40th Environmental Permitting Summer School

National Stormwater Trust, Inc. (NST) is a stormwater management company that recently partnered with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to provide regional stormwater treatment services for the benefit of its customers and the environment.

Through this public-private partnership with FDOT, NST develops, permits, and operates regional stormwater facilities and can permanently reserve for NST customers a specified volume of stormwater treatment capacity to offset the stormwater treatment requirements associated with any size project.

NST’s customers can fully develop their property... Read more

Doctor of Management in Environmental and Social Sustainability
Founding member of Sustainable Management Practioner (SMP) Certification
COO of LowForest LLC - Investor in Wetland Mitigation Banks
Retired Air Force Civil Engineer Officer.

KATHLEEN TOOLAN currently serves as Special Counsel for Environmental Affairs at the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). She has held this position since 2016, when she was appointed in conjunction with her effort to achieve FDOT’s NEPA Assignment. Prior to this appointment, she served as Chief Counsel for FDOT’s Administrative Law Section. Before joining FDOT, Kathleen practiced with the law firm of Levin, Papantonio concentrating on environmental law, mass torts, securities fraud and class action litigation. Kathleen also spent eleven years as an Assistant General Counsel with the Florida Department of Environmental... Read more

Christopher Torres is the Administrative Shareholder of the Tampa Office. Chris concentrates his practice on business and complex commercial litigation, toxic tort defense, environmental litigation, and land use litigation. Chris has practiced as an environmental and toxic tort litigator and has first and second chair jury-trial experience. He has both led defenses and acted as a team member with specialized responsibilities. Chris has managed and carefully worked with testifying and non-testifying experts in a wide array of scientific and technical disciplines. Chris Torres is ranked among the... Read more

My career focuses solely on improving the quality of Florida’s water resources. A stormwater aficionado who developed a love for reclaimed water, I’m passionate about judging water by its "quality, not its history". An advocate of treating water to its appropriate end use, I've been fortunate to support the development and implementation of integrated water projects and was contributory as a Past-President of the Florida WateReuse Association to the development of the Florida Potable Reuse Commission. As a water advocate, I've successfully collaborated to obtain $14 million in grants and legislative... Read more

Anthony is a Senior Archaeologist and Cultural Resource Coordinator at Ardurra, where he manages the Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Group. He has eleven years of experience managing and delivering cultural resource projects across North America, the Caribbean, and Europe within both cultural resource management and academia. Anthony specializes in assisting clients navigate federal, state, and local cultural resources laws and regulations and has assisted clients across the preservation, transportation, land development, telecommunications, renewable energy, and transmission sectors. He has... Read more

Technology Fellow at Jacobs specializing in Natural Treatment Systems. With over 19 years of experience in wastewater treatment, ecological planning, permitting and design of natural treatment systems for nutrient reduction, Rafael is a globally recognized expert in treatment wetlands. He has led large technical teams in innovative and award-winning projects, including the 4G Ranch Wetlands in Pasco County, Florida and the Ocala Wetland Recharge Park in Ocala, Florida.

I have practiced administrative and environmental law for over 20 years, and hold bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology and a law degree from Florida State University. My practice at SWFWMD focuses on regulatory matters, with a special emphasis on mitigation banking, and the setting of minimum flows and levels for water bodies. I currently serve on the Executive Council for both the Administrative Law and the Environmental Law and Land Use Sections of the Florida Bar.

I am a Senior Environmental Scientist specializing in natural resource assessments and permitting, as well as certified arborist services. I provide numerous ecological services to clients, including the following: wetland delineation, function evaluation, mitigation design, monitoring, and permitting; upland habitat assessments; coastal habitat assessments and permitting; marine and estuarine habitat assessments and permitting; protected wildlife assessments and permitting; GPS data collection/mapping; NEPA document preparation; certified drone pilot services.

As an ISA Certified Arborist, I p... Read more

Mr. Jones is a Professional Engineer with over 55-years of applied experience in the "One Water Industry".  He is a Life Member of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and was recognized as a recipient of the Golden Drop Award signifying 50-years of volunteer service.  Mr. Jones is also a Life Member of the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and a WEF Fellow. He is Past chair of WEF's Technical Practice Committee responsible for the development of Manuals of Practice (MOPs) and is a past chair of WEF's Committee Leadership Council, the management umbrella of all 37 technical committees... Read more

Mr. Whitfield has worked for a variety of public sector clients at the City, County and State level.  As a life-long resident of Florida, Mr. Whitfield has maintained a commitment to serving the community both professionally and personally.  He is the District 1 VP for the Florida Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), an alumnus of Leadership Palm Beach County, the Florida Engineering Leadership Institute, and Leadership Florida.  Mr. Whitfield also serves as a current board member for the Community Redevelopment Agency in the City of Lake Worth Beach.

Water Quality Improvement Projects
Created Wetlands
Sustainable Development

Since 1999,I have been transplanting, repairing and growing several species of seagrasses. I have completed more than 200 seagrass projects along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the United States along with the Caribbean. Many of the restoration projects typically have achieved measurable results within 12-18 months. Techniques utilized have been scientifically peer-reviewed and approved by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as well as by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

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Mary Ellen Winkler is the Assistant Executive Director with the St. Johns River Water Management District. In this role, she oversees the work of the District’s Divisions of Water Resources, Water Supply Planning and Assessment, Infrastructure and Land Resources, and Basin Management and Modeling. She also provides oversight for the District’s Real Estate Services office and Chief Resilience Officer.  Ms. Winkler has been with the District since 1999 and most recently served as General Counsel. Prior to that, she served as an Assistant, Senior Assistant and Deputy General Counsel. During her... Read more

Hello!  Let's talk about community resilience - infrastructure, natural resources, neighborhoods, and built environment.  

How can we collaborate and consider solutions for the challenges ahead?

Currently licensed as a Professional Engineer (PE) in Florida and as a Certified Environmental Professional (CEP), I use my experience and passion for the environment to make the world a better place, one contaminated site at a time.  As a Senior Environmental Engineer at Stantec, I develop strategies to address contaminated sites to achieve closure in preparation for redevelopment, primarily in Florida.  I am engaged in Brownfields and private client projects, expanding my experience across different disciplines that Stantec engages in, from Energy to Agriculture, to Community Development. ... Read more

I lead ICF's large Practice in habitat conservation planning and implementation, including state and federal Endangered Species Act compliance for state and local governments, utilities, energy companies, and private developers. I oversee and lead large, complex biodiversity and habitat conservation plans and their implementation. I also lead environmental compliance documents for these plans (e.g., National Environmental Policy Act) and integration with other state and federal regulations such as state ESA permitting and Clean Water Act permitting. We work in over 35 states and territories, including... Read more