People

At Astbury, our people really do make the difference. Astbury is proud of the many diverse talents and experiences of our staff. Each of our professionals works hard to make sure our clients get the best service available.

Steve Wilcox: President/CEO

Steve has over 19 years of experience in environmental consulting.  Steve secured a contract with one of Indiana's larges oil marketers in Astbury's first year of operation in 1994 and he continues to supervise the client's compliance work more than 14 years later.  Steve has been the principal manager for more than 300 contaminated site investigation / remediation projects in his career.  Steve established and continues to oversee Astbury's cost recovery programs.  In addition to managing Astbury business and administration, Steve remains closely involved with the project staff lending his experience and expertise to achieve client closure objectives.

Fred Nichols: Vice President, Business Development/Senior Project Coordinator

Fred has over 22 years of experience in the environmental consulting industry, much of this as a Senior Project Manager and marketing manager. For twelve years Fred managed one of the largest independent convenience store retailers for the Midwest and has coordinated the removal and investigation/remediation of over 400 underground storage tanks (USTs). Fred managed all facets including State and Insurance Recovery resulting in millions of dollars of funding for his client's closure costs.  Fred oversaw the Indiana restoration project, which was coordinated with FEMA, SEMA, District 15 and IDEM and is the Senior Site Coordinator for the U.S. EPA Region 5 City of Martinsville, Indiana PCE removal project.

Ajit Joseph: Ph.D., Vice President, Engineering

• B.S., Chemical Engineering, Regional Engineering College, Rourkela, India
• M.S., Chemical Engineering, University of North Dakota
• Ph.D., Environmental Engineering, Utah State University
• Registered Professional Engineer (Chemical Engineering)

Ajit has over 19 years of experience in the environmental industry, with extensive experience in design, operation, and maintenance of soil and groundwater remediation systems. Ajit's experience includes risk assessment studies, determination of risk-based, site specific cleanup levels, and formulation of cost-effective cleanup goals. Additionally, Ajit works with design and supervision of remediation/process engineering, Remedial Action Plan development, site characterization studies, contaminant fate and transport modeling, resource recovery, pilot testing and treatability studies, and feasibility studies.

Mack Overton: Vice President, Industrial Services

• B.S., Chemistry, Wabash College

Mack has over 13 years of experience as a Senior Project Manager in environmental consulting and engineering, currently overseeing regulatory and compliance projects. Mack is a Certified Hazardous Material Manager and holds the Certified Indoor-Air Quality Professional (CIAQP) accreditation and is experienced in issues regarding air emissions, drinking water, wastewater and storm water, SPCC plans, solid and hazardous waste management, community right-to-know issues, and health and safety compliance. Mack also has five years of experience as an environmental laboratory chemist and is well versed in lab analysis issues and the use of analyses in problem-solving.

Aaron M. Miller, CIH: Senior Project Manager

• B.S., Environmental Health focus on Industrial Hygiene, Purdue University
• Certified Industrial Hygienist, Comprehensive Practice

Aaron has over 14 years of Environmental, Health and Safety experience. This includes 5 years working as an OSHA compliance officer responsible for conducting compliance inspections, investigating fatalities, catastrophes and employee complaints.  In addition, Aaron has worked in a variety of industrial settings such as automotive, chemical, electronics, and construction.  Most recently he was the Regional EHS Manager for a large aluminum extrusion company.  Aaron's experience in the EHS field includes creating policy, implementing programs, corporate auditing and training hourly and salary employees. His vast knowledge includes a deep understanding of OSHA regulations, air permitting, wastewater, storm water, Tier II and TRI reporting, hazardous waste, property loss prevention and worker's compensation.

Eric McClees: Senior Project Manager/Senior Geologist

• B.S., Geology, Ball State University

Eric has over 13 years of consulting experience as an Environmental Geologist / Project Manager. Eric is a Licensed Professional Geologist and a member of the Professional Geologists of Indiana. Eric previously served as a Senior Project Manager for a large, national gasoline retailer (managed portfolio of over 45 sites) and has coordinated the removal and investigation of over 100 underground storage tanks (USTs). In addition to UST related projects, Eric has managed / completed investigations at permitted and unpermitted landfill sites, metals salvage facilities, and Brownfield redevelopment projects. Eric has also provided technical assistance to projects through aquifer testing and the completion of geophysical surveys (magnetometer and down-hole seismic methods).

