Accomplished Regulatory Team Lead with a proven track record at HDR, Inc., specializing in state and federal environmental policy and stakeholder engagement. Expert in navigating regulatory landscapes, driving innovative compliance strategies and fostering business development. Recognized for exceptional public communication skills and environmental compliance consulting.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
Regulatory Team Lead - Utility Management Services
HDR, Inc.
Columbia, MO
04.2021 - Current
Follow state and federal regulatory issues on water policy to educate our clients on relevant utility impacts.
Coordinate with state and federal regulatory agencies on planning, permitting, and water quality compliance for our clients.
Manage and execute project delivery for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater utility projects.
Develop integrated plans that are effective and affordable to prioritize capital and operational investments across dissimilar municipal utilities and functions.
Perform Project Management duties including tracking project financials and managing the project team.
Develop, mentor, and manage the Utility Management Services Regulatory Team, including scheduling, assigning, and reviewing project deliverables.
Active engagement in selected professional conferences and industry associations with presentations, committee assignments, and leadership positions.
Work collaboratively with the Water Business Class Leads and Market Sector Leads to market, pursue, and deliver regulatory services to existing and potential clients.
Implement effective quality assurance and quality control reviews.
Participate in building business development plans through strategic planning, budgeting, and implementation.
Provide internal leadership to develop, coordinate, monitor, and improve technical services for municipal water and wastewater support services, particularly utility planning, asset management, finance, and environmental compliance consulting.
Identify project opportunities to solve utility management drivers such as integrated planning initiatives, digital transformation, new regulatory requirements due to PFAS, and other emerging contaminants.
Work with the business development manager on marketing and strategic pursuits to market and deliver UMS services to existing and potential clients.
Promoted a positive work environment by fostering teamwork, open communication, and employee recognition initiatives.
Environmental and Public Policy Manager
Missouri Public Utility Alliance
Columbia, MO
01.2018 - 04.2021
Reviewed and commented on regulatory issues impacting member utilities during public comment periods for draft NPDES wastewater permits, draft Total Maximum Daily Load studies, and other enforcement actions drafted by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources or the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Assessed utility member water quality data to review current wastewater treatment performance and permit compliance.
Educated member utilities about upcoming Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Water Act, and Clean Air Act regulatory changes and their potential impacts on current practices, operations, and associated permit compliance.
Worked with member utilities to develop affordable compliance strategies with new regulatory requirements.
Communicated with key personnel with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the United States Environmental Protection Agency to discuss proposed regulations and their impacts on municipal utilities.
Worked with the regulatory agencies to develop effective and implementable compliance strategies providing municipal utilities with necessary regulatory flexibility and compliance schedules that meet the intent of the regulation and maintain affordable customer utility rates.
Educated municipal utilities about emerging environmental issues and how they could impact the management and operations of their drinking water, wastewater, gas, or electric utility.
Provided legislative advocacy on behalf of the municipal utility members as a registered lobbyist for the Missouri Association of Municipal Utilities.
Authored MPUA’s monthly state and federal policy update. The updates included information collected during state and federal stakeholder meetings, rulemaking, water and air commission meetings, and legislative proceedings.
Assisted utility members with submitting NPDES permit applications and SRF funding applications.
Actively engaged during industry stakeholder meetings to discuss municipal utility needs. Stakeholder meetings included the Clean Water Commission, Clean Air Commission, 4-State Governmental Affairs meetings, and Water Protection Forums.
Designed training programs for 119 municipal utility members to enhance their understanding of the new state and federal policy requirements.
Water Protection Special Projects Coordinator
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Jefferson City, MO
11.2012 - 01.2018
Develop policies and procedures for use within NPDES permits or other enforcement documents.
Train new wastewater NPDES permit writers on effective public communication methods.
Collaborate closely with stakeholders to establish clear objectives aligned with their unique needs while maintaining alignment with Department goals and initiatives.
Assist with permit negotiations related to setting schedules of compliance based on the Cost Analysis for Compliance.
Championed continuous improvement initiatives within the Water Protection Program through regular review of existing processes and identification of opportunities for optimization.
Active member on the variance steering committee for the Association of Clean Water Administrators.
Draft the Water Protection Program recommendations to be presented to the Missouri Clean Water Commission.
