Expert Details
Water, Wastewater, Environmental Consulting, Occupational Safety, and Energy
ID: 735707
Texas, USA
Prior to this role, Expert was the Director of Project Development for Veolia North America, the Manager of Operational Excellence for TETRA Technologies (an oil and gas services firm), and Director of Operations for CEMEX-MRT, a company producing and marketing "green" cement and concrete. He has also worked for the Port of Houston and several energy and water companies developing projects and handling their engineering, environmental and operational aspects. Expert holds civil and environmental engineering degrees (M.S. and Ph.D.) from Colorado State University, an MBA from Texas A&M University, and an MPA in environmental management and economics from Harvard University. He is an agricultural engineering graduate of the National Agricultural University-La Molina in Peru.
Expert is a licensed Environmental-Civil Professional Engineer in the State of Texas, and a Board-Certified Environmental Engineer. Expert is an Environmental and Engineering Fellow of the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science. Expert is a professor and Center for Water and the Environment Management at GĚRENS Graduate School of Business. Expert is a frequent speaker at water events and has published extensively in water, energy and environmental management.
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 2007 | Degree: MBA | Subject: Business Administration-Finance | Institution: Texas A&M |
| Year: 1996 | Degree: MPA | Subject: Economics & Environmental Management | Institution: Harvard University |
| Year: 1989 | Degree: MS, PhD | Subject: Civil & Environmental Engineering | Institution: Colorado State University |
| Year: 1981 | Degree: BS | Subject: Agricultural Engineering-Water Resources Management | Institution: National Agricultural University-La Molina |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 2019 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Consultant – Water, Environment, Energy, and Safety | Department: |
Responsibilities:Provides water, environmental, and safety consulting services to oil & gas and mining corporations; lectures on water and environmental topics to mining, utility, and energy students at a graduate school with programs in Peru and Colorado. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2019 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Director: Health, Safety, Environment & Quality | Department: HSEQ |
Responsibilities:Expert has served this industrial group as Director of Health, Safety, Environment and Quality from 2019 to present. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2017 to 2019 | Employer: Veolia North America | Title: Director, Business and Project Development | Department: |
Responsibilities:Directed business and project development for water/wastewater projects (desalination, reuse, treatment, DBO), overseeing construction projects valued at more than $100M; managed operations cost/budget control, stage-gate approvals, contingency planning, and risk assessment/mitigation; secured O&M and construction contracts for mid-size and large municipalities in Texas and Oklahoma valued at more than $100M; led a strategic growth plan (including acquisitions) targeting approximately $80M in financial/profitability KPIs. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2013 to 2017 | Employer: TETRA Technologies | Title: Operations Excellence Manager | Department: |
Responsibilities:Directed water transfer, treatment, storage, and facility construction operations for oil & gas clients across U.S. plays, Canada, and Mexico (2015–16 revenue of approximately $120M/year; staff of 300+); managed P&L, margins, budgets, cash flow, and CAPEX, achieving a 20% cost reduction and productivity gains alongside a 25% headcount reduction in 2016; managed capital construction projects valued at more than $70M and equipment/assets valued at more than $50M. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2011 to 2013 | Employer: TETRA Technologies, Inc | Title: HSEQ Director for the Western Hemisphere | Department: |
Responsibilities:Directed company-wide Health, Safety, Environmental, and Quality (HSEQ) programs, including design, monitoring, and compliance across all business units; improved key performance indicators by approximately 90% over two years; conducted site assessments, audits, incident investigations, risk evaluations, and environmental due diligence/permitting; led a team of 35 staff across the U.S., Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, the U.K., and Canada. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2009 to 2011 | Employer: ERM | Title: Senior Environmental Consultant | Department: |
