Michael G. Van Ness, J.D. , founder and executive director of Lynchburg Grows, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Van Ness received his Juris Doctor degree and a certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore. in 1996. Prior to that, he received a B.S. in Forestry and Wildlife Sciences in 1993. In 2000, Van Ness culminated the largest land conservation project in Virginia in over 20 years by successfully negotiating the purchase with 37 landowners and the town council of Wytheville while also spearheading the effort to raise the $3 million needed to purchase and protect the 10,144 acre Big Survey located in Wytheville. The Big Survey was ultimately conveyed to the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and is one of the largest Wildlife Management Areas in the Commonwealth. In recognition of his work, Van Ness has been the recipient of the 2000 Virginia Watershed Award from Governor Jim Gilmore, the 2001-2002 Outstanding Young Alumnus for Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources, and in 2002 was one of 21 National Finalists for the Ford Foundation's Leadership for a Changing World program administered by the Robert Wagner School of Public Policy of New York University and the Advocacy Institute, located in Washington D.C.

J. Meade R. Anderson, CPG, Brownfields Program Manager, Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality, Richmond, Va.

With the DEQ for more than 20 years, Anderson has worked in various remediation programs and has about 27 years of environmental work experience. A graduate of Old Dominion University in Norfolk with a Bachelor of Science in Geology, Anderson also attended the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. He worked earlier in his career at the U.S. Geological Survey and with a consulting firm on a wide variety of projects. Currently he serves as chairperson of Virginia's Board for Geology. "I accepted the Brownfields position several months ago after seven years of work in the Voluntary Remediation Program so I had an excellent handle on the universe of projects that were under remediation and redeployment," said Anderson. "While I think current economic conditions have certainly had some effect on some projects moving forward, Virginia is still seeing signification interest in the Brownfields and Voluntary Remediation Programs (VRP)."
Virginia has a wide range of redevelopment projects currently in the remediation process—everything from high-end office and residential complexes to recreational facilities on former industrial land to sustainable urban agricultural projects on Brownfields, said Anderson. Recently, there's been a tremendous amount of interest in Brownfield Grants and the redevelopment potential of Brownfields along with any other assistance and recommendations that the EPA and DEQ can offer these localities. "Small localities have realized this program is one of the keys for revitalization of their communities. Instead of avoiding the term "Brownfields," localities are now learning to turn these properties into assets but it's not something that happens overnight. The larger cities have realized the benefits of the program for ‘creating land' in these more densely populated urban areas."

George Carico, Environmental Specialist and Project Coordinator, West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center at Marshall University, Huntington, West Va.

Carico has more than 20 years of environmental consulting experience as an environmental geologist, and works daily with small cities, rural towns and local agencies and organizations in West Virginia addressing redevelopment of Brownfields. George says "our exclusive brownfield assistance center arrangement here in West Virginia brings together all the required entities responsible for redevelopment/revitalization opportunities, including local and county economic development leaders, regional, state and federal agencies, and the private sector. The rural, somewhat isolated nature of our state makes brownfield redevelopment challenging, so bringing together all appropriate entities to work in unity toward a common goal is a critical step towards success. Our goal is to keep the Mountain State looking beautiful while spurring new, innovative economic development."

Patrick Kirby, Director, Northern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center at West Virginia University

Kirby, who earned a Master Degree in Public Policy from WVU, says "the current economic times are an opportunity for communities to reposition their brownfields sites for the green development trends of the future." The "unique model" of the Center provides a bridge between communities, developers, and regulators to "make projects happen." West Virginia is trying to look beyond the typical sources of brownfields funding to show communities what is possible, and to attract developers looking for innovative projects. The Center has partnered with a private foundation to fund a mini-grant program to identify and overcome longstanding project barriers more quickly. West Virginia's innovative assistance approach combined with solid risk-based standards is going along way to pushing "Wild and Wonderful" projects to success.

Kathy Stiller, Environmental Program Manager, Site Investigation & Restoration Branch, Division of Air and Waste Management, Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Control

Stiller has been with the DNREC for 21 years and in 2004 moved to the Site Investigation & Restoration Branch, which manages Brownfields, the State Superfund, and various other programs for Delaware. Under her leadership the Brownfields Program has been significantly streamlined as the completion time for projects has been drastically reduced. The Brownfields Program distributes $5 million per year in grants to assist in the investigation and remediation of Brownfields statewide, and focuses on building strong teams to ensure all parties are involved in the development process. With Stiller's assistance, a Brownfield Advisory Group has been created to foster cooperation. Stiller spent more than 15 years managing the Delaware Tank Management Branch, which includes the underground storage tanks, aboveground storage tanks, leaking storage tanks and boiler safety programs. A background as a planner, Stiller has a Marine Science Degree with a specialty in Biology from the University of South Carolina, and a Master of Marine Policy from the University of Delaware.