Laurie Burt,
Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP)

Burt joined the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection as Commissioner in September 2007. Over the past18 months, her efforts have been instrumental in elevating the Bay State’s leadership role on environmental issues, most notably in the redevelopment of Brownfields sites and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. “Given our current economic challenges, the next few years are critical for Massachusetts and the nation—empowering consumers to be more energy efficient and to use ‘greener’ energy sources, helping people save money,” Commissioner Burt said. “The ‘greening’ of Brownfields provides an excellent opportunity to help our economy, our communities and our environment. Every redevelopment project presents an opportunity to promote smart-growth, by using existing infrastructure, and investing in clean energy alternatives.” During her tenure, 261 contaminated sites in Massachusetts received Brownfields assistance from MassDEP; 89 of these were in Environmental Justice neighborhoods. In 2008, Commissioner Burt worked closely with Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray and other state economic and development agencies to launch the Brownfields Support Team Initiative, an effort that offers proactive, coordinated state assistance to help the most difficult Brownfields sites get cleaned up and be returned to productive use. She also worked with Murray to organize the Commonwealth’s first ever “Brownfields Month” during November 2008 to mark the 10-year anniversary of Massachusetts’ ground-breaking Brownfields law. Before joining MassDEP, Commissioner Burt was a partner for many years at one of Boston’s major law firms, Foley, Hoag, LLP, where she founded the Environmental Practice Group. In addition to her national environmental litigation practice, she worked extensively on Brownfields cleanup and redevelopment projects.

Rita Kottke, Ph.D.,
Brownfield Program Manager, Oklahoma Dept. of Environmental Quality

Kottke has been working on brownfield issues since 1995 and has been heavily involved in the building of Oklahoma DEQ’s Brownfield Program. Much to Kottke’s surprise, working for an environmental agency triggered a hidden motivation—finding simple solutions to seemingly complex environmental problems. Tell her it can’t be done and stand back—she will soon be offering ideas on how to get it done. Kottke’s interest in Brownfield redevelopment grew out of her work in the Superfund program, and a strong understanding of CERCLA informs all her Brownfield decisions. Holding a Doctorate in Environmental Sciences, Kottke studied a wide variety of subjects throughout her college career. Her grounding in business and economics help her understand the needs of local communities and developers. Two of her projects have won Regional Phoenix Awards™. During her off-time, Kottke manages her stress level by studying and teaching martial arts.

Heather Rock,
Senior Program Analyst, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, British Columbia

Rock first became interested in brownfield redevelopment the summer of 2006 when she was asked to critique the City of Edmonton’s proposed Contaminated Site and Brownfield Policy on behalf of a local environmental group. This experience led to an opportunity to become Senior Program Analyst with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Crown Land Restoration Branch, which she assumed in November 2008. Currently developing the Crown Brownfield Policy and Brownfield Funding Program under the BC Brownfield Renewal Strategy, Rock had previously worked with Environment Canada’s Environmental Assessment Branch, and has built experience with project coordination and policy analysis. She looks forward to using her experience and creativity to develop policies and tools that contribute to brownfield redevelopment in British Columbia. Rock has a Bsc. in Natural Resource Conservation through the Faculty of Forestry from the University of British Columbia.