Gary M. Bramble
Senior Environmental Specialist
AES/Dayton Power and Light
Dayton, Ohio
Member Since: 1993
Section/Chapter: East Central Section/Southwest Ohio Chapter
Education and Professional Credentials: Professional Engineer in Ohio, with a
B.S.in Mechanical Engineering, an M.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering, and an
MBA.
Biographical Summary:
I have had the good fortune in my career to be employed by two regulatory agencies,
three industries, and four environmental consulting firms. These experiences help me
to understand the needs and concerns of all portions of the A&WMA membership.
I co-oped from the University of Cincinnati at the integrated steel mill of ARMCO Steel
(now AK Steel).
My M.S. thesis research was performed while I worked for the U.S. EPA at their Solid
Waste Research Lab in Cincinnati. The topic was “Spray Irrigation of Sanitary Landfill
Leachate.”
I spent four years with the Ohio EPA focused on stream sampling, waste load
allocations, and NPDES permits.
The forest products industry was next – Mead Corporation. My corporate staff
environmental assignments included creating a database for analyzing groundwater
data, closing landfills, and building their Title V program.
Thereafter, I became a seller/doer and Project Director for environmental consulting
firms. First with Environmental Science and Engineering (ESE, and later with Weston
Solutions, the Payne Firm, and ERATech. I gained a tremendous respect for my fellow
environmental consultants. The skill sets required (marketing, scientific, regulatory,
and managerial) require long hours and diligence.
In the year 2000, I returned to corporate staff work, this time for the electric utility,
Dayton Power and Light. The core of my position is air quality – compliance with Title
V permits and the 1990 Clean Air Act. Now that DP&L is a part of AES, I am part of
the Environmental Policy group. A focus in 2014 was MATS. A focus in 2015 is the
soon to be finalized Clean Power Plan.
A&WMA Activities and Offices Held:
Served as the Vice-Chair and Chair of the Southwest Ohio Chapter on two different
occasions, for a total of eight years.
Served as the Vice-Chair and Chair of the East Central Section (Ohio, Indiana,
Kentucky, and Eastern Michigan, for a total of four years.
Served as a Director of the Southwest Ohio Chapter and/or the East Central Section
for the past 20 years. The dedication, quality, and diversity of the related officers has
been remarkable.
In 2009 I blogged to the home page of the A&WMA website from the United Nations
Copenhagen Climate Talks. At the Calgary ACE I was awarded the A&WMA Fellow
designation. More recently I have been on the Editorial Advisory Board of EM
Magazine. Last month I served as a judge for a student competition at the Raleigh
ACE.
Goals/Visions for the Organization:
Vision for the Association: My vision today is two-fold. The first is identical to that
of current President Dallas Baker, who cites Engagement and states, “To facilitate
engagement between industry and regulators, I want to significantly increase the
quality and number of programs that appeal to these two groups. There, in a neutral
forum, constructive relationships and dialogue are generated from two key stakeholder
groups essential to the management of air and waste.” I add that when a meeting has
industry and regulators, the talented professionals from academia and environmental
consulting participate in a very positive way.
Secondly, Climate Change. I do not want A&WMA to relinquish to others the neutral
forum and professional dialogues associated with this major, long-term, environmental
issue. Among other initiatives, we should routinely send Observers to the annual U.N.
Climate Change Conferences.
Exhibitors: Revenues from exhibitors (consultants, instruments, software, etc.) at the
upcoming ACE in New Orleans will be very important. I promise to listen to and work
to implement their ideas for maximizing information exchange and their return on
investment.
Financial Management: I have an MBA from the University of Dayton, which has
provided me with a good financial management background. I was also a General
Manager of a small environmental consulting firm for a few years, which heightened
my skills. I am concerned that A&WMA has lost members over the last 10 years and
that the financial outlook for 2015 and 2016 is worrisome. However, I am confident
that Brad Waldron will be able to build on the efforts of Dallas Baker. I look forward
to being part of Brad’s success.
Potential Contribution to A&WMA Growth: I believe strongly that A&WMA needs to
attract geologists, biologists, and engineers who are employed full-time or part-time in
environmental careers. Special emphasis must be made regarding affordability for
people in their 20’s. If I become a Director, I will redouble my efforts in this
membership area.