Jarrod Bell, Director, Division of Enforcement, Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection
Jarrod Bell is Director of the Division of Enforcement. Prior to this post he served as the branch manager of the Division for Air Quality Field Operations Branch where he led the day-to-day operations of 65 field staff across 8 regional offices. He started his career in 1991 with the Division of Waste Management in the hazardous waste, UST, and DOE Oversight programs, was an inspector for waste and air, supervised the DAQ Frankfort Regional Office, served as a technical and regulatory advisor to the air Director, and made many presentations on a variety of compliance issues. Jarrod is originally from Somerset, KY, received his BA from Western Kentucky University, and his JD from the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville.

Zachary Bittner, P.E., Environmental Engineer Branch Manager, Kentucky Division for Air Quality 
Zach serves as the Permit Review Branch Manager to the Division for Air Quality, a position he has held since 2022. He has been involved in air permitting since he joined the Division in 2013 serving as permit engineer and Combustion Section Supervisor prior to his current role. Zach graduated from the University of Kentucky with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and holds a PE in environmental engineering. 

Heather Davis, Partner, Earth & Water Law, LLC
Heather Davis is a Partner with Earth & Water Law. She is passionate about identifying and mitigating environmental risks, resolving conflicts, and maintaining compliance so her clients can focus on their core business strategies. Most recently, Heather functioned as inside environmental counsel for a global leader in the distilled alcoholic beverage industry and remains their outside environmental attorney. She has expertise in air, stormwater, and wastewater issues facing the alcohol beverage industry and is also accomplished in defending and managing toxic tort/chemical exposure, land contamination, Superfund, and products liability cases for major energy companies. Her practice also focuses on the challenges presented by emerging contaminants (PFAS), evolving climate reporting obligations, and acquisition due diligence. Heather holds a J.D. with Honors from The University of Texas School of Law and a B.A. from Rice University, and she is licensed to practice law in Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Edward Fisher, P.E., Environmental Engineer,Shield Environmental Associates, Inc.
Mr. Fisher has accrued 13 years in the environmental field as a Project Engineer.  During his career, Mr. Fisher has accrued practical consulting experience assisting many industrial facilities with industrial compliance issues including applications of the Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and the Emergency Planning & Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). Mr. Fisher has served as Project Engineer and Site Health and Safety Officer for numerous site characterization and remediation projects.  

Steve Gardner, P.E., SME-RM, Partner and Sr. Mining Engineer, Pitman Green LLC
Mr. Gardner currently serves as President of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME). He was 2015 President of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Explorations, (SME) and recognized as an SME Fellow and Registered Member.

He has an MS Mining Engineering and BS Agricultural Engineering from the University of Kentucky (UK). He has worked on mining projects throughout the US, internationally and early in his career he served on a volunteer mine rescue team.

He has served on the advisory Boards of the Kentucky Geological Survey, UK’s Mining Engineering Foundation and Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department, Friends of Coal Kentucky and the Kentucky Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. In 2011, he was named to the University of Kentucky’s College of Engineering’s Hall of Distinction.

Mining History is a passion and hobby, collecting memorabilia, writing, speaking and working on historic mining attractions.

Shawn Gibbs, Environmental Specialist, Hanson Professional Services Inc. 
Shawn has 15 years of experience navigating the Clean Water Act across multiple industries. She has successfully obtained numerous 404 and 401 Water Quality Permits across various industries, ensuring compliance with state and federal environmental regulations. She has worked with various clients in Kentucky to navigate the complex and constantly changing requirements with the Clean Water Act.

Rebecca Goodman, Secretary, Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet
Rebecca Goodman was appointed as the state’s top environmental officer in December 2019 by Governor Andy Beshear.  Secretary Goodman has spent more than four decades in service to the Commonwealth.  She most recently advocated on behalf of Kentucky utility ratepayers as the executive director of the Office of Rate Intervention within the Office of the Attorney General.  Through her work on both state and federal cases, Secretary Goodman regularly dealt with social and environmental justice issues that frequently involved low income, disadvantaged and residential customer needs. She has served as general counsel for the Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the Kentucky Executive Branch Ethics Commission and the Kentucky Electric Generation and Transmission Siting Board. Secretary Goodman also has served as the executive director of the Office of Legal Services at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet after beginning her career as a staff attorney for the Kentucky Public Service Commission.  Secretary Goodman earned her Juris Doctor from Salmon P. Chase College of Law, and her Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, Magna Cum Laude, from Kentucky State University.