Don Neeley: Senior Project Manager/Senior Geologist

• B.S., Geology, University of Illinois
• M.S., Geology, University of Kentucky

Don has over 17 years of experience as a Project Manager in the environmental consulting and engineering field. Don is a Licensed Professional Geologist in Indiana, a Certified Professional Geologist in Kentucky, and a Certified Hazardous Material Manager. Don is currently overseeing site investigation and remediation projects including work at industrial facilities, trucking facilities, commercial properties, dry cleaners, airports, and gasoline stations.

Andy Hopf: Project Engineer

•  B.S., Environmental Geoscience, Purdue University
• M.S., Environmental Engineering (Specialization in Remediation Engineering), Purdue University 

Andy has over 7 years of experience in the environmental consulting industry. He is a Licensed Professional Geologist in Indiana, holds an Engineering Intern License, and a Class B Wastewater Operator License.  Andy has extensive experience in design, optimization, operation and maintenance of soil and groundwater remediation systems.  Andy provides technical assistance to project managers and acts as a liaison between field staff and senior level management.

Mary Dunlap:  Project Manager

• B.S., Public Health, Environmental Health Concentration,
• A.S., Public Affairs, Environmental Science Concentration, Indiana-Purdue University, Indianapolis 

Mary has over 15 years of project management experience specializing in the areas of occupational exposure assessments and indoor air quality.  She is a Certified Occupational Health and Safety Technologist (OHST) and Certified Residential Mold Inspector (CRMI) with  a broad range of experience working in a variety of industrial settings as well as office, school and residential environments.  Mary has recently completed the application process and is preparing for the Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant (CIEC).examination.  Mary provides additional support as an Indiana licensed building inspector for asbestos and lead and assists in the preparation of air permits, performance of air emissions compliance testing and quarterly regulatory reviews and updates for industrial clients. 

Dennis Livingston: Senior Project Manager

• B.S., Geology, Ball State University

Dennis has over 12 years of experience in environmental consulting. Dennis is a Licensed Professional Geologist in Indiana and a Registered Professional Geologist in Kentucky. He is also a Certified UST Contractor in Kentucky. Dennis currently oversees numerous subsurface investigation and remediation projects. Dennis' primary experience is related to petroleum contaminated facilities, but he also has experience with other contaminants including dry cleaning solvents and metals. Dennis also has experience in computer modeling of groundwater systems utilizing Visual MODFLOW to predict contaminant fate and transport, as well as the affects of remediation systems on the groundwater flow and capture of contaminants.

Scott Schutte: Senior Project Manager

• B.S., Biology and Chemistry, St. Joseph's College

Scott has over 18 years of experience as a Project Manager in environmental consulting and engineering. Currently responsible for wastewater and municipal projects including pretreatment programs and NPDES permit negotiations. Scott is licensed as a Class D and IV wastewater operator. During his tenure at the City of Indianapolis, Scott was responsible for the oversight of water quality and hazardous materials projects, including the oversight of City Project Managers and the oversight of environmental contracts; specifically lab services, hazardous waste disposal and spill response contracts. Scott is actively involved on the governmental affairs committees of the WEF and IWEA. Scott also has experience on Superfund remediation projects where he served as Project Engineer and Safety Officer. Scott is a licensed building inspector for asbestos and lead paint.

Jennifer Phillippe: Project Manager

• B.A., Geology and English, DePauw University
• M.S., Geology, University of California, Davis

Jennifer has over 4 year's experience of environmental consulting experience as a Geologist. While at UC Davis she worked on the complex geochemistry of an abandoned mercury mine that is an USEPA Superfund Site. Jennifer previously worked on a chlorinated solvent bulk facility site in Silicon Valley. She has experience with Mann-Kendall groundwater plume stability monitoring, monitored natural attenuation, inorganic precipitation predictions, soil gas and indoor air sampling, system mass removal calculations, remedial system design, as well as database management. She is also involved in all phases of report preparation from initial site characterizations to remedial design investigations / corrective action plans.

