Monday, March 14, 2022 | 8:30 am – 10:00 am
Opening Plenary
Louis A. Martin-Vega, Ph.D., Dean of Engineering, North Carolina State University
Dr. Louis A. Martin-Vega is the dean of engineering at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. With more than 10,000 students, 750 faculty and staff members and more than $200M in annual research expenditures, NC State’s College of Engineering is internationally recognized for the excellence of its research, education and outreach programs. It also has the distinction of being one of only two colleges of engineering to concurrently lead two National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Centers (ERC) — the ASSIST Center and FREEDM Systems Center — and is regularly ranked among the “top 10” colleges of engineering nationwide in annual research expenditures. Martin-Vega came to NC State in 2006 after spending five years as dean of engineering at the University of South Florida. He has also held several prestigious positions at NSF, including acting head of its Engineering Directorate and director of NSF’s Division of Design, Manufacture and Industrial Innovation. Additionally, he has served as chairman of the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering at Lehigh University and Lockheed Professor in the College of Engineering at Florida Institute of Technology. He has also held tenured faculty positions at the University of Florida and the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. He is the author or co-author of more than 100 journal articles, book chapters and other publications and has made more than 200 keynote and related presentations at national and international forums.
Julia Olson-Boseman, Chair, New Hanover County Board of Commissioners
Commissioner Julia Olson-Boseman was born and raised in New Hanover County. She graduated from the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a Bachelor of Science in Finance, and later obtained a law degree from North Carolina Central University. Julia and her wife, Angie Olson-Boseman, have two sons that are students in the New Hanover County public schools. When not in school and work, the family can often be found enjoying time on the water. Julia was first elected to the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners in 2000 and served for four years. In 2004, she was elected to the North Carolina Senate, earning recognition for effectiveness by the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research as the highest ranking first-time female senator and the second highest ever for a freshman senator. She served three terms in the N.C. Senate. In addition to her public service, Julia is a practicing attorney with The Boseman Law Group, PLLC in downtown Wilmington.
William "Bill" Hunt, Ph.D., William Neal Reynolds Distinguished University Professor & Extension Specialist
Dr. William Hunt is a William Neal Reynolds Distinguished University Professor & Extension Specialist in North Carolina State University's Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. Hunt holds degrees in Civil Engineering (NCSU, B.S., 1994), Economics (NCSU, B.S., 1995), Biological & Agricultural Engineering (NSU, M.S. 1997), and Agricultural & Biological Engineering, (Penn State, Ph.D., 2003). Since 2000, hunt has assisted with the design, installation, and/or monitoring of over 150 stormwater control measures (SCMs), including bioretention, stormwater wetlands, innovative wet ponds, green roofs, permeable pavement, water harvesting/cistern systems and level spreaders. He teaches 20-25 short courses and workshops each year on stormwater design, function, and maintenance throughout North Carolina and the United States. Hunt is an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), where serves on the Urban Water Resources Research Council, the LID committee, and is co-chair of the Bioretention Task Committee. He was chair of the 2nd National LID Conference held in Wilmington, NC in March 2007 and co-chaired the same conference in Philadelphia in September 2011.
Tuesday, March 15, 2022 | 8:30 am – 10:00 am
Tuesday Plenary
Fred Royal, Stormwater and Streets Management Division Manager, Public Services Department for the City of Wilmington, NC
Mr. Royal is the Stormwater and Streets Management Division Manager, Public Services Department for the City of Wilmington, NC. He has twenty-eight years of experience in progressive water resources engineering with a focus on stormwater management, watershed studies and floodplain management. As the Division Manager, he is engaged in the daily operational and administrative elements of the Division, including maintenance and rehabilitation of public infra-structure and managing Capital Improvement Projects.
Mr. Royal’s primary interest has been in developing programs to address the multiple challenges of flooding, water quality, ecosystem uplift and public health and safety. He has developed and administered local government stormwater management programs and public enterprise utilities, written ordinances and policy and has participated in regional water resources planning, including the Jordan Lake Nutrient Management Strategy and the Jordan Lake Partnership for regional water supply planning and allocation and participated in the NC Low Impact Development Steering Committee to develop a technical LID Guidance Document. He continues to partner with NC State University and UNC-Wilmington in stormwater SCM design, research, and SCM retrofits.
