VISION STATEMENT
The Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC) aims to reduce or prevent the generation of pollution at its source through the dissemination of reliable, impartial, high-quality technical information, training, and services.
MISSION STATEMENT
Through strategic partnerships and collaborations, PPRC provides direct education and technical assistance to businesses, governments (local, state, and tribal), and P2 technical assistance providers (TAPs).
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PPRC aims to:
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Promote the use of less toxic chemical alternatives in a variety of industrial and commercial sectors;
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Provide technical assistance through training and advisory capacities;
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Provide current, high-quality P2 information to partners, small businesses, and industries;
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Improve businesses’ bottom line through increased efficiency and reduced liability through pollution prevention;
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Uphold trust by serving as a conduit between government agencies and facilitating collaboration;
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Prioritize communities of color that have historically faced challenges in our nation, such as socioeconomic and environmental disparities and inequity of services.
PPRC has established itself in the Northwest and nationally as an essential resource for pollution prevention. As a neutral force, PPRC educates its audiences, facilitates communication, and initiates progressive change.
HOW WE WORK
PPRC is recognized for its technical expertise in solving problems that lead to a healthier and more sustainable environment, while helping businesses improve their economic performance.
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Core to our values is the understanding that preventing pollution or waste is a far better approach than trying to clean it up after becoming an issue. Therefore, we are constantly looking for new approaches to solving problems, through opportunities such as green chemistry, safer chemical alternatives, resource efficiency, greenhouse gas reductions, green business certification and trainings, and holistic environmental assessments.
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We work in the Pacific Northwest and nationally with many different partners and truly believe in the synergy that partnerships engender. Because we are not regulators, we are considered trusted brokers of information and resources for businesses in the region, and this trust helps assure our success.
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Our Team
Ed Gonzalez
Executive Director
Ed has over 20 years of experience developing programs and working collaboratively with a multitude of environmental organizations throughout the nation. These programs include developing and sharing information resources, technical training, and promoting time-tested pollution prevention approaches designed to reduce or prevent the generation of industrial hazardous and non-hazardous waste from companies. Whether its partnering with industrial extensions, state agencies, universities, or other non-profit organizations, developing programs to ensure a safer and cleaner environment for everyone is his life’s passion.
Ed holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Texas at El Paso and, outside of PPRC, Ed enjoys fishing, camping, hiking, and cooking delicious southwestern dishes.
Ken Grimm
Industrial Outreach Manager
Ken joined PPRC after working extensively in the manufacturing sector. His jobs have included serving as Paint Foremen, Environmental, Health and Safety Manager, Human Resources Manager and Facility Manager. This experience and expertise has been invaluable when working with public agencies, business and industry. Ken has served a number of roles at PPRC. Included is IT support, environmental results measurement and as one of the chief trainers for programs like spray efficiency and fats, oils and grease abatement.
A psychology major in college, Ken enjoys a variety of activities with friends and family. His hobbies include fishing, hiking, and motorcycle riding, cooking and baking. He is returning to the pre-pandemic tradition of neighborhood soup nights on Fridays and has a locally legendary array of homemade goodies at the annual Christmas party hosted by the Grimm family.
Michelle Gaither
Industrial Engineer
Michelle is PPRC’s Industrial Engineer. She is interested in environmental preservation and conservation, climate action, and reducing exposure to toxics. She has over 25 years of experience in pollution prevention, and has contributed to a broad range of pollution prevention successes, outreach, and implementation.
She holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering (UW) and an M.S in Environmental Science (WSU). In her free time, she enjoys gardening, home improvement, weight training, and spending time with family.
Jean Waters
Program Manager
Jean has more than 25 years of experience assisting businesses in pollution prevention and sustainability, helping them increase energy efficiency and eliminate waste at the source. She enjoys collaborating with others to reduce our impact on the environment. She facilitates/manages meetings, projects, and trainings that help people think about the sources of pollution and how changes can be made to prevent it. Technical solutions are part of the answer but it takes more than a new technology or cost savings to get people to change.
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Jean has an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Kansas State University and is a life-long Wildcat fan. Outside of PPRC, Jean is the communications person for an Eastern Europe Partnership Network, she is a member of a Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO) that funds higher education assistance for women and is a member of the Mountain Area Land Trust (MALT). Jean enjoys hiking, creative menu planning, and most of all – playing with the grandbabies.
