Therese Carpenter,
Environmental scientist/consultant, MACTEC Engineering and Consulting, Inc., Phoenix
Introduced to Brownfields projects in 2005 while beginning her Master program at Arizona State University in International Environmental Management and Sustainability, Carpenter initially working as a Graduate Assistant, worked closely with mentor Dr. Richard Gordon in partnership with Naco Fire District on the second of three Brownfields grants awarded to the small U.S./Mexico border community of Naco, Ariz. Her involvement in the projects grew as she quickly moved from technical and field assistance into a liaison role between the university, the grantee, U.S. EPA and the community at large. Soon she was actively participating in community meetings with local, state, regional, and federal authorities, working actively to build relationships between all parties to facilitate redevelopment. In 2007, Carpenter submitted for the ASU President’s Medal for Social Embeddedness on behalf of the project: The Naco Fire District Brownfields Supplemental Assistance Partnership was one of only three projects awarded for 2008. Her passion for redevelopment and sustainability is dwarfed only by her enthusiasm and commitment to empowering people and communities to gain the knowledge necessary to make changes that will simultaneously better their environment, and consequentially, quality of life. This spring, Carpenter traveled to Saint-Etienne, France to deliver a presentation on the Naco Project for CABERNET (Concerted Action on Brownfield and Economic Regeneration NETwork), EPORA (Etablissement Public Ouest Rhône-Alpes), University of Nottingham, UK and Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environmental Agency), Germany at the 3rd International Conference on Managing Urban Land. She is eager for the opportunity to share information on North American successes with members of the larger global community, and hopes her presence will be catalytic in fostering increased international partnerships and information-sharing. Locally, Ms. Carpenter is working on three Brownfields projects for the Arizona Dept. of Environmental Quality with MACTEC, Inc.

MINNESOTA BROWNFIELDS:
Minnesota Brownfields, which was established in 2006, have seen its efforts spearheaded by three board members: DeLuca, Smitten and Udoibok. All three have helped shift the organization from its formation to a respected and accomplished nonprofit organization.

DeLuca has served as an environmental consultant and the contract administrator of the Hennepin County Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund. She has sought and obtained over $8 million in U.S. EPA Brownfield Program grants for a number of local government agencies in Minnesota. DeLuca formerly served as supervisor of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Voluntary Investigation and Cleanup Program.

Smitten previously managed a state-wide water education program for the Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources and coordinated the Metropolitan Council’s Tax Base Revitalization Account grant program, which to date has awarded more than $70 million in brownfield-related grants. Currently a city of St. Paul Planning Commission member, Smitten has been instrumental in sustainable redevelopment efforts, integrating brownfield cleanup with green building and site design as part of an “interconnected community.”

As assistant director of DEED, Udoibok continues her passion for pushing policy issues and working on brownfield projects and hopes her expertise and years of experience on brownfield work will add value and continued success for the state of Minnesota through this non-profit organization. Her extensive background in policy development and legislative issues as a former staff member of the Minnesota Senate and congressional office represents a level of experience that should help her continue that goal.

Polly Jessen,
Partner, Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell LLP, Denver
Jessen began her career in environmental law representing a PRP conducting a series of NPL-list mining site cleanups. The sites required removal and management of old mine tailings and metal deposition from smelting along river banks, in grazing pastures, and through municipal areas. “The stakes were high. So, the client was creative and began experimenting with risk assessments, GIS mapping, land use mechanisms such as zoning overlay districts, and sophisticated engineering controls, to manage risk and allow future development. It was great experience in implementing many of the tools that are now widely accepted by regulators and the Brownfields development community,” Jessen said. From that time on, Jessen continued to work extensively with owners and redevelopers of contaminated property. Six years ago, Jessen and five other attorneys left the international law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, to form Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell LLP. The firm has 17 attorneys and offices in Denver, Washington D.C., and New York City. Now, nearly all of Jessen’s clients are involved in some aspect of contaminated property and urban infill redevelopment. She counsels clients in the range of environmental risk management tools and redevelopment issues from environmental insurance and indemnifications to materials management during construction and methods of accommodating surface use rights of oil and gas developers. Current and former clients include: redevelopers of the former Stapleton International Airport, former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center, Denver Union Station, and several former industrial sites. She also has become involved in wind power development projects. “I feel fortunate to be able to work with sophisticated clients in a field of law where everyone wins,” says Jessen, who speaks and publishes frequently on contaminated property redevelopment issues.