December 8-10, 2021

Larry Levine works with partners around the country—at the federal, state, and local levels—to advance policies and funding that ensure affordable access to safe and sufficient water and sanitation. His work focuses on ensuring that water and sewer service is affordable for all, even as water infrastructure investment increases to meet clean water needs. Larry draws on over 20 years as a clean water advocate and attorney at NRDC and previously worked as a clinical fellow in environmental law at the Georgetown University Law Center. He is a graduate of Tulane University and Yale Law School.

Nicole Miller, Principal of MnM Consulting, is a communications professional with nearly two decades of experience creating targeted publicity and marketing campaigns for a range of clients in private industry and the nonprofit sector. MnM Consulting specializes in media development, digital and print publishing, brand strategy, content creation, and clean energy/sustainability education for business and general audiences. MnM Consulting works with several small business, government, and non-profit clients on brand development, project management, event coordination and product deployment. Ms. Miller has a BA in Arts, Media, and Culture from the University of Washington and a Master of Science in Publishing from Pace University in New York. Ms. Miller is a resident of Newark, NJ, a member of the Newark Environmental Commission advising the Mayor and City Council on sustainability issues, Chair of the Newark Green Team, and Co-Chair of NewarkDIG (Doing Infrastructure Green), which is dedicated to resilient and sustainable municipal stormwater management.

She serves as co-chair for the Jersey Water Works Steering Committee.

Governor Philip D. Murphy appointed Shawn M. LaTourette in June 2021 as New Jersey’s Commissioner of Environmental Protection. Commissioner LaTourette is responsible for formulating statewide environmental policy while directing programs that protect public health and ensure the quality of New Jersey’s air, land, water, and natural and historic resources.

Commissioner LaTourette was born and raised in New Jersey. Commissioner LaTourette graduated magna cum laude from Rutgers University and earned his
law degree summa cum laude from Rutgers Law School. The Commissioner has vast experience and a deep commitment to equity and protecting vulnerable
communities while facilitating public infrastructure development and advocating for environmental protection.

Mr. Adeem, a Newark native, began working for the City of Newark in 1991 in the Department of Engineering. In 2013, Adeem was promoted to superintendent of public works, where he oversaw daily maintenance operations of the Department of Water and Sewer Utilities. In 2018, he received his certification as a Public Works Manager and was appointed to his present position. He was a key player in various municipal projects, including the Queen Ditch Restoration Project, which helped address chronic flooding along Frelinghuysen Avenue that has plagued the area for more than 30 years. Director Adeem is credited with helping to rebrand the Department of Water and Sewer Utilities and upgrading the city’s infrastructure as it works to replace every lead service line. He is a dedicated public servant who has, and continues to, give back to his native community.

Kristin Epstein is a Project Technical Leader with CDM Smith and national expert in LCRR/LCRI compliance. She assists water systems across the country with their service line material inventories, LSL replacement program planning, and LCR/LCRR/LCRI compliance. She was the Assistant Director of Trenton Water Works (2018-2022) where she developed and implemented a $50 million LSL replacement program that replaced 9,500 LSLs in 2.5 years, including private and public portions of the service lines. She is a frequent presenter at national and regional drinking water conferences. 

Andrew Kricun is a Managing Director with Moonshot Missions, a non-profit focused on providing technical assistance to water utilities in underserved communities. Prior to that, he served as Executive Director and Chief Engineer of the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority, operators of an 80 million gallon per day wastewater treatment plant in Camden, NJ. He has 35 years of wastewater and biosolids management experience. He graduated with honors from Princeton University with a degree in chemical engineering. He also holds a professional engineer’s license in civil engineering and is a board-certified environmental engineer as well.

Andy serves on the USEPA’s National Environmental Justice Advisory Council and also New Jersey Environmental Justice Advisory Council.  He previously served on the board of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies and as the chair of its Utility of the Future committee and the Environmental Justice committee. He was the recipient of the Praxis Award for Professional Ethics, the President’s Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, the One Water Prize from the US Water Alliance, and Environmental Quality Awards from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. He was also chosen as governmental engineer of the year by the NJ Chapter American Society of Civil Engineers in 2018.

He serves as co-chair for the Jersey Water Works Steering Committee.

Mark McDonough is the principal external contact for New Jersey American Water, overseeing 850 employees who serve approximately 2.8 million people. McDonough’s previous roles with American Water included president of the Military Services Group and Chief Compliance Officer. 

Before joining American Water in June 2005, McDonough was an attorney. Prior to graduating law school, he was a special agent with the U.S. Government, serving in the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Energy, The National Passenger Railroad Corporation (Amtrak), and the General Services Administration. McDonough received his B.S. in criminal justice from the University of Delaware, his M.S. in justice from American University, and his J.D. from George Mason University.

Shereyl is a dedicated community organizer with a deep commitment to social justice. She began her academic journey at Mercer County Community College, where she earned an Associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education. Following her graduation, Shereyl spent five years as a substitute teacher for the Hamilton school district, where she gained valuable experience in educating the youth.

Later, Shereyl pursued further education at William Paterson University, where she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts with a concentration in social justice and history. This academic focus fueled her passion ever stronger for advocacy around EJ issues and community organizing.

