2008 Officers and Board of Directors

President: Katie Thompson, Pace Analytical Services, Inc.

Katie Thompson has been the RMAEP President since 2004, and a member since 2001.  She has a BS in Chemical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and worked as an Environmental Consultant for TRC and ERM before accepting a position in 2006 as the Rocky Mountain Account Executive for Pace Analytical.  She is also working on her MBA through CU Denver. 

Vice President: Rachel Peterson, A.G. Wassenaar, Inc

Treasurer: Deborah Ferraro, A Creative Environment

Deborah Ferraro is owner of A Creative Environment (ACE). ACE is an environmental consulting firm that focuses primarily on environmental compliance and environmental stewardship services. Deborah specializes in the development and implementation of Environmental Management Systems (EMSs) and other company-wide environmental programs developed around compliance and stewardship or greening goals. Deborah has 9 years of environmental experience and has performed hundreds of environmental compliance audits and EMS audits. Deborah has consulted in the construction materials industry, mining industry, restaurant industry, and transportation industry and has worked in both the public and private sectors.

Secretary: Amy Hobbs, Allied Waste Landfill Division

Amy Hobbs has been in the Environmental Industry since 1994 when she graduated from Rutgers University in her home state of NJ.   Her first employer was an environmental testing laboratory that focused on bioassay and bioaccumulation studies involving dredge sediments from New York Harbor, as well as routine WET testing associated with NPDES clients, benthic taxonomic verification, and extensive field sampling.  After moving to Colorado in the summer of 1999, she has worked primarily in sales for Environmental Testing Laboratories, including Pace Analytical Laboratories, Reservoirs Environmental Labs, and Environmental Science Corporation. 

She is currently employed as a Major Account Executive for Allied Waste Landfill Division, focusing on helping customers profile special waste into Tower and Foothills Landfills. 

In her free time, Amy raises and shows her Russian Wolfhounds, enjoys gardening, backpacking with her husband and dogs, photography, and is going to try her hand at beekeeping this summer!

NAEP Chapter Representative: F. Yates Oppermann, CDOT

F. Yates Oppermann is an Environmental planner with the Colorado Department of Transportation where he provides statewide expertise in NEPA, Section 4(f), environmental policies and procedures, Context Sensitive Solutions, Community Impact Assessments, and public participation among other job duties including developing and delivering a variety of training activities including the annual CDOT Winter Environmental Conference.

Yates has been a member of RMAEP for 4 years.  He has been acting as a board member for the last several years, and as liaison between RMAEP and NAEP.  As a member of NAEP he has co-chaired the transportation track for the annual conference for the last several years and is an active member of the Transportation Working Group.

Yates has a BA in Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a J.D. and Masters of Studies in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School.  He is a member of the Colorado Bar Association (yes, a lawyer) and the Denver Bar Association. 

Director and Past President: Chuck Attardo, CDOT

Chuck has 17 years of public and private sector experience preparing environmental studies and managing NEPA process. Chuck prepares and coordinates the natural, cultural, and physical sections of several National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) studies. He has NEPA experience in Wyoming, Florida, Nevada, and Colorado. Chuck specializes in traffic noise studies (STAMINA 2.0 and TNM 2.5 models), air quality analysis (CAL3QHC model), wetland delineation (USACE 1987 Manual/WET II Functional Assessments), and threatened and endangered species (T&E) surveys and documentation (Section 7 ESA).

Chuck works closely with cultural resource specialists to document properties protected under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, and completes the necessary documentation on properties protected under Section 4(f) of the DOT Act. His responsibilities include management and participation in environmental impact statements (EIS), environmental assessments (EA), and categorical exclusions (CE), training for wetland delineations and NEPA documentation, and supervising field research for environmental
scientists.

Director: David Gaige

David has been an active member, both locally and nationally, of Air & Waste Management for over
30 years, holding officer positions and Board positions within that organization.  He was introduced to RMAEP thought AWMA participation in EnviroFest.  He has been a member of RMAEP (on and off) for over 10 years. 

David has a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering from CSU, and has worked as a consulting engineer for over 30 years.  His role has been to evaluate and reduce the potential environmental impacts of proposed projects and to prepare applications for environmental permits
and approvals.  He has recently been involved as an expert witness in several legal challenges to proposed coal fired generation projects. 

This is a tough time to keep professional organizations viable and as a Board Member, David would seek to provide support and assistance to the officers and committees of the organization, and work toward continuing and improving the benefits RMAEP provides to the membership.  He believes there is a leadership role for RMAEP to serve in the Rocky Mountain Region.  This role is exemplified by EnviroFest where the organizations representing specific environmental disciplines can work together to benefit the membership.  

Director: Christy Woodward, Denison Mines (USA) Corp.

Ms. Christy Woodward, P.E. earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Engineering from Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, in 1999.  Ms. Woodward has 8 years experience in civil and environmental engineering design and project management, including National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting and compliance and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) assessments.  She is an Environmental Engineer and has provided technical support for the homebuilding industry, mining industry, other private clients, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Department of Defense (DoD).

Ms. Woodward currently works as an Environmental Coordinator of U.S. Mining operation for Denison Mines (USA) Corp., a diversified, growth-oriented, intermediate uranium producer, with seven active uranium mines in North America (five in the U.S. and two in Canada). 

Personal hobbies include skiing, softball, tennis, yoga, deep sea fishing, Mexican vacations, eating at PF Chang's, independent films, and kung fu movies.