We are writing to recognize a significant LSPA transition. Mariellen Morris, our new Executive Director, begins her tenure tomorrow. We also bid farewell to Wendy Rundle, who will be stepping down from that role.  

Over the past 15 years, Wendy has been the beating heart for leading and building the LSPA into what it is today. Simply put, her contributions have been immeasurable. Wendy has worn just about every hat imaginable (and worn them well!). She has guided the LSPA through countless regulatory and guidance changes, LSPA budgetary ups and downs, a global pandemic, and has been integral in developing and advancing our member service offerings. 

Dear LSPA Members, Friends, and the Larger Community:

It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Mariellen Morris as our new Executive Director, effective this Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Ms. Morris comes to the LSPA with over 20 years of experience in professional association management with expertise in strategic planning, operational efficiency, and stakeholder engagement. During her many years at the Boston-based Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research, she successfully led initiatives in program development for both in-person and virtual platforms, alongside efforts in partnership building, membership growth, resource utilization, and volunteer engagement. Ms. Morris holds a BA in Communications from Westfield State University, and an MA in Organizational Communication from Suffolk University.

Voting will open on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, for the 2025-2026 LSPA Board of Directors election. Board positions will take effect July 1, 2025. 

Ballots will be sent by email to all LSPA members, both Full and Associate. We encourage all members to vote.

The LSP Association requests your nominations for our 2025 "Contribution to the Practice" Awards. If you know of a deserving candidate and wish to nominate the person and/or organization, please complete this form. The deadline for nominations is Friday, August 8, 2025. The awards are presented annually in the fall at an LSPA event.

Nominations are solicited in the following categories:

To LSPA Members:

The Nominating Committee of the LSP Association (LSPA) is in the process of developing a slate of candidates for the two available positions on the LSPA's Board of Directors. These are three-year positions beginning on July 1, 2025. The Board is comprised of nine members, two of whom may be Associate (non-LSP) members. Current Board members are listed on the LSPA website here. 

The LSPA recently received the below request for volunteers to sit on an advisory committee convened by the Massachusetts State Geologist. If you are interested in being considered for this committee, please respond to [email protected] by no later than January 29, 2025.  

Massachusetts recently appointed Brian Yellen as the State Geologist and director of the State Geological Survey, taking over from Steve Mabee who served the state for 22 years. In order to best serve various stakeholder communities around the state, Brian is setting up an advisory committee made up of state government officials, academics, and engineering practitioners. 

The LSPA’s “school” year is about to begin and our Education Committee is looking for speakers and topics for our 2025 courses! This is a great visibility opportunity for presenters; the LSPA typically registers 100+ LSPs and other waste site cleanup practitioners per course. Do you have new research, experience, or case studies to share in the field of contaminated site assessment and remediation? We want to hear from you. Please send your suggestions to [email protected]. 

Providing opportunities for professional continuing education is a vital part of the LSPA's mission. From September through June, the LSPA offers continuing education courses, ranging from 2 to 8 credit hours, on technical and regulatory topics. Presentations are offered both virtually and in person. The LSPA's courses, approved by the LSP Board of Registration, are an important source of continuing education credit for members and non-members alike. 

Voting is now open for the 2024-2025 LSPA Board of Directors election. Board positions will take effect July 1, 2024. 

There are three open seats on the Board for this election; the three-year term is from FY '25 through FY '27. Provided below are the candidates on this year's ballot. Please click on each candidate's name to read more about them.

The LSP Association requests your nominations for our 2024 "Contribution to the Practice" Awards. If you know of a deserving candidate and wish to nominate the person and/or organization, please complete this form. The deadline for nominations is Friday, August 9, 2024. The awards are presented annually in the fall either via live webinar or at the LSPA’s October dinner meeting.

Nominations are solicited in the following categories:

Voting will open on Wednesday, May 22, 2024 for the 2024-2025 LSPA Board of Directors election. Board positions will take effect July 1, 2024. 

Ballots will be sent by email to all LSPA members, both Full and Associate. We encourage all members to vote.

The Nominating Committee of the LSP Association (LSPA) is in the process of developing a slate of candidates for the three available positions on the LSPA's Board of Directors. These are three-year positions beginning on July 1, 2024. The Board is comprised of nine members, two of whom may be Associate (non-LSP) members. Current Board members are listed on the LSPA website here. 

We are posting this information in advance of developing the slate to solicit your suggestions for possible candidates, as well as to inform you about the process. The criteria that the Nominating Committee considers for a candidate for our Board of Directors include: 

Over the past few months a subcommittee of the LSPA leadership has been developing a final draft strategic plan for 2024 through 2026. The purpose of the plan is to guide the association as we identify new initiatives as well as go about our day-to-day tasks. It should reflect the needs and interests of the LSPA’s leadership and members for the next three years, and even further in the future.  