Frances Gilliland
Associate Director
Frances is an experienced program manager and team builder. She is passionate about bringing together individuals and organizations around common goals to work together toward resource conservation, environmental preservation, and equity. She has over 30 years of experience in program development, pollution prevention and green business.
She holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, cooking, reading mysteries, and spending time with family and friends.
Hugh O'Neill
Events Manager
Hugh likes people, partnerships, and personal growth. Lately, he has been using liberating structures and related tools to facilitate collaborative learning experiences. Hugh has many years of experience working with businesses to prevent pollution. He developed several alliances between public, private and non-profit organizations to reduce toxic chemical use, wastes, emissions, and costs. Hugh enjoys collaborating with people and groups to bring out the best in each other.
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Hugh has a BA in Geology and Environmental Science from Binghamton University in NY and a Masters in Env. Studies (MES) from Evergreen State College in WA. He enjoys all kinds of outdoor adventures (except yardwork), playing sports and games, being a dad and participating in enlivening communities like Camp Indralaya on Orcas Island and CIC in Olympia.
Jude Brown
Communications Director
Jude is a multi-disciplinary designer and environmental planner. She is passionate about education, environmental justice, and community empowerment. She has over 15 years of experience in graphic communications, mapping, and data visualization and has contributed to a broad range of publications and research projects.
She holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and a Master of Urban Planning, specializing in Environmental Planning, from the University of Washington.
Clayton Brown
WSA Program Manager
Clayton has over 30 years experience as a regulatory program manager for a large sewer district in Oregon, and is currently a program manager for PPRC. He is an award-winning clean water industry professional with over 21 years of pollution control and water treatment experience and helped start the Regional Preferred Pumper Program.
He holds a Bachelor of Biology degree from Portland State University and a Masters in Business Administration from George Fox University. In his "free time" he manages a little 5-acre tree farm, gardens and works in his shop on projects for his large family.
Mikey Strauhal
Environmental Outreach Manager
Michael is an experienced environmental outreach specialist, and environmental consultant. He strives to raise the standard of environmental performance and increase education and awareness. He has over a decade of experience in material management, specializing in event waste management and sustainability, with a focus on music festivals.
He holds a Bachelors of Geography and Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon. In his free time, Michael enjoys camping, rock climbing with his wife Karla, and living in different countries.
Patrick Bryan
Program Coordinator
Patrick has 27 years of experience working in the environmental field, with an AS degree in Hazardous Material and Environmental Technology. He has worked with Stanislaus County’s Hazardous Materials Division as Region Inspector; 22 years with the Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District, Environmental Department, National Pollution Discharge Eliminations Systems (NPDES) Region QSP Inspector. He has created and developed training programs for a wide range of audiences including municipal staff, industrial facilities, construction/development sector and community outreach & education program.
Patrick served as board member with the Western Sustainability and Pollution Prevention Network (WSPPN), a cooperative alliance of pollution prevention (P2) programs. Working as a consultant for the Big Fresno Fair as an environmental advisor on environmental education and exhibit development, he received the Western Fair Association Blue Ribbon Award.
David James
Civil Engineer
David is an engineer specializing in wastewater pretreatment. He is well versed in pollution prevention and applies those principles to help pretreatment programs achieve and maintain compliance with EPA rules and regulations. David has 45 years of experience providing technical assistance to consulting engineering companies, publicly- and privately-owned utilities, industry, Environmental Protection Agency, and various state environmental regulatory agencies. David is currently a PPRC Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) Trainer, a wastewater trainer, and consultant. He has been a FOG trainer and technical assistance provider for over 20 years. He has authored and co-authored several wastewater-related publications and Water Environment Federation Manuals of Practice.
He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University-College Station and is a Class A Wastewater Operator in Texas. In his free time, he enjoys cooking and writing and performing environmental parody songs.
Ed Gilmore
Program Coordinator
Ed Gilmore has more than 20 years of experience as a source control specialist with Clackamas County, Oregon Industrial Pretreatment program. Ed worked on Fats Oils and Grease (FOG), pollution prevention, and septage programs. Prior to getting into pretreatment, Ed owned and managed a restaurant for 11 years. Ed is currently a principal trainer for the FOG Abatement program training from Western States Alliance, a project of PPRC.
