has more than 25 years of experience as a negotiator and attorney with the Department of Interior's Solicitor’s Office. He has distinguished himself as an outstanding facilitator of partnering agreements between business and government with a track record of success. He has managed the partnering process for scores of large-scale partnering agreements. He has facilitated and negotiated environmental and land use projects among members of congress, federal departments and bureaus, senior officials in the California governor's US office and departments and senior-level business and industry leaders. He was appointed by the Governor of California to the Sierra Summit Task Force. The Task Force’s mission was to open a dialogue between senior government officials and business and industry leaders in order to achieve a healthy, sustainable environment in Sierra Nevada while also supporting the goals of the participating representatives of the recreational, timber, and mining industries, as well as water purveyors and manufacturing.

Mr. Burke has extensive experience supervising legal projects. He was appointed by the Secretary of Interior as a Regional Solicitor for the Pacific Southwest Region where he coordinated and oversaw the legal activities of the Department of Interior for California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii and the Trust Territories. Mr. Burke has drafted legislation adopted by Congress providing positive outcomes for stakeholders in the environment. He was a litigator who negotiated effective resolutions for conflicts on behalf of the Department of the Interior for 15 years. In this capacity, he has appeared in court and negotiated small disputes to those involving hundreds of millions of dollars affecting major segments of natural resources in the Pacific Northwest and California. *top

Jean H. Lee, P.E., Senior Chemical Engineer

Ms. Lee is a Professional Engineer with over ten years of experience in the environmental industry. Her areas of expertise include environmental management, environmental planning and remediation. Ms. Lee received a masters degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Washington and a bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her strong technical knowledge of chemistry, chemical processes and environmental processes gives Ms. Lee an integrated approach to understanding and resolving environmental issues. Ms. Lee focuses on understanding processes (industrial or environmental), essential knowledge for ISO 14001-based environmental management systems (EMSs), pollution prevention (P2) planning, oil and hazardous substance spill prevention planning, and designing and troubleshooting remediation systems. She has assisted large military organizations with environmental compliance and management initiatives. Her experience also includes handling projects involving Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, air emissions, hazardous waste designation, wastewater discharge and stormwater pollution prevention issues.

Ms. Lee has applied her technical expertise toward remediating contaminated sites. She has conducted remedial investigation and feasibility studies under federal and state authority. She has conducted many site assessments and used her technical engineering expertise in designing, troubleshooting, and optimizing remediation systems. She has conducted several biotreatability studies, including her masters research in the biodegradation of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in marine sediments. As a technical manager, she has prepared work plans including sampling and analysis plans, quality assurance project plans, health and safety plans, and contingency plans. She has coordinated large sampling efforts in remote locations and abroad. She has conducted risk analyses and calculated risk-based screening levels to gather more information for selecting a remedial remedy. Her expertise also includes evaluating information for litigation including studying the dispersion of lead from a refinery to determine health risks and researching wastewater disposal policies and their effect on concentrating dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) into marine sediments. She has been instrumental in summarizing and condensing large amounts of information and presenting it clearly. *top

Aron Borok, M.P.A. Environmental Policy and Natural Resource Management, Senior Associate

Mr. Aron Borok, manager of EI’s Portland office, has more than five years of experience in facilitation, community outreach, brownfields redevelopment, environmental economics and environmental policy. With a masters in environmental policy and natural resources management from Indiana University and a bachelors in environmental engineering from Northwestern University, Mr. Borok has extensive knowledge of federal and state environmental regulations as well as the science behind the law, which gives him an excellent capability to work effectively with environmental regulators and scientists alike. He has facilitated planning and outreach processes to inform and involve communities in environmental issues ranging from cleanup of a RCRA hazardous waste site to flood risk management. Mr. Borok has assisted local governments with the community outreach and redevelopment aspects of Brownfields projects including leading public meetings and preparing redevelopment and greenspace plans to leverage opportunities for sustainable economic revitalization at underutilized sites. He has developed and implemented public outreach programs on a variety of issues including cleanup of contaminated sites, flood risk management and natural resource restoration. As part of his work in public outreach, Mr. Borok has developed detailed and informative web pages designed to communicate effectively with stakeholders.