Participate in the rulemaking process, including, drafting, reviewing, stakeholder engagement, and sending language through the administrative process to be included in the Code of State Regulations.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Chemistry
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
05-2010
Skills
Public Communication
Stakeholder Engagement
Business Development
Project Management
Affiliations
Missouri Water Environment Association - Governmental Affairs Committee, Chair
Timeline
Regulatory Team Lead - Utility Management Services
<ul><li>Spearhead all accounting operations, including A/R, A/P, payroll, and general ledger, for a midsized financial services firm, resulting in a 25% improvement in operational efficiency.</li><li>Prepare and analyze complex financial statements and reports, providing actionable insights to senior management and supporting data-driven decision-making.</li><li>Lead and mentor a team of 5 accounting professionals, fostering a culture of continuous learning and development, and achieving a 95% employee satisfaction rate.</li><li>Collaborate with external auditors and regulatory bodies, ensuring compliance with GAAP, IFRS, and internal control procedures, and successfully navigating annual audits.</li><li>Implement and manage a new accounts payable system, reducing processing time by 30% and improving accuracy by 20%.</li><li>Key Achievement: Successfully managed a complex merger and acquisition project, ensuring seamless integration of financial systems and minimizing disruption to daily operations.</li></ul> at Security Financial Services<ul><li>Spearhead all accounting operations, including A/R, A/P, payroll, and general ledger, for a midsized financial services firm, resulting in a 25% improvement in operational efficiency.</li><li>Prepare and analyze complex financial statements and reports, providing actionable insights to senior management and supporting data-driven decision-making.</li><li>Lead and mentor a team of 5 accounting professionals, fostering a culture of continuous learning and development, and achieving a 95% employee satisfaction rate.</li><li>Collaborate with external auditors and regulatory bodies, ensuring compliance with GAAP, IFRS, and internal control procedures, and successfully navigating annual audits.</li><li>Implement and manage a new accounts payable system, reducing processing time by 30% and improving accuracy by 20%.</li><li>Key Achievement: Successfully managed a complex merger and acquisition project, ensuring seamless integration of financial systems and minimizing disruption to daily operations.</li></ul> at Security Financial Services
<ul>
<li>Spearhead the management and oversight of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) project, a pivotal national asset developed in partnership with the U.S</li>
<li>Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S</li>
<li>Department of Homeland Security (DHS)</li>
<li>Collaborate with USDA and DHS stakeholders to ensure a seamless transition of operations and mission capabilities from the aging Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) to NBAF, ensuring uninterrupted research, diagnostics, and training essential to national security</li>
<li>Lead the operational endurance phase, validating work processes and laboratory setups to guarantee compliance with the highest safety and biocontainment standards, particularly in biosafety level-4 (BSL-4) environments</li>
<li>Act as the hiring manager, conducting interviews and selecting high-quality employees to ensure the success of both DCA and NBAF</li>
<li>Serve as a subject matter expert pert for the payroll system Paychex, overseeing and approving payroll for 63 officers biweekly while managing paid time off and leave requests to maintain the security posture for the facility</li>
<li>Monitor project milestones, providing critical updates to senior management and stakeholders while ensuring alignment with USDA's mission objectives and federal guidelines</li>
<li>Direct the development and execution of strategic initiatives to facilitate efficient collaboration with federal partners, ensuring all laboratory operations adhere to regulatory requirements set forth by the Federal Select Agent Program (FSAP)</li>
<li>Foster a culture of excellence and professionalism within the team, emphasizing rigorous training, safety compliance, and operational integrity as key components of NBAF's mission to safeguard public health and the nation's food supply</li>
<li>Monitored budgeting activities by tracking expenditures and providing regular updates to management.</li>
<li>Analyzed existing processes within a department or organization in order to identify areas for improvement or increased efficiency.</li>
<li>Implemented quality control measures throughout each stage of a project's lifecycle.</li>
<li>Worked closely with senior managers to ensure that all projects were completed according to schedule.</li>
<li>Conducted research on potential vendors, suppliers, contractors and subcontractors for projects.</li>
<li>Provided administrative support to the Project Manager in order to facilitate successful project outcomes.</li>
<li>Prepared monthly progress reports summarizing key accomplishments achieved since the last report.</li>
<li>Trained junior staff on best practices for managing multiple projects simultaneously.</li>
</ul> at Defense Contracting Activity, LLC<ul>