Todd Miller, Founder and Executive Director, North Carolina Coastal Federation
Todd Miller is the founder and executive director of the North Carolina Coastal Federation, a nonprofit with over 16,000 supporters working for a healthier North Carolina coast. Todd is a distinguished alumni of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from which he holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in City and Regional Planning.
Round Table Panel Discussion: The Practitioners Speak!
Edward Coleman, Vice President & Commercial Stormwater Manager, Apex
Edward began his career in stormwater in 2007, serving as General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer for Retention Pond Services (RPS), which was acquired by Apex in 2019. As Apex’s Vice President & Commercial Stormwater Manager, he oversees a broad range of technical capabilities including inspection, repair, emergency response, and regulatory compliance. Edward’s technical acumen, client engagement skills, and leadership capabilities are invaluable in leading a large team of stormwater experts, field technicians, estimators, and project/client managers. In addition to 15 years of practicing environmental law and construction law, he is a licensed general contractor in multiple states and holds a national NASCLA contractor’s certification. He is a graduate of the Fogelman School of Business and Economics at the University of Memphis as well as the University of Memphis School of Law. Away from the office Edward enjoys spending time with his family, being on the water, and attending sporting events.
Scott Hershberger, Owner, Emerald Environmental
Scott Hershberger is an Owner at Emerald Environmental based in Kent, Ohio. He has over 30 years of professional experience with inspection, maintenance, repair, and construction of all types of manmade and natural stormwater systems; RCRA closure and compliance; and environmental site assessments to name a few. He also possesses extensive experience in underground storage tank management, as well as manages corporate waste management services. Scott received a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Kent State University.
Tom Pullaro, Vice President of Sales, Dragonfly Pond Works
Tom Pullaro is Vice President of Sales at Dragonfly Pond Works. Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, Dragonfly is an environmental service company specializing in stormwater management, including pond and lake maintenance. With branches in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, the company services the eastern tier of states and beyond. Pullaro has dedicated much of his career to helping clients navigate the stormwater compliance process, and through his 13+ years with the company, he has gained an exceptional breadth of knowledge and experience in the stormwater space.
Pullaro has worked in stormwater since 2001. Prior to joining Dragonfly, he worked with NOAA’s Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research in Charleston, South Carolina (2001-2008), where his team studied coastal stormwater ponds and their impact on estuarine water quality. Pullaro traces his love of all things aquatic to his childhood in St. Louis, Missouri, where he spent countless hours exploring and paddling the waterways of southern Missouri. He holds a B.S. in biology from the University of Missouri, and a M.S. in environmental studies from The College of Charleston.
Steve Polk, Founder and Managing Principal, Stormwater STL
After more than three decades of helping customers resolve zoning, site engineering and permitting challenges, Steve Polk elected to redirect his engineering business to the implementation of the NPDES Phase II regulations. Since that decision in 2008, he has focused his practice on the engineering, construction, inspection, testing and maintenance of stormwater management facilities. Stormwater STL now regularly inspects more than 200 projects several times each year, which provides well over 2000 BMP touchpoints annually and offers opportunities to see the components of stormwater quality systems in action.
Jeff Urban, Vice President, Enterprise Account Management, Aqualis
Jeff Urban is based out of Prior Lake, Minnesota, United States and works at Aqualis as Vice President, Enterprise Account Management.
Wednesday, March 16, 2022 | 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Recent Lessons Learned in Maintaining Urban Stormwater and Restoration Practices in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Communities have installed hundreds of thousands of stormwater practices for about four decades in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, but are not very adept about maintaining them over time to maintain their performance. Advanced age, extreme rainfall, practice warming and pollutant accumulation are all projected to further degrade the function of our legacy BMPs in the decades to come. Tom will offer some hard-won observations from the Chesapeake on what has worked (and not worked) to sustain the function of our inventory of stormwater and restoration practices, Tom will also facilitate a conservation with the audience about what sharp pivots need to be made in our profession based on what we all learned this week.
Tom Schueler, Director, Chesapeake Stormwater Network
Tom has more than 30 years experience in practical aspects of stormwater practices to protect and restore urban watersheds. He currently directs the Chesapeake Stormwater Network, a non-profit organization devoted to implementation of more sustainable stormwater practices across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Tom directs the Chesapeake Bay Stormwater Training Partnership, which provides webcasts, workshops and on-line training modules to train engineers on new practices. Tom also is active in promoting better stormwater regulations and permits in communities across the Bay. Tom founded the Center for Watershed Protection in 1992, and loves stream-walks, good scotch, and bad dogs.