Mr. Borok has a strong background in both technical and policy aspects related to the environmental field. He has expertise in environmental economics and has assisted with valuations of natural resource injuries at contaminated sites. Mr. Borok has developed estimates of natural resource damages employing travel-cost method, contingent valuation and habitat equivalency analysis. He has contributed to The Natural Resource Damage Assessment Handbook: A Legal and Technical Analysis published by the Environmental Law Institute, the only treatise on natural resource damage assessment. Mr. Borok also has provided training on the full array of economic techniques used to value natural resource damages.

Mr. Borok has significant experience working abroad on environmental issues, particularly those related to conservation of biodiversity and water scarcity. With written and spoken fluency in Russian, he has studied and worked on biodiversity issues in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, and in several areas in the United States. Mr. Borok is familiar with the challenges confronting countries attempting to balance environmental stewardship while undergoing transformation to a market economy. As a part of his work, he has given advice on the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and National Environmental Action Plans in Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus. *top

Gordon Swartzman, Senior Scientist, Ecosystem Management

Dr. Swartzman is one of the leading experts in natural resource management, spatial statistics and ecological simulation modeling. Since receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1969, Dr. Swartzman has conducted research on a great variety of ecosystems throughout the northern and southern hemispheres, from arctic to tropical environments. He has consulted on environmental matters in numerous countries including Nigeria, Mexico, India, South Africa, Australia, Norway, England, France and Spain. Ecosystems that Dr. Swartzman has studied span oceans, lakes, rivers, forests, grasslands, high mountain areas, and the tundra. Working with scientists from the United States and around the world, Dr. Swartzman has developed population simulation models for a great variety of species including phytoplankton, whales, seals, lemmings, marine and terrestrial birds, and fish. Dr. Swartzman has provided advice to governments throughout the world and international commissions regarding resource management and ecosystem health. He has been an expert witness and consultant to federal and state governments in the United States regarding injuries to the environment in the aftermath of oil and hazardous waste spills and the restoration of the environment to health. Among other things, he has worked actively with government scientists and managers to develop tools for better surveying and managing marine fisheries, to assess the health of bird populations, to manage game, and to review whaling restrictions. Dr. Swartzman is a leading expert in the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and computer programming with environmental applications to display and study spatial environmental and ecological data, an underpinning of effective resource and ecosystem management. He has been a leader in developing user-friendly GIS management tools.

Dr. Swartzman is a prolific author of thoughtful scientific publications. He has published over 60 articles in the peer reviewed literature and is an author of a textbook on ecological simulation models. Dr. Swartzman is conversant in French and German. *top

Harry Carter, Senior Scientist, Wildlife Sciences

Mr. Carter is a well-regarded expert in natural resource and biodiversity protection and management. His broad experience ranges from precise biological investigation to assisting in the development of policies and regulations to ensure biodiversity protection within sustainable development strategies. He has assessed population status/conservation problems and developed protection plans for endangered species and threatened ecosystems including coastal, marine, estuarine, island, old growth forest and desert. He has studied birds and other vertebrates throughout the world including Ecuador, Mexico, Japan, Canada and the United States. He is one of the world's few experts on several highly endangered species of seabirds commonly called "murrelets" which occur in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Japan, China and Russia. Mr. Carter has developed and conducted monitoring programs for entire seabird communities that span the full west coast of North America from Mexico to Canada. Mr. Carter has developed protocols for study of endangered species of birds and also has developed plans to restore them to healthy levels.