Ed has a B.S. in Biochemistry from Portland State University. He enjoys camping, hiking, coffee, and his grandchildren.
Angel Contreras Cruz, Ph.D.
Sustainability Expert
Angel received his Ph.D. Student in Engineering Technology Management at Portland State University (2024) and working with PPRC since July 2022. Angel enjoys working on sustainability, pollution prevention, and safer cleaners.
Angel holds a Bachelor's in Industrial Engineering and a Master's in Regional Development and Technology from Instituto Tecnologico de Oaxaca (MX). Angel's bilingual skills (Spanish and Professional English) help PPRC create educational resources in Spanish to reach out to the Hispanic community. He has experience with green certifications (Safer Choice), food waste prevention, manufacturing, and research (statistical analysis, hierarchical decision modeling, and human-centered design). In his free time, Angel enjoys cooking vegan food, listening to Latin rock music, and spending time with his family.
Adelina Balog
Director of Finance and Sustainability
Adelina is currently working as a financial analyst for Microsoft. Previous to this position she was the Business Manager of PPRC for 5 years. She volunteered for several non-profit organizations such as 501 Commons and NBIS. Adelina was always passionate about including sustainability in the accounting standards and in the triple bottom line.
Adelina has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Information Systems from the Academy of Economics of Bucharest, Romania, an MBA focused on Finance, and an Environmental Management Certificate. Adelina and her husband, Julian, are trying to keep up with their two teenage kids and enjoy playing soccer, swimming, and watching movies together
Justin Myers
Sustainability Specialist
Justin is a resilient professional experienced in supporting the execution of sustainable programs. Nature and the outdoors are central to everything he does and stands for, from his education to his hobbies and even his work. This passion has motivated him to take on key roles within the environmental field including outdoor education, ballot initiatives, and green energy.
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He holds a bachelor's degree in Environmental Ethics and Policy and completed his Global Environmental Leadership certification while studying abroad in New Zealand. Justin enjoys skiing, surfing, traveling, and other outdoor activities.
Cecile Spencer
Business Manager
Cecile has years of experience working in accounting in other industries. Her knowledge of accounting and business office environments is an addition to the organization. She has dealt with government agencies and private organizations in dealing with the regular operational needs of the business. She has been learning more about developing programs and technical training that address pollution prevention, sustainability and in helping businesses improve their economic performance.
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Cecile is an Economics graduate, and in her free time she enjoys spending time with family taking short hikes, cooking, and visiting small towns around Washington state. She also likes to travel, and loves to read, especially books about historical fiction.
Arjen DeHoop
FOG Trainer
Arjen has over 24 years experience in Wastewater Treatment & Collections in Oregon.​ He is the Stormwater and HazMat Specialist for the City of Klamath Falls and holds a certification in clean water sampling for low level metals analysis from Brooks Rand Labs.​ He is an affiliate with ORACWA IPP & Stormwater committees, and is a working Pacific Northwest Pretreatment Workshop Chairperson.
Daniela Garcia
Program Coordinator
Daniela has years of experience in environmental compliance and regulation with a history of working in health care and laboratory settings. Skilled in government program implementation, state/federal laws, industrial inspections, public outreach, and public health and safety practices. Her passion for the environment has led her to her role as a Program Coordinator with PPRC. She enjoys working on projects related to pollution prevention, pretreatment and fats, oils and grease abatement.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in public health from Boise State University. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, hiking, swimming, reading, working out, cooking, and traveling.
Riah Maxim
Digital Marketing Assistant
Riah is a versatile graphic designer passionate about social justice and equity in city planning. She uses her skills in visual content creation and data illustrations to bridge environmental sustainability with social justice.
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Riah is pursuing a Masters in Urban Planning and Design, specializing in Hazard Mitigation, at the University of Washington.
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In her free time, Riah enjoys playing strategic board games, honing outdoor survival skills she might never need as a city dweller, and creatively transforming discarded items into unexpected treasures.
Board of Directors
Gary Chittim
Board President
Gary Chittim has 25 years of experience in environmental journalism and spent 18 years as the environmental reporter at Seattle NBC affiliate, KING 5 News. During that time he provided extensive coverage on threats to the Pacific Northwest environment and how groups like PPRC are responding with innovative approaches to prevention. He was recognized with several journalistic awards and was honored by agencies such as the U.S. EPA and Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. He is now championing sustainability, waste reduction and environmental protection through his work as the communications manager for Waste Management in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia.
