Past Presidents

Mike is a Lead Project Engineer with Wright-Pierce, specializing in drainage conveyance and stormwater management. Prior to serving on the MEWEA executive board, he served as MEWEA Young Professionals chair from 2014-2017. Mike also served as the New York WEA Capital District Young Professionals co-chair from 2011-2013, and student chapter president for Clarkson University from 2008-2011. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Maine and holds a BS in Environmental and Civil Engineering from Clarkson.

Stacy is the Deputy Director for the City of Saco WRRD. Prior to joining the team in Saco, she was a laboratory analyst with Katahdin Analytical Services in Scarborough. Before serving as President of MEWEA in 2019, she was the MEWEA conference chair for several years, a role she will be resuming in 2022. She is a Grade V-B Maine wastewater operator, Grade IV NEWEA collection systems operator and a Grade I NEWEA Wastewater Laboratory Analyst. She is past team member of the MEWEA Operation Challenge team Force Maine. In 2016 she received the MEWEA President’s Service Award and in 2018 the NEWEA Maine Operator Award. She holds a BA in Biology and Information Technology.

Paula has been in the water treatment field since 2008. She was MEWEA’s first Young Professionals Committee chair in 2011, then went on to form and chair the New Media Committee in 2014. She is the Assistant General Manager at the Lewiston-Auburn WPCA. She is also an adjunct at the University of Southern Maine. Paula holds a Bachelor’s of Natural and Applied Sciences and a Master’s Degree in Biology, both from USM. She also holds a Grade V-B Maine Wastewater license and a Grade II NEWEA Wastewater Laboratory Analyst certificate.

Matt is the third generation owner and President of the Ted Berry Company in Livermore. Matt prides himself in being hands on owner and empowers his employees to take a lead role in the company’s success. Involvement with MEWEA: Public Relations Chair (2012-2015) and coordinate Clean Water Week Poster Contest (2012-2016), recipient of MEWEA Presidents Service Award (2013) and Communications Award (2014). MEWEA representative to MWUA (2017 – present). Twitter @NoDigMaine, Cell 207-754-4282

Scott is the Director of Wastewater Services for the Portland Water District. As a member of the Senior Management Team at PWD, Scott provides leadership in the ownership and operation of interceptor sewer systems and treatment facilities serving six communities in the Greater Portland area. Before joining PWD, Scott worked as a project manager for Applied Water Management in Taunton, MA. Prior to that, he spent over nine years as an engineer at one of the country’s largest treatment plants in Newark, NJ. Scott received a MBA from the University of Southern Maine, a MS degree in Environmental Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of New Hampshire. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Maine, a Grade 5 Maine Wastewater Operator, and a Grade IV NEWEA Voluntary Collections System Operator. Scott is an active member of the MEWEA Government Affairs and Personal Advancement Committees.

2018 marked Tom’s 29th year with the Town of Yarmouth Wastewater Department, where he spent four years as an operator, thirteen years as Chief Operator and the past twelve years as Superintendent. Earlier in his career he worked as a shift operator in Concord, N.H. and South Portland, Maine. He also worked as Superintendent of the Ogunquit Sewer District. Tom has a Grade 5 Maine Operator License, a NEWEA Grade 4 Collection System License as well as a NEWEA Grade 2 Laboratory Certification. He is one of a very few small wastewater system operators to have held the office of MEWEA President and Vice President. In 1993 he received the NEWEA Maine Operator of The Year Award. A 1982 graduate of NERWI, Tom grew up in Portland, Maine during the 1960’s and saw first hand the sad state of Portland Harbor and the Androscoggin River. Changes have come slowly but surely through the years and today he counts himself as one of the many wastewater workers who take immense pride in their part as environmental stewards working on the front line of protecting Maine’s waters.

Travis is the General Manager of the Lewiston Auburn Water Pollution Control Authority. He holds a BS in industrial technology from the University of Southern Maine and a BS in industrial engineering from the University of Southern Mississippi. Current licenses include: Professional Engineer; Grade V wastewater; Grade II laboratory; Grade IV collections; Grade 1 distribution and treatment water system operator. Travis participated on the Maine ops challenge team for 5 years, served as MEWEA president, chaired numerous MEWEA committees, and also chaired the NEWEA operations challenge committee. Awards received include: NEWEA operator; MEWEA Past President; NEWEA Alfred Peloquin; MEWEA president’s service; and MEWEA Roger Gagne.