<li>Spearhead the management and oversight of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) project, a pivotal national asset developed in partnership with the U.S</li>
<li>Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S</li>
<li>Department of Homeland Security (DHS)</li>
<li>Collaborate with USDA and DHS stakeholders to ensure a seamless transition of operations and mission capabilities from the aging Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) to NBAF, ensuring uninterrupted research, diagnostics, and training essential to national security</li>
<li>Lead the operational endurance phase, validating work processes and laboratory setups to guarantee compliance with the highest safety and biocontainment standards, particularly in biosafety level-4 (BSL-4) environments</li>
<li>Act as the hiring manager, conducting interviews and selecting high-quality employees to ensure the success of both DCA and NBAF</li>
<li>Serve as a subject matter expert pert for the payroll system Paychex, overseeing and approving payroll for 63 officers biweekly while managing paid time off and leave requests to maintain the security posture for the facility</li>
<li>Monitor project milestones, providing critical updates to senior management and stakeholders while ensuring alignment with USDA's mission objectives and federal guidelines</li>
<li>Direct the development and execution of strategic initiatives to facilitate efficient collaboration with federal partners, ensuring all laboratory operations adhere to regulatory requirements set forth by the Federal Select Agent Program (FSAP)</li>
<li>Foster a culture of excellence and professionalism within the team, emphasizing rigorous training, safety compliance, and operational integrity as key components of NBAF's mission to safeguard public health and the nation's food supply</li>
<li>Monitored budgeting activities by tracking expenditures and providing regular updates to management.</li>
<li>Analyzed existing processes within a department or organization in order to identify areas for improvement or increased efficiency.</li>
<li>Implemented quality control measures throughout each stage of a project's lifecycle.</li>
<li>Worked closely with senior managers to ensure that all projects were completed according to schedule.</li>
<li>Conducted research on potential vendors, suppliers, contractors and subcontractors for projects.</li>
<li>Provided administrative support to the Project Manager in order to facilitate successful project outcomes.</li>
<li>Prepared monthly progress reports summarizing key accomplishments achieved since the last report.</li>
<li>Trained junior staff on best practices for managing multiple projects simultaneously.</li>
</ul> at Defense Contracting Activity, LLC
<ul><li>Company Overview: Group Company of PUIG, Spain</li><li>Team Leadership & Process Excellence: Organised the transformation of the Finance & Accounts function, establishing performance-driven goals, and embedding a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Drove operational efficiency through process redesigns, SOP implementation and optimal resource deployment, leading to measurable improvements in turnaround time and accuracy.</li><li>Strategic Partnering with CXOs: Acted as a key advisor to the CEO, CFO, and other CXOs on business planning, pricing strategies, and business model pivots to support scale-up and profitability. Contributed to investor communications with data-backed insights to enhance stakeholder confidence and secure strategic funding.</li><li>Cross-Functional & Global Stakeholder Management: Functioned as the strategic finance business partner to cross-functional heads and the PUIG global finance team, aligning local execution with global financial strategies and compliance requirements.</li><li>ERP Transformation & System Automation: Led end-to-end ERP reimplementation to address system gaps, enforce role-based controls, and automate core finance processes—resulting in enhanced data accuracy, faster reporting and improved internal controls.</li><li>Costing, Inventory & Profitability Optimization: Designed and implemented plant-level costing models to ensure accurate COGS determination. Improved inventory management across pricing, consumption tracking, and aging analysis—enabling better working capital control and cost efficiency.</li><li>Manufacturing Finance & Statutory Compliance: Supervised end-to-end accounting for manufacturing operations and ensured full statutory compliance.</li><li>Financial Reporting, MIS & Profitability Analytics: Delivered accurate and timely monthly MIS reports, including P&L, Balance Sheet and KPI dashboards with deep-dive variance analysis across stores, business verticals, and geographies. Supported board-level decision-making through insightful presentations on financial health and business performance.</li><li>Budgeting, Forecasting & Business Planning: Led the Annual Operating Plan (AOP) and rolling forecasts, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and market dynamics. Monitored key financial metrics to enable business decisions and proactive cost management.</li><li>Statutory, Internal & Tax Audit Management: Finalized standalone and consolidated financials under Ind AS and IFRS, ensured timely group reporting and compliance with international standards. Delivered clean and timely closures of statutory, tax, and internal audits in coordination with Big 4 auditors. Strengthened audit readiness through pre-audit diagnostics and rectification of recurring control gaps.