Leadership

Michele Coleman graduated with degrees in Chemical Engineering (BSc) and Geology (B.A., MA) from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She began her dream job working with environmental aspects of construction and mining in 1990. Since then, Ms. Coleman has worked for NB Coal Limited and its parent company, NB Power, where she was responsible for all environmental aspects of coal surface mining including permitting, water quality, and environmental auditing, construction, and compliance. For over two decades she spent overseeing that reclamation conditions were addressed at the 47 sites mined since 1977. Over that time, the scope went from addressing the basic minimum cosmetic and safety requirements, to creating ecosystems and habitats beneficial to local communities and to wildlife. This included creation of wetlands, development of pioneer forests, and shrub/herbaceous communities. Ms. Coleman, now retired, has served on the NEC for two terms, as Soils and Overburden TD Co-Chair and on the Scholarship Committee since 2014. She was instrumental in the creation of Haulin’ ASMR (now Haulin’ ASRS) which is a group within our organization of all skill levels which fosters additional research, business opportunities, networking and building friendships. She has also been Co-Chair of the Wild Women of Reclamation (WWR) group since 2014 which encourages women to feel more engaged in the organization. As a long-time active member in the Canadian Land Reclamation Association, Ms. Coleman brings a synergy of ideas and traditions to ASRS from our neighbors to the north. We look forward to having her at the helm of our leadership in 2022.

Dr. Julie LaBar, a Professor of Environmental Science and Director of Center for Sustainability at Centenary University, earned her degrees in environmental science, with an emphasis on geochemistry, at the University of Oklahoma. As a student and staff research scientist, Ms. LaBar conducted many research projects which have included long-term water quality monitoring, leachability and subaqueous disposal studies, characterization of trace metal removal products in vertical flow bioreactors, and ionic strength impacts on passive treatment system performance. and currently is. Overall, her research and teaching focus on understanding and communicating the impacts of resource extraction on the surrounding environment and communities. Ms. Labar has been a member of ASRS since 2007 and wholeheartedly believes in the ability of the society to serve its purpose to “encourage and assist in efforts to reestablish, enhance, or protect our natural resources.”

Timothy P. Danehy, QEP has been involved with the implementation of passive technology since 1996. After co-founding BioMost, Inc. in 1998, he has been responsible for the design of over 100 passive treatment systems located throughout the coal fields of Appalachia and the Tri-State mining district. His experience includes the operation and maintenance of dozens of systems for watershed groups as well as mine operators. Recent work has focused assessment and rehabilitation of large-scale systems constructed over the past two decades. He is co-inventor on several patents related to mine water treatment and his firm has constructed and rehabilitated some of the largest passive systems in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma.

Kennet Bertelsen, Senior Engineer for Morrison-Maierle’s Spokane, WA office is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and is a licensed civil engineer with 20 years’ experience in stormwater analysis and mitigation, mining infrastructure, industrial facility development, industrial wastewater treatment,and project planning/management. He routinely manages multi-discipline design teams for mining and industrial facility projects and has completed projects in ten states and several foreign countries. Mr. Bertelsen is active in many professional organizations, including ASRS. As our NEC delegate, his primary focus is to increase interest and participation of active mining and other industrial producers and operators, in addition to refreshing the Technical Divisions, tailoring them to current industry trends and the evolving nature of technology, regulation, and future planning by both the public and private sector.

Kenton Sena is a revered lecturer in the Lewis Honors College at the University of Kentucky. His research performance has been exceptional, with over 16 journal articles, along with multiple proceeding papers and book chapters. He has been honored with a vast range of research and talent awards throughout various programs involved in forestry research. Mr. Sena is very involved with the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative and the Green Forests Work program, forestry reclamation advisories, and mentoring programs. He has also been an active member of ASRS while co-chairing the Forestry and Wildlife TD and serving as an associate editor of the Journal of The American Society of Mining and Reclamation.

Sara Klopf, a plant ecologist and research associate at Virginia Tech, has a wide array of experience in forest restoration after coal mining, rehabilitation of degraded landscapes, water quality impacts from anthropogenic activities, field-testing newly developed American chestnut trees, and assessing vegetation changes in response to wetland mitigation.