Jeff is responsible for permitting, compliance, legislative and regulatory advocacy, and safety for Casella Organics, where he has worked for the past eight years. Casella Organics annually manages nearly 800,000 tons of organic and mineral residuals with roughly 50% beneficially recycled throughout New England, New York, and Pennsylvania. Jeff is a licensed Professional Engineer in Maine and has designed or assisted in the design of several biosolids processing facilities in the State. He holds a Maine Class 4 Water System Operator license and serves as the Consulting Director of the City of Brewer Water Testing Laboratory. He has provided water and wastewater operator training in Maine and the rest of New England for over 20 years. Jeff received his BS from U Maine Orono and his MS from Texas A&M University, both in Agricultural Engineering.

Paul is a Senior Project Engineer for the Portland Water District where he participates in the planning, design and execution of the Capital Improvement Program for the water and wastewater systems in the District’s service areas. The CIP requires oversight and technical management of an average annual investment of $10M in critical treatment and pumping infrastructure, as well as the continual development of the Asset Information Management system to support the District’s long term goals with respect to cost effectiveness and sustainability. Paul has been working in the water treatment industry for 20 years with a focus on water/wastewater treatment process design, engineering management and construction oversight. Immediately after getting his Masters in Engineering from Cornell University, Paul relocated to Maine and he and his wife Stacy have been fully enjoying all that this great state has to offer ever since.

Andre was president of MEWEA 2010, is a past chair of the operations challenge committee for NEWEA and MEWEA. André started his career in the wastewater field in 1993 after graduating from Southern Maine Community College. He was hired on as a laborer for the Ogunquit Sewer District and worked his way up to the CO position. In 2003, he took a position with the City of Saco as lab technician/lead operator. In 2005 André landed a CO position with the Sanford Sewerage District. He was appointed the superintendent’s position in 2015.

Tom is a graduate of EMVTI with an Associate’s Degree in Environmental Control Technology. Upon graduation it took a few years to get in the field. Tom started his career as a Water Treatment Plant Operator for the Presque Isle Water District. Following that stint he worked over 23 years at the Portland Water District. While at PWD he served as Laboratory Technician, Laboratory Assistant and finally Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator. Tom currently works for the City of South Portland, Water Resource Protection department as the Compliance Administrator.

Darold was Superintendent of the Lincoln Sanitary District from 1981 to 2016. From 1993 to 2005 he was a Contract operator of the Mattawamkeag WWTP. He also a contract operator of the Danforth WWTP from 2003 to 2007 and 2009 and for the Brownville WWTP from 1990 to 1991. From 1977-1981 he worked at the Haverhill MA. WPCF as a senior operator, and was promoted to Chief Operator. Darold worked for Kennebec Sanitary Treatment District operator 1976-1977. Darold holds a Maine Grade 5 and Maine Grade 2 Water Operator Certification. He held a Massachusetts Grade 7 WWTP Operator Certification (currently inactive). MWWCA President 1987 and 2004. MWWCA Residuals Committee Co Chair 1988. Organized the Sludge and Residual Utilization Research Forum and served as its Chairman in 1986. Co-authored the Sludge and Residual Utilization Research Foundation proposal which became Maine Public Law #799 in 1988. Proposed and negotiated key elements of the ME. DEP Whole Effluent Toxicity Testing Rule while serving as MWWCA Government Affairs Committee Chairman. Played a leading role in the development of the MWWCA National Award Winning Sludge Utilization Video as Executive Producer. Served on MEDEP Combined Sewer Overflow Water Quality Standards Committee in 1995. Served on MEDEP NPDES Delegation Advisory Team 1997-1998. JETCC Board Chairman 2010-2016.

Howard is the Director of the Water Resource Recovery Department for the City of Saco, Maine. There he is responsible the daily operations and maintenance, funding, staffing, billing, licensing and construction and of the City’s Resource Recovery Facility and 31 Pumping Stations. He also oversees the implementation of Combined Sewer Overflow Master Plan and any separation or construction projects associated with that. Howard is a Past Speaker of the House of Delegates for the Water Environment Association and an active member of the New England Water Environment Association where he served as President of the Association in 2010. He is also a Past President of the Maine Water Environment Association.

In addition to having the privilege of serving as MEWEA president in 1999, I have served as the chair of the Residuals Committee, the Government Affairs Committee and the Communications Committee (and editor of the MEWEA newsletter). I am currently working at the Lewiston –Auburn Water Pollution Control Authority and as contract operator for RSU 14 in Windham. I previously worked for Woodard and Curran and Combustion Engineering. Licensed as both a professional engineer and a grade V wastewater treatment plant operator in Maine, protecting an improving the waters of Maine has been a challenge and a blessing for more than 30 years. I hold a BS degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Tennessee (Knoxville) and a MS degree from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst). Going forward, a special interest of mine is to help young people and the general public understand how wastewater treatment works and what challenges lie ahead in making our waters as clean as they can be.