</li><li>Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management: Ensured end-to-end compliance which includes ROC, RBI, FEMA, Income Tax, GST, Transfer Pricing, DTAA, and Customs. Reviewed cross-border contracts and transactions to ensure arm’s length pricing, accurate TDS application, and proper documentation under Transfer Pricing regulations.</li><li>Commercial Negotiation & Contract Governance: Led commercial negotiations and structured deals with vendors and franchisees. Reviewed key business contracts to ensure financial viability, risk protection, and compliance with regulatory standards.</li><li>Treasury & External Commercial Borrowing (ECB): Managed fund planning and liquidity management including ECB drawdowns, bank negotiations, and interest optimization. Improved working capital cycles through proactive cash flow forecasting and receivables control.</li><li>Internal Controls & Governance Framework: Led organization-wide reviews of internal control systems, identified process gaps, and redesigned or implemented over 40 SOPs and IFCs. Established a governance structure for financial discipline, risk mitigation, and policy compliance across departments.</li></ul> at Kama Ayurveda Pvt. Ltd. & PUIG India Pvt. Ltd.<ul><li>Company Overview: Group Company of PUIG, Spain</li><li>Team Leadership & Process Excellence: Organised the transformation of the Finance & Accounts function, establishing performance-driven goals, and embedding a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Drove operational efficiency through process redesigns, SOP implementation and optimal resource deployment, leading to measurable improvements in turnaround time and accuracy.</li><li>Strategic Partnering with CXOs: Acted as a key advisor to the CEO, CFO, and other CXOs on business planning, pricing strategies, and business model pivots to support scale-up and profitability. Contributed to investor communications with data-backed insights to enhance stakeholder confidence and secure strategic funding.</li><li>Cross-Functional & Global Stakeholder Management: Functioned as the strategic finance business partner to cross-functional heads and the PUIG global finance team, aligning local execution with global financial strategies and compliance requirements.</li><li>ERP Transformation & System Automation: Led end-to-end ERP reimplementation to address system gaps, enforce role-based controls, and automate core finance processes—resulting in enhanced data accuracy, faster reporting and improved internal controls.</li><li>Costing, Inventory & Profitability Optimization: Designed and implemented plant-level costing models to ensure accurate COGS determination. Improved inventory management across pricing, consumption tracking, and aging analysis—enabling better working capital control and cost efficiency.</li><li>Manufacturing Finance & Statutory Compliance: Supervised end-to-end accounting for manufacturing operations and ensured full statutory compliance.</li><li>Financial Reporting, MIS & Profitability Analytics: Delivered accurate and timely monthly MIS reports, including P&L, Balance Sheet and KPI dashboards with deep-dive variance analysis across stores, business verticals, and geographies. Supported board-level decision-making through insightful presentations on financial health and business performance.</li><li>Budgeting, Forecasting & Business Planning: Led the Annual Operating Plan (AOP) and rolling forecasts, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and market dynamics. Monitored key financial metrics to enable business decisions and proactive cost management.</li><li>Statutory, Internal & Tax Audit Management: Finalized standalone and consolidated financials under Ind AS and IFRS, ensured timely group reporting and compliance with international standards. Delivered clean and timely closures of statutory, tax, and internal audits in coordination with Big 4 auditors. Strengthened audit readiness through pre-audit diagnostics and rectification of recurring control gaps.</li><li>Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management: Ensured end-to-end compliance which includes ROC, RBI, FEMA, Income Tax, GST, Transfer Pricing, DTAA, and Customs. Reviewed cross-border contracts and transactions to ensure arm’s length pricing, accurate TDS application, and proper documentation under Transfer Pricing regulations.</li><li>Commercial Negotiation & Contract Governance: Led commercial negotiations and structured deals with vendors and franchisees. Reviewed key business contracts to ensure financial viability, risk protection, and compliance with regulatory standards.</li><li>Treasury & External Commercial Borrowing (ECB): Managed fund planning and liquidity management including ECB drawdowns, bank negotiations, and interest optimization. Improved working capital cycles through proactive cash flow forecasting and receivables control.</li><li>Internal Controls & Governance Framework: Led organization-wide reviews of internal control systems, identified process gaps, and redesigned or implemented over 40 SOPs and IFCs. Established a governance structure for financial discipline, risk mitigation, and policy compliance across departments.</li></ul> at Kama Ayurveda Pvt. Ltd. & PUIG India Pvt. Ltd.