Responsibilities:Led a team providing water management, environmental, safety, and sustainability consulting services to oil & gas, LNG, electrical, maritime, and mining clients and lenders; oversaw construction-related consulting on water treatment facilities, natural gas/liquids pipelines, gold mines, wind farms, gas-fired power plants, an LNG plant, and hydropower projects across multiple countries; led an HSE audit, on behalf of project lenders, of a major canal-lock expansion project with capital expenditure of approximately $5.4 billion. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2006 to 2009 | Employer: MRT a CEMEX Company | Title: Director of Operations Excellence | Department: |
Responsibilities:Managed manufacturing operations for cement, concrete, gypsum, and related products across 22 facilities within coal power plants and industrial sites, reporting to the President (approximately $150M in annual sales); directed operations, P&L, balance sheet, margins, and cash flow, achieving a 30% cost reduction in one year and productivity gains with reduced headcount; served as project manager on capital construction projects valued at more than $20M, including civil works for more than 12 settling ponds, industrial buildings, and landfills; hired, trained, and mentored more than 40 staff. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2004 to 2006 | Employer: Port of Houston Authority | Title: Senior Project Manager | Department: |
Responsibilities:Managed construction of maritime and inland facility projects valued at more than $100M, including container, petroleum liquids, and general cargo terminal and intermodal/storage assets, in compliance with engineering, ISO, OSHA, OHSAS 18001, DOT, and federal/local regulatory standards; performed infrastructure engineering and financial/cost evaluation for multiple terminals, including one in Mexico. |
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Additional Experience
| Expert Witness Experience |
|---|
| Deposed in several severe safety incidents. |
Career Accomplishments
| Associations / Societies |
|---|
| • Fellow, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). • Member, the American Water Works Association (AWWA). • Member, American Association of Environmental Engineers & Scientists (AAEES). Member of the Finance and planning Committees, and Chief Examiner for the Texas Region. • Member, Water and Environmental Association of Texas (WEAT). • Member, Society of Petroleum engineers (SPE). |
| Licenses / Certifications |
|---|
| • Professional Engineer, State of Texas. Expires: September 2023. • Board Certified Environmental Engineer. Expires: December 2023. • Certifications: Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and Associate Safety Professional (ASP). HAZWOPER, PEC Premier Trainer. Trained in Kaizen and Six Sigma. • Environmental and Engineering Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (fellowship at the US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water Washington, D.C.). |
| Awards / Recognition |
|---|
| • Outstanding Academic Partner Award, Colorado State University • Environmental Science and Engineering Fellowship, American Association for Advancement of Science, Washington, D.C. • ConAgra Agribusiness Award, Harvard Business School, Cambridge, Massachusetts • Student Excellence Scholarship to the Graduate School of Business Administration, Lima, Peru |
| Publications and Patents Summary |
|---|
| Published extensively on economics, energy, water, environment and business. Forty-three papers published in professional journals plus thirty major publications have been written. This includes one case study for the Harvard Business School. |
Fields of Expertise
acid mine water, activated carbon water filtration, aerobic municipal wastewater digestion, American Water Works Association, anaerobic industrial wastewater digestion, anaerobic municipal wastewater digestion, biological industrial wastewater treatment, brackish water, chilled water plant, Clean Water Act, cooling water treatment, conventional water pumping, drinking water chlorination, dewatering, drinking water, drinking water distribution system maintenance, drinking water treatment, energy and water management, drinking water disinfection, energy-efficient conventional water pumping, fresh water, groundwater, industrial wastewater, municipal wastewater disinfection, municipal wastewater treatment facility, industrial wastewater treatment, industrial water treatment, municipal wastewater, reverse osmosis water treatment, wastewater disinfection, water pollution assessment, alternative energy, electric energy generation, energy economics, Oil and Gas Engineering, environmental cleanup, Environmental Assessments, environmental due diligence, environmental economic analysis, environmental engineering, environmental enforcement, Environmental Management System, environmental management, maritime safety, occupational safety, petroleum, petroleum spill, petroleum pipeline, compressed natural gas, floating liquified natural gas, liquefied natural gas, natural gas pipeline, thermoelectricity