The subcommittee’s work began with a review of the LSPA’s current three-year strategic plan, which expired at the end of June 2023. They reviewed the LSPA’s existing Vision and Mission statement, Goals, Desired Outcomes, and Strategies for achieving the Goals. The final draft plan is attached here. It is intentionally a high level and broad-reaching document.

The LSPA Board is pleased to announce that three candidates have been elected to the LSPA Board of Directors for three-year terms from FY '24 through FY '26.

• Lars Andresen, Office Practice Leader, TRC Companies. Mr. Andresen will begin his three-year term on July 1, 2023.

• Katherine E. Kudzma, LSP, Director, Site Investigation & Remediation, VHB. Ms. Kudzma will begin her three-year term on July 1, 2023.

• Amy A. Roth, P.G., LSP, Vice President, Wilcox & Barton, Inc. Ms. Roth will begin her three-year term on July 1, 2023.

Congratulations to the new LSPA Board members and thank you to all LSPA members who voted. 

On May 30, 2023, the LSPA submitted comments to USEPA via the Federal eRulemaking Portal regarding the proposed National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for PFAS, under Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2022-0114. Read the LSPA comment letter here. This was the first time in over a decade that the LSPA has commented on a proposed USEPA rule.

This USEPA webpage provides a summary of the proposed rule, along with links to supporting materials, technical materials, and background information. A small group of LSPA members including toxicologists, public health risk assessors, and LSPs with decades of experience reviewed and provided comments on this rule. The LSPA comments were organized according to the topics outlined in the slides from this USEPA presentation, Proposed PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (epa.gov).

Voting will open on Thursday, May 25, 2023 for the 2023-2024 LSPA Board of Directors election. Board positions will take effect July 1, 2023. 

Ballots will be sent by email to all LSPA members, both Full and Associate. We encourage all members to vote.

Voting will open on Thursday, May 25, 2023 for the 2023-2024 LSPA Board of Directors election. Board positions will take effect July 1, 2023. 

Ballots will be sent by email to all LSPA members, both Full and Associate. We encourage all members to vote.

• Katherine Dilawari, PE, LSP, Principal, Contaminated Site Management, Haley & Aldrich, Inc. Ms. Dilawari will begin her 3-year term on July 1, 2022. 

• Timothy Nevins, LSP, CHMM, Senior Principal Scientist, Alliance Environmental Group/An F.W. Webb Company. Mr. Nevins will begin his first 3-year term on July 1, 2022. 

• Joseph Roman, LSP, Environmental Division Manager, GEI Consultants. Mr. Roman will begin his second 3-year term on July 1, 2022. He will continue to serve as LSPA Treasurer.

Thank you to all who voted.

• The LSPA Member Award is presented to an LSPA Member in recognition of leadership, commitment, and contributions to the LSPA organization and membership over the previous year.
• The LSPA Service Award is presented to an individual or organization in recognition of service to/support of the LSP Association and its mission; service may be in the form of in-kind services, financial or other support. This award is for service over the previous year.
• The Contribution to the Practice Award is presented to an individual or organization from the public, non-profit, or private sector for outstanding contributions to the practice and advancing the profession over the previous year. Attributes may include creativity in balancing economic development with environmental values, practical approaches to regulatory compliance, and innovative initiatives in technology and sustainability.
• The LSPA Environmental Justice Award is presented to an individual or organization from the public, non-profit, or private sector for recent or continuing outstanding contributions in increasing awareness of Environmental Justice (EJ) issues and/or supporting EJ communities. Learn more about Environmental Justice populations here.
• The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an individual in recognition of distinguished and continued contributions over 25 years or more to the advancement of science, standards, or professionalism in the field of site assessment and remediation under MGL c. 21E. The awardee must:
• Be an LSP or someone in the supporting professions, and
• Demonstrate commitment to the LSPA. This might include participation in the LSPA at a leadership level, e.g. founding member, committee chair, Board member or officer; or partnership with the LSPA through leadership level participation in a related organization.

• David Leone, LSP, Associate Principal, GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. Mr. Leone will begin his second 3-year term on July 1, 2021. He will serve as LSPA President from 2021-2022. 

• Crista Trapp, Human Health Risk Assessor and Senior Scientist, The Vertex Companies, Inc.. Ms. Trapp will begin her first 3-year term on July 1, 2021. 

• Charles Young, LSP, Associate and Senior Environmental Project Manager, Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. Mr. Young will begin his second 3-year term on July 1, 2021. He will serve as LSPA President-Elect from 2021-2022.