I grew up in Hopewell Township, near Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, a steel town on the Ohio River north and west of Pittsburgh. Western Pennsylvania has long been recognized as America’s industrial heartland, and growing up surrounded by steel mills and coal mines (and all their supporting industries, along with glass, ceramic, brick making and related facilities), I witnessed first hand the interactions between unfettered industrial development and environmental quality.
I was always interested in the outdoors (demonstrated by the inordinate amount of time I spent with Scouting and the Hopewell High School Conservation, Fishing and Hunting Club), and these interests and my awareness of environmental pollution problems led me to a career in Environmental Science. I have been lucky enough to have been able to take advantage of some unique opportunities, both academically and professionally.
My professional and personal life are driven by two very basic pursuits:
i) Make a difference in the world and
ii) Remember it’s about Quality and not quantity.
