STC’s senior consultant team offers our clients vast experience in all aspects of EHS management systems, auditing, permitting, and compliance assurance. For larger or certain specialized tasks, STC is able to draw on the capabilities of other qualified individuals and firms with whom we have worked closely in the past.

PRINCIPALS
Barbara Jo Ruble, QEP, CPEA
Carol Robinson, CIH, CSP
Melanie Powers-Schanbacher, CPEA

KEY STAFF MEMBERS
Martin Bermudez, CHMM
Russ Boesch, CPEA, CHMM
Sara Broadbent, R.E.A
Jenni Cawein
Greg Haet, P.E., R.E.A
Deborah Hunsicker, REA
Curtis J. Johnson, CPEA
Kathy McKinney-Tovar
Kathryn J. Nobrega
Gerald K. Reid

PRINCIPALS

Barbara Jo Ruble, QEP, CPEA
Barbara Jo Ruble, QEP, CPEA, and STC President, has more than 30 years of experience helping corporations to develop, assess, and improve their EHS management systems and compliance programs. She is a Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP) and a Certified Professional Environmental Auditor (CPEA) for both ISO 14000/EMS and compliance auditing. Ms. Ruble has assisted clients in a variety of industries to implement ISO 14001 management systems and obtain certification. She has developed comprehensive EHS guidance manuals, training programs, and multi-media auditing protocols for various industrial clients and is the primary author of OHSAS 18001/OSHA-VPP Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems: A Complete Implementation Guide, published by Specialty Technical Publishers of Vancouver, Canada. She has performed more than 150 EHS compliance audits or management systems assessments of industrial facilities worldwide. She has also provided independent review of corporate EHS auditing programs. Her ability to put EHS issues in laymen’s language and find practical solutions to complex problems helps her provide solution-oriented audit services. A member of The Auditing Roundtable since 1989, Ms. Ruble is a past President of the association and continues to assist the organization with national meetings and strategic planning.

Carol Robinson, CIH, CSP
Carol Robinson, CIH, CSP, and STC Vice President, has over 30 years experience in EHS management and consulting for a wide range of industries including biotech, chemical, high tech, personal care and petrochemical companies. Ms. Robinson has developed a broad range of EHS compliance programs and has extensive experience in producing EHS training programs. She has developed registries of requirements, performed hazard and exposure assessments and conducted compliance and management system audits, which provided clients with the data needed to understand their compliance status. She supported clients in the identification and implementation of practical corrective and preventive actions. As head of corporate EHS programs at JDS Uniphase and Helene Curtis, Ms. Robinson developed corporate objectives, metrics, policies and strategic direction. She led injury reduction and waste minimization efforts that resulted in reduced costs. Her experience managing non-EHS groups including engineering, facilities, corporate security and TSCA compliance has exposed Ms. Robinson to a diverse range of business issues and backgrounds, enabling her to provide focused, understandable and actionable guidance and training. Ms. Robinson is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and a Certified Safety Professional.

Melanie Powers-Schanbacher, CPEA
Melanie Powers-Schanbacher, CPEA and STC Principal and CFO, has over 15 years of experience in EHS compliance auditing and environmental management systems assessments. Ms. Powers-Schanbacher has served as the audit team leader for EHS compliance and management systems audits conducted for clients in the chemical, pharmaceutical, consumer products, petroleum and utility sectors, as well as a variety of industrial manufacturing operations. She has provided third-party review and oversight to clients developing internal audit and self-assessment programs, including developing audit procedures and protocols, auditor training programs, and audit program metrics, evaluation processes and management reporting criteria. Ms. Powers-Schanbacher serves as the lead author of STC’s compliance auditing protocols for both wastewater and stormwater in the Environmental Auditing: Federal Compliance Guide and all 51 Environmental State Differences Guides. She is a member of the Auditing Roundtable and a Certified Professional Environmental Auditor (CPEA) in Environmental Compliance and in Environmental, Health and Safety Management Systems.

KEY STAFF MEMBERS

Martin Bermudez, CHMM
Martin Bermudez, CHMM and STC Senior Program Director, has over 20 years of experience in environmental, health and safety (EHS) regulatory compliance and management system development and implementation.  His experience has ranged from performing focused projects in chemical process safety management, hazardous waste management, facility closures and EHS program risk assessments to broad-based projects in environmental management information system design and management system evaluation.  Mr. Bermudez has led and participated in projects in the telecommunications, mining, medical device, biotechnology, apparel, pharmaceutical, semiconductor, paint and coating, industrial tool manufacturing, automotive parts manufacturing, and electronic product assembly industries in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.  He has developed and implemented international EHS audit programs for telecommunications equipment and oil and gas companies. He has developed legal requirement registries for the operations of Chevron, Inc., Tesoro Corporation, Alcoa, Inc. and Phelps Dodge Corporation.  Mr. Bermudez specializes in providing clients with cost-effective, risk-based solutions designed to match their business needs.

