Officers:
President: Robert Stephens, Ph.D.
Robert Stephens is the founder and current president of the Multi-State Working Group on Environmental Performance (MSWG). In addition, Dr. Stephens is an appointed member of the National Academies Roundtable on Science and Technology for Sustainability.
Dr. Stephens served a consultant to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Division of Technology, Industry, and Economics. He founded the Best Practice Network for Sustainable Development (BPN) and served as its Secretariat. In this capacity, Dr. Stephens was the principal person responsible for developing the UNEP/BPN through discussions with interested countries, businesses, and civil society organizations in countries around the world. He also serves on the Board of several nongovernmental organizations focusing on environmental and conservation issues.
After 30 years of service, Dr. Stephens retired in July 2004 from the California EPA as the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management and Sustainability. In this position, Dr Stephens was responsible for the development of and implementation of programs leading to environmental policy innovation and sustainability in California.
Prior to serving as the Cal/EPA Assistant Secretary, Dr. Stephens was the Deputy Director of the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) for Science, Pollution Prevention, and Technology. The responsibilities of this position included all laboratory, toxicology, and risk assessment functions of the Department, as well as all programs directed at pollution prevention strategies, plans, and technologies.
Dr. Stephens holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California and has held prior positions in industry and academia.
Vice President: Ed Quevedo, Paladin Law Group LLP
Ed Quevedo is a Partner and Chair of the Sustainability Practice Group at Paladin Law Group® LLP. He has over 25 years of experience advising clients on domestic and international environmental and health & safety (EHS) law compliance and litigation matters, sustainability planning and program development, and strategic Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) program development and performance counseling, both as an attorney and consulting advisor. He began to advise corporations regarding and teach university courses on sustainable development and corporate responsibility in 1994, during a period of intense program development, client advising, and university lecturing throughout Europe.
Mr. Quevedo provides his clients with traditional EHS compliance counseling and international EHS auditing program development, implementation of environmental management systems (EMS) and Sustainability Management Systems (SMS), sustainable development strategy, land use and natural resources law, green building and sustainable master planning, and water rights and water law & policy. He has also pioneered the implementation of Regenerative Management Systems (RMS), which have the potential to move organizations beyond sustainable development.
Mr. Quevedo serves on the Faculty in the MBA Program at Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco, and at the Boalt Hall School of Law at U.C. Berkeley.
Secretary: Jennifer Smith Grubb, Sustainable Silicon Valley Partnership
Jennifer Smith Grubb worked with colleagues to found Sustainable Silicon Valley (SSV) (www.sustainablesv.org) as a non-profit, spinning it off from a California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) project in 2004. Jennifer served as the Founding President and Executive Director, then as Chair of the Board, and serves as an Advisory Council member today. SSV is a business, government, and non-governmental partnership whose mission is to lead the Silicon Valley community to a more sustainable future. Jennifer also serves as Chair of the Board of Ecology Action (www.ecoact.org) in Santa Cruz, California.
Treasurer: Dave Ronald, Law Offices of David W. Ronald PC
David Ronald is an attorney in private practice in Sun City West, Arizona. He was formerly Chief of the Environmental Crimes Unit in the Office of the Arizona Attorney General. He also represented the Arizona Department of Emergency Services, the agency charged with the responsibility of handling large scale industrial accidents and natural disasters. During his tenure in the Attorney General’s Office, Mr. Ronald frequently represented the Office on environmental issues in the legislature, and has testified before Congress as the Attorney General’s representative.
Directors:
Douglas B. Johnson, Ph.D., Environmental Intelligence, Inc.
Dr. Douglas B. Johnson is actively engaged in the development of voluntary approaches and tools to improve environmental performance in U.S. agriculture. Working with major agricultural trade associations and industry groups, Doug leads and assists agricultural producers, processors and others in the nation's food and agricultural value chain with development of strategic approaches to sustainable agriculture, including national leadership roles in development of voluntary, regionally appropriate, sustainability standards for production agriculture.
Mary McKiel, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
In her position as EPA standards executive, Dr. Mary McKiel directs the agency’s implementation of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act and OMB Circular A-119, and sets standards policies and guidance for the agency regarding the use and participation in the development of voluntary consensus standards. She represents the Agency in standards policy and governance groups nationally and internationally and has participated in the development of a wide range of consensus standards including those for environmental management systems, sustainability and social responsibility. She also was involved in the origination of the MSWG.
Mary earned a PhD in chemistry from American University in Washington, DC and Bachelor of Arts degrees in chemistry and English.
Rosanne Quevedo, URS Corporation
Rosanne Quevedo is a Sr. Project Scientist at URS Corporation in San Jose, CA and a Registered Environmental Assessor. She has more than 25 years experience in environmental health and safety (EHS) compliance strategy development and implementation, permit assistance, site assessment, compliance auditing, environmental management systems design and implementation, sustainability management, environmental planning, policy development and training. She has worked extensively in a broad range of sectors, including high technology, biotech, communications, public utilities, petroleum, light and heavy manufacturing, remediation, facilities management, education, food, beverage, agriculture, and health care for both public and private organizations. Ms. Quevedo’s expertise includes: environmental and sustainability planning; international EHS compliance; education and outreach; broad-spectrum business assistance; and legislative analysis.
Ms. Quevedo has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental & Occupational Health and has completed post-graduate coursework in Environmental Geology and Law.
Denise Rayborn Wickersham
Denise Rayborn Wickersham is a long-time MSWG enthusiast beginning with her years assisting Iowa industries in environmental impact reductions through the Department of Natural Resources, continuing during years of educating elected and appointed officials on the benefits of renewable energy technologies at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, during STEPP Foundation Supplemental Environmental Projects management in Colorado, and continuing as a consultant in Austin, Texas. With a Masters degree from Lund University, Sweden, and as the State of Colorado's first "Sustainability Champion" awardee, Denise has over 17 years of environmental excellence experience.