In her role as a community organizer with the East Trenton Collaborative. Shereyl provides dynamic leadership, amplifies the voices of marginalized communities, and facilitates collaboration among individuals from diverse backgrounds. She is dedicated to developing a robust commercial and residential community in the East Trenton neighborhood and greater Trenton.

In 2021, the East Trenton Collaborative achieved a significant milestone by becoming a lead-free community hub. Now, Shereyl serves as the lead advocate for the Trenton Lead-Free Hub, focusing on early lead testing for children and working to eliminate barriers to accessing these tests.

Shereyl’s advocacy extends beyond testing; she is also instrumental in bringing together agencies like the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Rutgers EOHSI, the City Department of Health (DOH), Green&Healthy Home Initiative (GHHI), Trenton Health Team(THT), New Jersey Future, and other organizations, to address the high levels of lead in Trenton’s soil, house-paint, and water.

Shereyl firmly believes that the future of Trenton’s children depends on eradicating lead contamination, and she is dedicated to ensuring the next generation reaches their full potential in a lead-safe environment.

Jim Cosgrove recently founded One Water Consulting LLC to provide water resource services guided by the fact that ALL water (rainwater to wastewater) must be managed in an integrated manor. He is a registered professional engineer in New Jersey with over 35 years’ consulting experience in water resources management, with specific expertise in NJPDES permit support, water quality modeling, watershed and stormwater management, environmental impact assessment, and resiliency planning.

He received a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Lafayette College and a M.Eng. degree in Water Resource Systems Engineering from Cornell University.

Jim has recently been active addressing PFAS monitoring issues for wastewater treatment plants.

Michael Furrey is the President of Agra Environmental and Laboratory Services, a company specializing in laboratory services and consultation to the water and wastewater industry. He holds a T-4 License, W-3 License, and aquatic pesticide applicator license for NJ and is the former chair for NJAWWA. He holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Cook College, Rutgers University. He is also an adjunct Professor at Rutgers University.

Trish Ingelido is the Director of Division of Water Supply and Geoscience. She has over 20 years of experience in water resources management at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. She previously served as the Assistant Director of the Water System Operations Element in the Division of Water Supply and Geoscience. She earned a B.S. in Environmental Science from Rutgers University, an M.S. in Environmental Policy from New Jersey Institute of Technology and is a Certified Public Manager.

Dan is Senior Director at the Utility and Transportation Contractors Association (UTCA) of NJ, a trade association with members that deliver a wide range of infrastructure solutions for the public and private sectors. Dan’s subject matter expertise has him focusing on a wide range of environmental and utility issues. He serves on the Steering Committee of Jersey Water Works and is Chairman of the national Clean Water Construction Coalition, an organization of construction associations whose purpose is to promote federal legislation that improves water infrastructure. Prior to his role with UTCA, he served as an Assistant Commissioner at the NJDEP, Deputy Director of the NJ Office for Planning Advocacy, and in various roles in county government.

He is a licensed professional planner with a MCRP from Rutgers’ Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy and a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Delaware. Dan serves as the Chair of Bordentown City’s Planning / Zoning Board and the Vice-Chair of the Burlington County Agricultural Development Board.

Rosana Pedra Nobre is the Water Quality Manager at the Hudson River Foundation and the New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program, where she works with partner organizations and agencies to manage water resources and improve water quality in the Harbor Estuary. She dedicates her time towards incorporating science, data collection, and community engagement into addressing water quality challenges and uses an educational lens to communicate science. Rosana has an Ed.M. in science education and a B.S. in environmental sciences from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.

Donald C. Shields, PE, is Vice President and Director of Engineering for New Jersey American Water, the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater to approximately 2.8 million people. Shields oversees a staff of over 50 professionals including construction managers, engineers, planners and geographic information systems (GIS) specialists. He is directly responsible for delivering New Jersey American Water’s capital investment program of more than $350 million per year. In his role, he also provides oversight to engineering activities in the other Eastern Division states, which includes New York, Virginia and Maryland.

Shields has more than 25 years of industry experience, joining American Water in 2001. Prior to his current role, he served as Engineering Director of New Business Development for American Water’s Corporate Engineering Group. While there, he supported American Water’s regulated and market-based businesses, offering technical guidance and expertise for project development and execution, including large water, wastewater and solids digestion/management/handling/energy production.  

He also spent ten years at American Water’s former subsidiary, Applied Water Management, where he managed a team of 30 construction managers and engineers. He has significant experience with designing, building and commissioning membrane bio reactors, a key technology used in water reclamation and reuse. 

Prior to joining American Water, Shields spent ten years working for Bergen County Utilities Authority in Northern New Jersey, where he worked on capital improvement projects ranging from automated meter systems and force main rehabilitation, to wastewater treatment plant upgrades.

Shields is a licensed Professional Engineer in New Jersey, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Villanova University.

Dr. Daniel Van Abs, is a Professor of Professional Practice for Water, Society & Environment at Rutgers University, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. He has 42 years of experience in water resources and environmental management with Rutgers, the Highlands Council, NJ Water Supply Authority, NJ Department of Environmental Protection and the Passaic River Coalition.  He is a member of Jersey Water Works Asset Management and Finance Committee and Jersey WaterCheck’s Data Advisory Committee. He holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science from SUNY-College of Environmental Science and Forestry, is a licensed Professional Planner in New Jersey and a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners. See www.danvanabs.com for more details.