Tony Hatton, Commissioner, Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection
Mr. Hatton is Commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection. Mr. Hatton has held a variety of positions in the public and private sector, including key positions overseeing environmental cleanups at Superfund, Department of Defense and Department of Energy sites. He holds a Master of Science in geology from Eastern Kentucky University.

Sarah P. Jarboe, Attorney, English, Lucas Priest & Owsley, LLP 
Sarah Jarboe is an experienced environmental attorney practicing at English Lucas Priest & Owsley, LLP.  Her practice includes environmental permitting, enforcement matters, regulatory interpretation, environmental litigation, and negotiations. She has advised clients on various environmental matters, including the Clean Water Act sections 402 and 404; the Clean Air Act; Toxic Substances Control Act; the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund); and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.  Sarah is an active member and has served in various leadership capacities on the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources and the Kentucky Bar Association’s Environment, Energy and Resources law section.  She is a frequent speaker on environmental law topics and a published author on the topic of the Clean Water Act section 404 program.  

Michael Kennedy, PE, Director, Division for Air Quality, Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection
Michael Kennedy is the Director for Kentucky’s Division for Air Quality. He has been with the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet since 2009. He started his EEC career with DAQ in source sampling then moved to Permit Review Branch. Michael also had a stretch as Assistant Director for Kentucky’s Office of Energy Policy. Prior to working for EEC, he worked in the private sector as an engineer for a small but diverse manufacturing company located in his hometown of Manchester, Kentucky. He graduated from the University of Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in Bio-systems and Agricultural Engineering. He holds a PE in environmental engineering. He lives in Lexington with his wife, Heather, three daughters, and a son.

Clay Larkin, Partner, Dentons 
Larkin is a partner in the Lexington office. Recognized in the fields of Environmental and Energy & Natural Resources Law by Chambers and Super Lawyers magazine, Clay has devoted a significant amount of this practice to representation of energy clients in the coal, oil and gas and electricity generation industries. Clay also regularly represents clients in environmental litigation and compliance consulting matters under SMCRA, the Clean Water Act and other environmental statutes, and has experience in general litigation and transactional matters in the energy and natural resources field.

Stewart McCollam, P.E., Technical Director, Air Practice, All4 
Mr. Stewart McCollam is a multi-state professionally licensed chemical engineer with over 15 years of experience in all aspects of air quality regulation with a focus on preconstruction permitting, dispersion modeling and compliance management. Mr. McCollam has assisted clients with complex air permitting and strategic compliance solutions in a multitude of industries including: distilled spirits; food and beverage manufacturing; portland cement manufacturing; commercial printing (lithographic, flexographic, & rotogravure); chemical manufacturing; glass manufacturing; and municipal solid waste landfills.  

Kevin McOmber, P.E., Regional Administrator, EPA Southeast Region 4
Kevin’s impressive 37-year career is distinguished by his dedication to community service and a deep commitment to environmental and municipal development. As a Professional Engineer (PE), he has led the design and execution of numerous large-scale public works projects across Georgia and the Southeast, focusing on sustainability, quality control, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Notably, Kevin has been a trusted partner to local and state agencies, navigating complex permitting processes and fostering collaborative relationships that drive impactful outcomes. Prior to joining the EPA, Kevin served as Executive Vice President and National Community Practice Leader at CPL Architecture, Engineering, and Planning.

Brian Osterman, Director, Division of Waste Management, Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection
Brian Osterman is the Director of the Division of Waste Management. Prior to this post, he served as the the Director of the Division of Enforcement. Previously, he was the  branch manager of the Division of Waste Management Field Operations Branch where he led the day-to-day operations of over 80 field staff across 10 regional offices. He started his career in 2009 with the Division of Waste Management in the Underground Storage Tank Branch. He later served that division as a field inspector and environmental scientist. He received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Kentucky.