Jeremy Kinman: Staff Geologist

• B.S., Geology, University of Southern Indiana

Jeremy has over 7 years of experience in environmental consulting as a Field Geologist. Some of Jeremy's duties include working on petroleum related retail and terminal sites and Phase II environmental subsurface investigations. Jeremy has supervised UST closure activities in four different states, and has prepared UST closure reports. He has supervised the installation of over 1,000 monitoring wells and soil borings in the midwest. Jeremy has been the head Field Geologist for the installation of high-vacuum dual-phase extraction systems, and air-sparge and soil-vapor extraction systems designed to treat petroleum and chlorinated solvent contaminated groundwater. Jeremy has been the head Field Geologist providing field oversight for a pilot test study utilizing an oxygen-releasing compound (ORC) containing magnesium oxide being injected into the ground utilizing a Geoprobe to remediate petroleum-impacted groundwater and the Field Geologist in over 20 mine-subsidence investigations. Jeremy has experience with many types of drilling equipment and is a certified Water Well Driller for the State of Indiana (license number 2119).

Christina Gantt: Staff Engineer

• B.S., Geological Engineering, University of Missouri - Rolla

Christina has experience with environmental consulting as an Engineer. While at UMR, she worked on the remediation of a U.S. Army Corps Ammunition Depot Site. Christina previously worked with a geotechnical firm in performing the quality testing and assessments throughout the construction process of commercial sites.  Before graduating, she was a junior member of a team of solid waste specialists for a consulting firm in Arkansas where she performed slope stability calculations and hydrogeologic testing for paper mill landfills. She has experience with Mann-Kendall groundwater plume stability monitoring, soil gas sampling, and 3D Plume modeling. She has supervised the installation of monitoring wells and soil borings, and is experienced with technical writing and the permitting process.

Dan Moore: Business Development 

• University of Southern Indiana  B.S. Communications May 1993

 Dan has over 21 years of business development experience working with Legal,  Financial, Industrial, Health, Educational, Economic Development, and Real Estate, and Private Sector business helping to address various aspects of  their environmental concerns.  For ten years Dan worked for one of the largest waste disposal companies in the country, the last two years of which he worked with clients to get waste permits for landfill disposal.  Dan then worked with an environmental laboratory in the role of marketing, sales, customer service.  Prior to joining Astbury, he worked for an environmental consulting firm where he was successful in helping to secure state grant money for petroleum contaminated sites in Southern Indiana.

 Leslie Weaver-Steinert:  Business Development

• Master of Business Administration (MBA), Baker University, (June 2005)
• Bachelor of Science in Business Management, Friends University, Wichita, Kansas (February 2003) 

Leslie has more than 13 years experience in the environmental consulting industry, having performed over 900 Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, and has extensive experience in hazardous materials removal operations; asbestos surveys and abatement oversight; and lead-based paint risk assessments.  She has performed marketing and business development activities for more than 15 years in various industries.  Additionally, Leslie has commercial real estate experience providing entitlement, design oversight and permitting for more than 40 hotel sites throughout the United States.

Jim Smith: Field Operations Manager

Jim coordinates site work with subcontractors and manages all field operations. He has been with Astbury for 14 years, and works closely with the Project Managers and Engineers on remediation proposals, system specifications, and system maintenance. While at Astbury, he has overseen the implementation and closure of over 35 environmental remediation systems. Jim also has experience with municipal waste water treatment facilities, industrial waste water treatment facilities, and chemical treatment of boilers, cooling towers, and mechanical chillers, and industrial maintenance including electrical, plumbing, building and machine maintenance.

Robert Bryant: Senior Field Engineer

Bob has been in the environmental field for 15 years and has been involved in virtually all phases of site remediation from pilot testing to site closure. He has overseen remediation system construction and installation of more than 30 systems, including multi-phase extraction, air sparge and soil venting, pump and treat, and soil farming. Bob has experience in system startup and adjustment, electrical and mechanical troubleshooting and repair, surveying, process and monitoring well installation, soil, water, and air sampling.

John Laatsch: Project Manager

·     B.S., Crop and Soil Science, Michigan State University

John has 17 years of varied experience in the environmental industry.  He is responsible for field management of Phase II subsurface investigations, as well as soil and groundwater sampling.  He is also responsible for completion of quarterly corrective action plan progress reports for approximately 25 petroleum release sites.  He has managed hundreds of Phase II investigations and UST closures for petroleum and solvent contamination.  Experience includes all project phases from bid preparation, supervision of field activities, and reporting; through negotiation with regulating agencies for site closure.  John also has experience in site remediation system design, installation, and maintenance; and as an environmental driller.  Drilling experience includes soil boring advancement and groundwater monitoring and remediation well installation in various settings ranging from landfill and industrial sites to USEPA Superfund Sites requiring level B PPE.