Russ Boesch, CPEA, CHMM
Russ Boesch, CPEA, CHMM is an STC Senior Program Director with more than 24 years of experience conducting environmental compliance and management systems audits, regulatory analysis, and environmental management consulting. He has managed and performed more than 350 EHS compliance audits at facilities throughout the United States in a wide variety of industries, including aerospace, automotive, utilities, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, optical devices, laboratories, foods, electronics, petroleum refining, chemical manufacturing, commercial hazardous waste TSDFs, cruise ships, educational institutions, and federal government installations. Mr. Boesch has performed environmental management systems (EMS) conformance audits for a number of organizations in the pharmaceuticals, automotive, electronics, and hazardous waste management industries. He has assisted several large corporations to design and implement audit programs by preparing facility- and state-specific audit protocols, conducting auditor training, and leading audit teams in the field. He has editorial responsibilities for STP’s DOT Hazmat Transport and Motor Carrier Safety: Federal Regulatory Guide, the Hazardous Materials section of the Environmental Auditing Federal Compliance Guide, and the Drinking Water and Hazardous Materials sections of the Environmental State Differences Guide. Mr. Boesch is a Certified Professional Environmental Auditor (CPEA) in the disciplines of Environmental Compliance and Responsible Care® Management Systems, and a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager.

Sara Broadbent, R.E.A
Sara Broadbent, R.E.A and STC Senior Program Director, leads STC Corporate Social Responsibility practice and brings more than 30 years environmental, health and safety management experience to STC’s northern California operations. Ms. Broadbent has operational, management, industry and consulting experience in industries ranging from electronics to hazardous waste, providing valuable insight into the design and implementation of EHS management systems. While the Executive Director for EHS at Seagate Technologies, Ms. Broadbent directed Seagate’s Corporate Social Responsibility Program, was Vice-President of the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition, and represented the United States Network of the United Nations Global Compact. Ms. Broadbent has utilized her Lean/Six Sigma training in diverse projects such as improving design cycle times and implementing more efficient training methods. She has regional and international EHS program management and compliance experience with Fortune 500 companies. Ms Broadbent was one of the first women to become a certified Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator in Los Angeles County. Ms. Broadbent is an ISO 14001 Auditor, a California Registered Environmental Assessor, a Grade II Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator and a Six Sigma Black Belt.

Jenni Cawein
Jenni Cawein is an STC Program Director located in Lexington, NY with over 16 years experience in the environmental industry. Jenni brings global experience in the performance, structure, strategy, planning, and development of programs related to sustainability and EHS within the healthcare manufacturing and electrical utility industries. As corporate environmental manager at Baxter International for more than 10 years, she participated in the development of sustainability performance metrics, transparent sustainability reports, and innovative management standards that helped Baxter win over 300 EHS excellence awards, including Dow Jones Sustainability Index leader, Innovest’s Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations and CRO’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens. Jenni’s innovative approaches to integrating six sigma and lean manufacturing into EHS became the model for USEPA’s “Lean and Environment” and “Lean and Energy” toolkits, and her work managing supply chain EHS issues resulted in the launch of USEPA’s Green Supplier Network. While serving as Chairman of the Board of CHWMEG she drove globalization of hazardous waste site audits into China, India, Singapore, Brazil, and most countries in Europe. Jenni is an experienced ISO 14001 Lead Auditor and has operational direct experience managing air, water, and waste compliance programs within the electric utility industry, as well as site remediation projects and emergency response programs. She has presented at NAEM, AME/SME, BSR, and the Conference Board meetings on topics such as EHS supply chain management, “Lean and Green”, integration of sustainability into business operations, the business value of sustainability, and threat management. Jenni is a Six Sigma Green Belt and has served as a Baldrige National Quality Award Examiner.

Greg Haet, P.E., R.E.A
Gregory J. Haet, P.E. and R.E.A has a wide range of experience in both environmental management and engineering. Experienced in EH&S program management, with particular specialization in air quality, he has completed numerous permitting, auditing, abatement design, odor mitigation, and risk analysis projects for clients in California and nationwide. Mr. Haet has also managed a full-service chemical and radioactive waste program for a large university, and has recently gained additional specialization in construction site EHS management, stormwater pollution mitigation, underground storage tank inspection and compliance, and sustainability assessment.