Brian Otten, Senior Consultant, Trinity Consultants 
Mr. Otten has over ten years of experience in environmental consulting. He actively supports a wide array of industries including power production, plastics manufacturing, non-metallic minerals, and municipal waste landfills. The work Mr. Otten has conducted providing environmental consulting services has included work in preparation of Title V operating permits, Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) applications, and complex air dispersion modeling analyses using the AERMOD, BLP, VISCREEN, and other modeling programs. His work also includes evaluation and quantification of process emissions, regulatory analyses, and preparation of Best Available Control Technology (BACT) analyses. With an in-depth understanding of air regulations and air permitting processes, he helps industrial clients develop and execute strategies for addressing environmental permitting and reporting requirements.  

Amanda Petzinger, VP, Sustainability, Stewardship and Supply Chain Digital Solutions, Benchmark GenSuite
Amanda Petzinger is VP of Sustainability, Stewardship, & Supply Chain Digital Solutions at Benchmark Gensuite. In this role, Amanda and her team ensure the continual evolution of Benchmark’s Sustainability+ solutions in alignment with subscriber, market, and regulatory needs; provide best practice insights and thought leadership in the Sustainability space; and manage Benchmark’s internal ESG programs and initiatives.  In addition to her product management & customer engagement responsibilities, Amanda also has nearly two decades of expertise in implementing, configuring, designing, and supporting Benchmark Gensuite’s web-based applications, as well as extensive experience supporting subscribers in their quest for Sustainability & EHS operational excellence.  She also has extensive experience supporting Eco Treasure Hunt events for identifying energy, water, and carbon reduction projects.  Amanda received her bachelor’s degrees in Management Information Systems and Spanish from Xavier University in 2010, with summa cum laude distinction.

Daniel Porter, Ph.D., P.E., Environmental Engineer, Shield Environmental Associates, Inc
Mr. Porter has a bachelor's and master's in mechanical engineering from West Virginia University and a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the University of Kentucky (UK).  He was a research assistant at the UK's Division of Nephrology.  After that, he worked in the permit review branch and source sampling section at the State of Kentucky Division for Air Quality (DAQ) for four years.  During this time, he obtained his Professional Engineering License.  Since June 2019, he has worked at Shield Environmental Associates, Inc. (Shield).  At Shield, Mr. Porter works on air permit applications, air modeling, annual and semi-annual air reports, monthly emission tracking, emission inventory survey (EIS), stormwater sampling and permit applications, environmental plans, and Tier II and TRI reporting.

Annie Santos, Manager, Public Affairs, Kentucky Chamber
Annie joined the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce in December as the Public Affairs Manager. In her role, Annie focuses on healthcare and infrastructure policy, utilizing her legal background in healthcare and regulatory law. Annie is a graduate of Marian University and the University of Dayton School of Law, and during her time at Marian, she worked for the Indiana House of Representatives. While born a Hoosier, Annie is now proud to call Kentucky her home. She currently resides in Louisville with her husband, Daniel, and her two golden retrievers, Ellie and Bailey.

Maren Seibold, Managing Consultant, Trinity Consultants
After graduating from Ohio State University with a degree in chemical engineering, Maren began her career at Trinity Consultants. For the past 19 years, she has conducted multimedia compliance audits, prepared regulatory reviews and permit applications, developed emission inventories, designed and implemented compliance plans, assisted facilities with greenhouse gas (GHG) and refrigerant management, and prepared sustainability strategies. She has worked in a variety of industries including the distilled beverages, electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing, chemical, pharmaceutical, secondary aluminum, petroleum refining, oil and natural gas, electric utility, wood products, food processing, and semiconductor sectors. Maren also serves as an instructor for several courses offered by Trinity.  

Joye Beth Spinks, Attorney, English, Lucas, Priest & Owlsley, LLP
Joye Beth Spinks is an environmental law Associate Attorney at English, Lucas, Priest & Owsley, LLP in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Joye Beth helps corporate clients in various industries including water treatment, solid waste disposal, manufacturing, metals processing, and agriculture. Joye Beth advises clients on permitting, compliance, and enforcement issues under the Clean Water Act; Clean Air Act; Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act or Superfund; as well as state environmental programs. Joye Beth also regularly practices in civil litigation and advises clients in local zoning and land use matters.

Bradley Strait, Senior Managing Associate, Dentons 
Bradley is a Senior Managing Associate in the Environment and Natural Resources practice. His practice consists of aiding clients in a variety of environmental law related issues including permitting and regulatory compliance matters under federal, state and local laws, as well as transactional due diligence.