Mr. Carter has worked extensively with federal and local governments in the U.S. and Canada as well as with conservation, industry and research groups. He has been instrumental in the development of environmental regulations to minimize the harmful environmental impacts of the commercial fishing industry. Mr. Carter also is one of the few experts in the world on the determination of injuries to natural resources in the aftermath of oil and hazardous waste spills. He has contributed greatly to the science of restoration of populations following assaults by pollution and logging. Mr. Carter has been an expert witness in several key environmental cases in the United States and provided many expert reports as well as deposition and trial testimony. Through multidisciplinary teamwork, he has gained valuable perspective on regional and international frameworks for conservation issues and their resolution through fair planning and management that recognizes the need for sustainable development.

Mr. Carter has published extensively in the scientific peer reviewed literature. He has over 40 publications to his name. *top

A.J. Van Wallendael, Environmental Auditor

Ms. Van Wallendael has over 15 years of experience in the environmental compliance field. She has conducted site assessments as well as designed, implemented and monitored self-sustaining and cost-effective integrated EHS management programs for industry. She has led audits for environmental quality assessment reviews to determine compliance with environmental requirements as well as identify environmental risks associated with facilities. She also assists companies design and implement environmental management systems (EMSs). Her professional experience includes four years as the plant manager of a hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal (TSD) facility for a major hazardous waste management company. Her responsibilities as a plant manager included oversight of day-to-day operations, the development of quarterly, annual and projected five-year budgets, and the implementation of the corporate safety and health and hazardous waste training programs. She organized and often conducted weekly safety training sessions and monthly hazardous waste training sessions. She has served as project manager for a major hazardous waste management company focusing on Part B permit applications preparation and agency negotiations for proposed and existing interim status hazardous waste management facilities. She has been manager of numerous projects regarding implementation of corporate environmental audit programs and has developed and prepared pollution prevention plans for public and private sector including the pulp and paper industry. She also has provided project/contract management for TSCA/RCRA waste removal projects in Washington and California for the US Navy and other clients. In addition to her compliance expertise, Ms. Van Wallendael assists both private and public entities in developing ISO 14001-based EMSs. Ms. Van Wallendael is an ISO 14001 Lead Auditor certified by the Registrar Accreditation Board (RAB), the sole certifying organization in the United States that works in conjunction with the International Organization for Standardization. *top

Hovah Freeman, Mediator

Mr. Hovah Freeman, a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, has more than 25 years of experience in environmental law, mediation and business development and management. A member of the California Bar, Mr. Freeman has represented a wide variety of clients including government agencies, industry and Indian Nations. He has provided advice to clients both as an outside corporate counsel and an in-house general counsel. In addition, he has more than ten years of experience as a trial attorney representing a wide variety of clients in commercial and environmental litigation under a variety of state and federal environmental laws including CERCLA and RCRA. As a result of his experience, he has an outstanding grasp of environmental law, Indian law, and water law and the practical aspects of solid and hazardous waste cleanups. Mr. Freeman also is an experienced and effective negotiator and consensus builder. He has an understanding and appreciation of the various cultures within organizations and groups helpful for bringing parties to consensus.

Mr. Freeman has facilitated/mediated disputes on reservations as well as resolved multi-party disputes involving natural resource issues. After 10 years of conflict over jurisdiction authority and environmental penalty assessments, he brought a group of attorneys and experts to agreement regarding a scheme for cleanup standards and penalty assessments. He was instrumental in the creation of a tripartite agreement among EPA, BIA and an Indian Nation memorializing this consensus. He also has facilitated discussions involving oil companies, the Cherokee Nation and federal and state agencies regarding pollution affecting the water supply of the Nation. The group reached agreement that paved the way for remediation of numerous sites that were the source of the contamination. Mr. Freeman has facilitated the resolution of disputes and the creation of partnerships among business representatives, Indian Tribes and federal and state agencies involving development considered beneficial to all parties. Mr. Freeman has been involved in natural resource damage assessments for Native American reservations and also has represented non-Native American companies in environmental compliance matters on reservation. *top

 

 

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