Deborah Hunsicker, REA
Deborah Hunsicker, REA, as an STC Senior Analyst and regulatory specialist, directs STC’s regional office in northern Idaho and has 20 years experience in environmental consulting and regulatory compliance. She is a recognized expert in federal and state hazardous waste and hazardous materials regulatory issues, and has assisted various legal and industrial clients in the development of customized environmental auditing protocols, legal requirements analyses, and compliance programs, as well as the assessment of enforcement options. Ms. Hunsicker is STC’s lead author and project manager for our California Environmental Audit Guide, and is a contributing author to the Environmental Auditing: Federal Compliance Guide, and our Environmental State Differences Summary. She follows closely all changes in federal and California hazardous materials and hazardous waste laws and regulations.

Curtis J. Johnson, CPEA
Curtis J. Johnson, CPEA and STC Senior Program Director, has more than 30 years experience in development and implementation of effective environmental, health and safety (EHS) management systems solutions. A former Corporate Vice-President of EHS Auditing at Browning-Ferris Industries, Mr. Johnson’s consulting practice focuses on implementation and auditing of management systems, permit acquisition, and management of complex site development issues. Recent projects include development of the management system and its documentation for a major food producer; EHS auditing of manufacturing, pharmaceutical, energy, food, waste, and transportation facilities for a variety of clients; developing compliance programs for an electronics manufacturer, and providing hazardous materials management assistance for a global telecommunications firm. Mr. Johnson is a contributing author for STC’s ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems: A Complete Implementation Guide and for Pipeline Safety Auditing: Federal Compliance Guide. He is a Certified Professional Environmental Auditor (CPEA) in all four disciplines: Management Systems (Certificate No. 2), Responsible Care© Management Systems, Environmental Compliance and Health and Safety Compliance. He is a past member of the Auditing Roundtable Board of Directors, has served on the Ethics Committee of the Board of Environmental Auditor Certifications (BEAC) since its inception and is the 2005 recipient of the BEAC Chairman’s Leadership Award.

Kathy McKinney-Tovar
Kathy McKinney-Tovar is an STC Senior Analyst and has over 18 years experience in the consulting industry assisting businesses with environmental compliance, regulatory issues, and due diligence. She has extensive project management experience and technical knowledge across a wide range of environmental programs. Ms. McKinney-Tover has performed multi-media environmental compliance audits throughout the U.S. at aerospace and cogeneration facilities, hazardous waste TSDFs, oil terminals, semiconductor, electronics, pharmaceutical, explosives, chemical and paint manufacturing facilities and office buildings, and has assisted numerous industrial clients in the development of customized environmental auditing protocols and training programs. Ms. McKinney-Tovar is a contributing author to our Environmental Auditing: Federal Compliance Guide, and our Environmental State Differences Guide. Recently, she has been central to the development of our new web-based protocol that combines our federal protocols with the state difference guide.

Kathryn J. Nobrega
Kathryn J. Nobrega, Senior Program Director, has more than 20 years of experience in EHS management and consulting in the corporate, non-profit, and government sectors. Her work enables clients to make operational and strategic decisions that advance their EHS goals, and helps create organizational cultures that deliver solid EHS performance. Kathryn specializes in health and safety program development and laboratory safety; international compliance and management systems auditing; and training, with strong expertise in life sciences organizations. She has managed EHS professional staffs in various industries, and led the development of worldwide EHS programs, focused on injury prevention, ergonomics, safety communications, and business continuity. As a biosafety specialist, Kathryn served on the Institutional Biosafety Committees of two leading biopharmaceutical companies, and participated on an advisory council to federal OSHA on the compliance directive for bloodborne pathogens in laboratories. She received special recognition from the Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute for excellence in safety leadership. Formerly a senior manager at Genentech, Kathryn launched the company’s first enterprise-wide EHS learning and knowledge management system, and has since completed numerous projects involving training needs assessment, curriculum development, and successful deployment of blended learning programs. For the past three years, she was the Vice President of Programs for the Golden Gate Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development. Kathryn’s broad experience and unique insights allow her to share best practices and customized approaches with clients, to integrate EHS and sustainability into the business and mission of their organizations.

Gerald K. Reid
Gerald (Jerry) Reid is an STC Senior Analyst and has over 25 years of professional experience in the development and implementation of environmental, health and safety (EHS) programs.  Mr. Reid’s experience includes EHS compliance in the chemical intensive field of semiconductor manufacturing, developing EHS programs in the aluminum fabrication industry, as well as managing environmental compliance at a US Air Force instillation.  In addition to the standard EHS programs, Mr. Reid’s experience includes development of toxic gas compliance programs, fire code compliance, and management of radiation and laser safety programs. Mr. Reid is an ISO 14000 Lead Auditor and has conducted EHS and management systems audits throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Singapore and Malaysia. As an EHS consultant, Mr. Reid has provided customers with regulatory requirements analysis, program development and review, development of training programs as well as provided hands-on training, completed risk assessments, and has conducted numerous compliance audits.