2021 ELAP Conference Steering Committee Members

My name is Susana (Susie) Arredondo and I am the Laboratory Manager for San Elijo Joint Powers Authority, a wastewater facility located in San Diego County. I have 15 years of experience in the water/wastewater industry. I started my career as a Laboratory Intern at Sweetwater Authority in southern California. I have continued to grow in the field and have most recently earned a master’s degree in Environmental Management from Duke University. I grew up in San Ysidro, California less that half-a-mile from the Tijuana River. I knew little about the Tijuana river growing up—only to stay way when it rained because of the pollution. Living near the river, everyone knew the local beaches would be closed. Events like these directly impacted me to choose the water/wastewater industry. It also reminds me of the importance of a unified dialogue between regulators, utilities and the public both nationally and bi-nationally.

Charles (Chuck) Neslund is the Scientific Officer for Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories Environmental, and PFAS Practice Leader for Eurofins Environment Testing US. Chuck has worked in environmental analytical chemistry for over 36 years and works out of the Lancaster, PA location. He is a subject matter expert in HRMS analysis and PFAS analysis. He is responsible for identifying and framing trends in analytical testing and equipment. Chuck initiates new methodology and directs research and development. He has a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh (1982) and two years of graduate study credits in Organic Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh (1982-1984).

He is a member of the American Chemical Society (ACS), Chromatography Forum of Delaware Valley (CFDV), Air & Waste Management Association (AWMA), Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), and Sediment Management Workgroup (SMWG).

Michael Tooley is currently the Chief Exploration Officer at UpstreamH2O, a new company dedicated to connecting municipal water and wastewater professionals using a searchable Peer to Peer platform. Goals and aspirations are to create collaborative processes that allow information and expertise to be shared between municipal employees. Improved communication increases employee productivity, optimizes water treatment operations, and encourages employee career growth.

Relevant achievements include 20+ years of experience in the collaborative development of organizational mission and vision statements as Board Chairman and CEO. By demonstrating how to bring innovative ideas into an organization, positive professional outcomes are generated, leading to operational and procedural improvements. Mike is an avid Mountain Bike rider, hitting the trails in northern California regularly. His family remains local to the San Francisco Bay Area, and he enjoys a good BBQ with a beer or bottle of wine.

Stacey holds a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Riverside. She has over 25 years’ experience in the environmental industry. She began her career as a part-time bench chemist and over the years worked and managed various sections in the laboratory. In her current position Stacey serves as the Quality Assurance Manager for Babcock Laboratories, Inc in Riverside, CA. As QA Manager Stacey’s duties include sustaining the Babcock Quality and Management System and maintaining all laboratory certifications. Stacey is knowledgeable in ELAP and TNI requirements and is active in various committees responsible for maintaining and advancing these accreditation programs.

Dr. Agustin Pierri obtained his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Southern California and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California Santa Barbara where he worked on synthesizing photoactive pharmaceuticals and nanocarriers. He has authored many scientific publications and has given numerous presentations at technical meetings on topics ranging from inorganic photochemistry to environmental analytical chemistry. At Weck Labs, he has worked as a bench chemist in all sections of the laboratory, which includes microbiology, inorganics, and organics. Additionally, he has extensive experience developing and validating methods for emerging contaminants by sophisticated techniques such as LC-MS/MS, GC-MS/MS, and ICP-MS. Since becoming the Laboratory Technical Director in 2016, he continues to be active in developing methods for novel contaminants, as well as modernizing legacy analytical methods to lower detection limits and improve data quality.

Carol Wortham is the Quality Management Officer for the Department of Toxic Substances Control’s Environmental Chemistry Laboratory in Berkeley California. Carol has 30 years of experience in the environmental laboratory testing industry. She worked on the laboratory bench and as a customer liaison for 15 years prior to transitioning to Quality Assurance / Quality Control. For the past 11 years she has been working for the State of California. She has hands-on experience and knowledge of various environmental sample preparation techniques and analysis methods using GC-FID, GC-PID, GC-ECD, and GC-MS. She has extensive understanding of ISO/IEC 17025, the NELAC Institute (TNI), and the Department of Defense (DOD) Quality System Manual (QSM) standards and application of the standards within an environmental laboratory.

Surjit Saini currently works as the Water Quality Lab Manager at Santa Clara Valley Water District, now known as Valley Water in San Jose, CA. She has formerly held several positions in environmental testing such as Quality Assurance Officer, Project Chemist, Environmental Scientist, Auditor, and Data Validator. With a combined experience of over 26 years working for both privately held laboratories and drinking water public utility, she has hands-on experience on a variety of sophisticated laboratory equipment, and is experienced in implementing quality assurance programs. She has also worked in environmental consulting and managed field sampling and testing, laboratory procurement and audits, data management, and risk assessment efforts.

Ms. Saini has a Masters in Chemistry and Bachelors in Chemistry, Physics, and Math. She holds Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, and has completed ISO 9001:2015 and 14001:2015 lead auditor trainings.