FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 8, 2019
Contact: Dr. Brandon D. Shuler
Phone: (832) 603-378
bdshuler@awsproject.org

American Water Security Project Introduces
Science & Infrastructure Advisory Panel Members

Saint Petersburg, FL – The American Water Security Project, a coalition of industry leaders, policy experts, and scientists working to promote the urgent need for wastewater infrastructure upgrades to protect waters and waterbodies across the United States, is proud to announce its Science & Infrastructure advisory panel. The panel is comprised of renowned scientists that will serve as scientific advisors to the American Water Security Project’s board of directors and policy advisory panel when developing the organization’s short- and long-term goals. 

The Science & Infrastructure advisory panel is charged by the AWSP board of directors to provide staff and the board with the best-available science to develop policy consistent with the AWSP mission. In addition to their scientific advisory role, the Science & Infrastructure advisory panel will provide assistance to staff in identifying and authoring potential grant funding opportunities, provide expert testimony to legislative and agency bodies, and serve as AWSP emissaries to the public at public hearings and during public testimony.

The current Science & Infrastructure Advisory Panel members include (Complete bios and images may be found here):

Kirk Mantay

A Mid-Atlantic ecologist and nonprofit leader with over 22 years of expertise in watershed restoration and strategic pollutant load reduction. He has directed, advised, or implemented over $65 million of strategic and phased pollution reduction work at numerous conservation organizations, and currently manages a $110 million ecological restoration portfolio that spans from North Carolina to New Jersey. These efforts include sewer and stormwater retrofits completed as part of strategic pollution load reductions (Chesapeake Bay TMDL and associated consent decrees) and coastal resiliency efforts using various types of public-private partnerships to push projects through bureaucratic and funding barriers.

Dr. Frances Colón 

Former Deputy Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State at the U.S. State Department. As a science diplomat in Washington D.C. from 2012 – 2017, Dr. Colón led the re-engagement of scientific collaboration with Cuban scientists and coordinated climate change policy for the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas announced by President Obama.  Dr. Colón earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience in 2004 from Brandeis University and her B.S. in Biology in 1997 from the University of Puerto Rico. She currently specializes in advising local and national-level governments on science policy and evidence-based decision-making. Dr. Colón is a 2018 – 2019 New Voices Fellow of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine and 2019 Open Society Foundations Leadership in Government Fellow. Her South Florida Climate Justice Project will leverage her citizen appointment on the City of Miami Sea Level Rise Committee to create awareness and catalyze policy action that will counter the impacts of climate change and gentrification on vulnerable communities of South Florida.

Dr. Robert S. Young 

Director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, a joint Duke University/Western Carolina University venture. Young is also a Professor of Geology at Western Carolina University and a licensed professional geologist in three states (FL, NC, SC). The Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines (PSDS) is a research and policy outreach center serving the global coastal community. The primary mission of PSDS is to conduct scientific research into coastal processes and to translate that science into management and policy recommendations through a variety of professional and public outreach mechanisms.  The Program specializes in evaluating the design and implementation of coastal engineering projects.

Dr. Nichole Kirchhoff

Founder and CEO of Live Advantage Bait, where she raises pinfish, a vitally important species for ecosystems and recreational and commercial fishermen. Dr. Kirchhoff is a marine biologist with a doctorate in aquatic animal health, aquaculture, fisheries and conservation. Kirchhoff is also an adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University. 

Rob Turnbull

Rob Turnbull is the founding director and owner of Telchine Industries, an ozone clarifying research and development water treatment firm, and an avid boater and saltwater enthusiast. In his twenty-year career as a water treatment specialist, Mr. Turnbull has worked on aquatic and marine mammal life support systems, recirculating aquaculture systems, municipal drinking water treatment, municipal and industrial wastewater treatment systems, advanced oxidation treatment of industrial contaminated groundwaters, and bottled water systems.

The American Water Security Project board and staff are pleased with the caliber and experience the Science & Infrastructure advisory panel brings to the organization. 

“We are fortunate to partner with each of these accomplished professionals, and we look forward to their scientific knowledge and expertise guiding the American Water Security Project’s policy agenda with the best-available science,” said AWSP executive director Dr. Brandon D. Shuler. “Their guidance is invaluable to the American Water Security Project’s success and allowing the organization to deliver on its mission to protect our nations waters through wastewater infrastructure repairs and upgrades.”

To learn more about the American Water Security Project, visit: https://awsproject.org/