John Harland
Director
John was a Principal Environmental Engineer with Intel Corporation where he worked to increase effectiveness and efficiency of Environmental, Health and Safety programs. He was previously manager of Design for the Environment programs in new manufacturing technology development – to set and ensure new semiconductor manufacturing processes meet environmental performance targets and don’t cause environmental problems when transferred to high volume manufacturing factories. Previously at Intel, he developed the Pollution Prevention elements for the Pollution Prevention in Permitting Project (P4) – a collaboration between USEPA, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and Intel to develop permits that promote pollution prevention, and has had responsibility for environmental compliance at manufacturing facilities and environmental design of new factories.
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He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Edinburgh, UK, and a Master of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from the California Institute of Technology. John and his wife, Janet, have two daughters and enjoy travel, bicycle riding and getting into the great outdoors.
Erica Doctor
Secretary
Erica Doctor’s practice focuses on environmental law, land use, and litigation. Her breadth of experience includes environmental cleanup and related litigation, permitting, regulatory compliance, and dangerous waste management, as well as landlord-tenant law. Erica diligently advises businesses and individuals on permitting and regulatory compliance, and has assisted with litigating civil matters, including allocation of environmental cleanup costs and breach of contract.
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Prior to joining Phillips Burgess, Erica was a solo practitioner, and also worked for two Seattle law firms, where her practice focused almost exclusively on environmental matters. Representative work included guiding generators and recyclers through regulatory compliance issues, assisting corporate clients with stormwater permitting and management, and assisting businesses and individual homeowners in litigation and alternative dispute resolution related to environmental contamination. Erica also has worked with clients on insurance coverage issues.
Prior to law school, Erica was a reporter for a number of newspapers in King County, where she covered development of complex capital projects and land use issues.
Zac Kieffer
Treasurer
Zac Kieffer is a Senior Finance Auditor at PACCAR Internal Audit.
Tom Gallacher
Director
Tom Gallacher is a member of the Board of Directors for the NW Pollution Prevention Resource Center located in Seattle WA. Prior to this he was Director of Environment for The Boeing Company responsible for leading the development of company wide strategy and policy, including continuously improving the environmental performance of Boeing’s global operations, products and services. Prior to this role, he was Director of Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) for Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA).
Tom has also served as the site director for the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL), a former federal rocket engine and nuclear energy research facility in Southern California. The site continues to undergo an environmental cleanup for soil, groundwater and storm water contamination.
Jameson Morrell
Director
Jameson works with CH2M and with Distributed Energy Management, where he consults on sustainability, resiliency, and resource productivity. He has over 20 years of experience helping organizations develop and manage new programs or change initiatives.
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With his rich background providing services, he brings a broad perspective on environmental services to PPRC. “I am excited to work with PPRC to help protect our communities and the environmental richness of the Pacific Northwest,” said Morrell. When not volunteering with PPRC and Sustainable Seattle, Morrell enjoys his family, particularly coaching soccer or carpooling his three boys around with his wife, Christine.
Kevin Dick
Director
Kevin Dick is the former District Health Officer (retired) for Northern Nevada Public Health, responsible for protecting the health of 500,000 Washoe County residents and 4.5 million annual visitors. Prior to Mr. Dick’s appointment as District Health Officer in 2013, he served as the Director of the Air Quality Management Division. Previously he served as Director of the University of Nevada, Reno’s statewide Business Environmental Program, and as an Environmental Engineer at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in San Francisco. Mr. Dick has a BS from the Cornell University College of Engineering.
Jill Stoddard Tepe
Director
Jill Stoddard Tepe is the Continuing Education Program Manager for the Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) at the University of Washington and the Co-Founder and of the Green Lab Alliance. Jill has 13 years of global health and biotech sector laboratory experience at the University of Washington and Immunex Corporation. She developed a passion for sustainability business development and education outreach launched at Mt. Baker Bio and continued at the Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center.
Currently, Jill builds professional development courses for DEOHS in green chemistry with a focus on health & safety and serves a consultant for a UW Green Seed Fund project to improve DEOHS lab sustainability metrics, assessment and best practice implementation.
Tessa Higgins
Director
Tessa is an aerospace industry professional with nineteen years of experience leading cross functional teams establishing and implementing EHS strategies.