Listed under 2009

Dave is currently Chief Administrative Officer/ Superintendent at the Carrabassett Valley Sanitary District. He has been employed in the wastewater treatment field since 1981 serving in both facility operations and management positions in the communities of Orono, Brewer and Farmington. In 1996, he became the Chief Administrative Officer for a newly formed Sanitary District in Carrabassett Valley, Maine.

Additionally, Dave manages sustainable timber harvesting on 1500 acres of forest owned by the District. The District is very involved numerous local clubs and associations for the purpose of promoting the shared use of its property for recreational trails. In 2007, these cooperative efforts were recognized with The Outstanding Municipal Landowner Award- presented by the Department of Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Mr. Keith served as President of the Maine Water Environment Association in 1997 (then known as MWPCA). During that time, was Chairman of the Mercury Task Force; this Task Force worked with the Department of Environmental Protection in an effort to make efficient and effective proposals to the Board of Environmental Protection regarding mercury monitoring in treatment facility effluent. As out-going President, he served as the Convention Committee Chairman.

Mike’s career in wastewater began as a work study student at the University of Southern Maine, formerly the University of Maine at Portland Gorham in 1975. He had been working for the public works department in Old Orchard Beach during high school, but being a biology major, they reassigned him to the WWTP. It did have a lab after all. After two years at USM, he transferred to the Wastewater program at Southern Maine Vocational Technical Institute. Upon graduation, his full-time employment began as an operator at the Old Orchard Beach WWTP in 1979. In 1980, he became the chief operator at the tannery treatment plant in Saco; and in 1981 was promoted to the Superintendent for the municipal and the tannery plants. In 2001, Mike was promoted to Director of Pubic Works, making him responsible for the wastewater treatment and collection systems, stormwater, solid waste and recycling, fleet maintenance, train station, and roads. Since 2012, he has been the manager for the Kennebunk Sewer District learning new challenges in managing a utility district. Mike has served on a number of committees for Maine Water Environment Association and served as its President in 1996. Wastewater has provided him a challenging and interesting career and he has always enjoyed working with the dedicated professionals employed in the wastewater profession. Over the 40 something years in the profession, Mike has seen many changes in the environment, technological advances, and advances in our professional’s skills and abilities. He is sure the coming years will continue to improve our water environment and provide many with meaningful and worthwhile careers in maintaining and improving our environment.

Phyllis was President of MEWEA in 1995. Prior to her presidency, she served on several MEWEA committees and chaired the Laboratory Committee. She currently sits on MEWEA’s Laboratory and Pretreatment Committees. In 1996, Phyllis served a three-year term as a Commissioner for the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission. In 2006, Phyllis served as President of the New England Water Environment Association (NEWEA) and continues to serve on several NEWEA committees. She is a published author (“Microbiology of Activated Sludge.” Published in The Journal of the New England Water Environment Association, v. 33 n.1, May 1999, pp. 39-43.) and has received MEWEA, NEWEA and Water Environment Federation awards. Phyllis is a very active volunteer for the American Red Cross and deployed to numerous Disaster Relief Operations in Maine and across the country. In June of 2015, Phyllis received the Citation for Exceptional Volunteer Service from the American Red Cross of Maine. Phyllis’s interest in the wastewater treatment profession began when she enrolled at Fayetteville (NC) Technical Community College, her hometown technical college, after a stint at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she majored in biology. At Fayetteville Tech, Phyllis sought out the majors that offered the most science courses, culminating in two choices: Nursing or Water and Wastewater Treatment Technology. She chose the latter. A few years later, Phyllis moved to Maine where she worked for two years as a laboratory technician at a Lewiston textile mill. While searching for a new job through the Maine Job Corps, a staff member told her about an opening at the Lewiston-Auburn Water Pollution Control Authority (LAWPCA) which resulted in her employment there as a Quality Control Technician, Industrial Pretreatment Inspector and Laboratory Technician. After 19 years at LAWPCA and graduating with an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration from Andover College, Phyllis spent 5 years as a Maine DEP Municipal/Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant Permit Writer. In 2012, Phyllis was recruited by the Greater Augusta Utility District, where she is currently employed as the Water Quality Coordinator. She supervises the wastewater laboratory staff, conducts industrial pretreatment inspections and teaches in-house safety, water and wastewater treatment classes. When she reflects upon her career, Phyllis says she has truly come full-circle in the wastewater treatment profession!


Doug holds a Bachelor of Science in Water Resources and Conservation and Master of Science in Environmental Engineering. He has an extensive list of licenses and certifications including: Maine Grade IV-B Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator, NEWEA Grade IV Collection System Operator.

Since April 2015 Doug has been self-employed as water and wastewater treatment operations consultant. He is engaged as a special consultant to HydroFLOW USA, Inc. to research and apply HydroPATH technology in the US water and wastewater industry. From 2005-2015 he was director of consulting for CH2M Hill. From 1992-2005 he held various Regional Manager positions with Operations Management, Inc. (OMI). From 1989-1992 he was Director of Research and Development for Dufresne‑Henry, Inc. From 1987-1989 he was Superintendent for the Wastewater Operations Division for Portland Water District. Prior to 1987 Doug worked in the wastewater field in New York (starting in 1976) and in Virginia as an Environmental Planner (1975-1976). Doug is a certified Environmental Trainer, has been involved in many publications, and has received many awards including NEWEA’s Sherman E. Chase Award (1994), Claire N. Sawyer Award (2007) and WEF’s Arthur Sydney Bedell Award (1997).

Sandy Perry has more than 25 years of comprehensive regulatory compliance experience. As the Director of Environmental Health & Safety Services and a Senior Project Manager at St.Germain Collins, Sandy manages an experienced team of EHS professionals and provides environmental, health and safety (EHS) compliance services specific to wastewater, stormwater, NPDES permitting, industrial pretreatment, oil pollution prevention, air emissions permitting and reporting, hazardous waste management, hazardous materials transportation, emergency planning, toxics use reduction, chemical facility anti-terrorism, and OSHA regulations Prior to joining St.Germain Collins, Sandy has been a municipal wastewater operator, laboratory technician and supervisor/manager, physical/chemical wastewater systems operations and supervisor, environmental compliance manager and industrial pretreatment program leader. Her varied career in the EHS industry began in 1984 after graduating from the New England Regional Wastewater Institute (NERWI). Sandy earned a BS in Environmental Engineering from University of Maine and Columbia Southern University. She has served as Androscoggin County LEPC Industrial Representative, MWWCA Industrial Representative, Government Affairs Representative, and Vice President, President, Operations Challenge Coach, and member of the Maine Chamber of Business & Industry. Her awards include NEWEA Alfred Peloquin Award for Significant Contributions to Wastewater, and the
WEF Roger Gagne Award Recipient for Excellence and Service in Wastewater Industry.

John is currently a Field Sales Representative for AR Control Services. Before that he served as Deputy Director for the City of Saco, ME Water Resource Recovery Department (WRRD) Through his tenure at Saco, he worked on many initiatives such as wind power, solar collectors, high-efficiency aeration, biosolids reduction, and geothermal energy from wastewater. During his 45 years in the wastewater industry, he has held positions in various municipal and industrial facilities throughout Maine and also as an instructor for the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission. A WEF member since 1988, John has held multiple leadership and committee roles within the Water Environment Federation (WEF), including on the Board of Trustees, Nomination Committee and HOD Budget Committee, Operations Challenge. John is also an active member of the New England Water Environment Association (NEWEA) and the Maine Water Environment Association (MEWEA). In the spring of 2013, John retired with 32 years of service from the United States Coast Guard Reserves. John has received numerous awards of merit including WEF Service Awards for Committee Chair, HOD-DAL and Trustee, WEF Fellow induction in 2014, the WEF Arthur Sidney Bedell Award in 2006, WEF William D. Hatfield Award in 1999, WEF Quarter Century Club in 2001, NEWEA Clair Sawyer Award in 2014, NEWEA Operator of the Year for Maine in 1999, NEWEA Alfred E. Peloquin Award in 1996, MEWEA President in 1983, Maine DEP Certificate of Achievement in 1995, Maine DEP-JETCC Service Award in 2001 and 2011, USCG Commendation Medal in 2008 and 2013, USCG Achievement Medal in 2001 and 2010, USCG Commandant’s Letter of Commendation in 1996, 2003 and 2005, USCG First District (Northeast) Enlisted Reservist of the Year in 1994, USCGAUX Commodore Harlan B. Bruns Award in 2005 and 2009, USCGAUX Flotilla Gold Award in 2004. John has held a State of Maine Grade V Operator License since 1979, along with holding a NEWEA Collection System Voluntary Grade IV since 1985.