IECA7 November 2010 – The International Erosion Control Association’s membership voted to re-elect Julie Etra, MS, CPESC and Tom Williams, MA, CPESC to the 2011 Board of Directors. Joining Etra and Williams to the 2011 Board of Directors is new board member Beth Chesson, CPESC, CPSWQ.

Chesson will begin her term in February alongside fellow Board members Julie Etra, MS, CPESC, Philip Handley, REM, CPESC, CESSWI, Lee Johnson, CPESC, Sandy Mathews, Rick Morse, CPESC, Brock Peters, CISEC and Tom Williams, MA, CPESC.

Beth Chesson, CPESC, CPSWQ, is a Senior Project Manager with Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. (CEC). She graduated from North Carolina State University in 1987 with a BS in Biological and Agricultural Engineering Technology. Chesson served on the IECA Southeast Chapter’s Board of Directors as President from 2004-2010. She is currently serving on the Southeast Chapter’s Board as the Past President. During her terms as President of the Southeast Chapter, the Board developed several vital and critical Chapter programs, including the quarterly newsletter, the college scholarship program and the Environmental Connection scholarship program.

Julie Etra, MS, CPESC, Principal of Western Botanical Services, Inc., a consulting firm founded in 1993, has more than twenty-five years experience in the fields of erosion control, revegetation, restoration, botanical surveys, environmental documents, monitoring and wetlands. She has had extensive teaching experience, has produced more than fourteen publications and has received numerous awards for design work. Etra has been an active member of IECA since 1988 and currently serves on the Board of Directors as Vice President of International Development. Julie is also bi-lingual (Spanish).

Tom Williams, MA, CPESC, Director of Environmental Affairs for Midway Gold Corporation, has over 30 years experience in the project management and preparation of reclamation plans, baseline data collection projects and environmental impact assessments. The majority of the projects he has participated in have been mining, renewable energy, power, transmission and pipeline related. Williams is a reclamation ecologist and certified erosion control specialist with specific expertise in the reclamation and revegetation of disturbed lands, wetlands remediation, statistical analysis of vegetation and erosion and sediment control. He has conducted workshops on vegetation establishment, revegetation, erosion control and environmental impact assessment for over 15 years. Tom currently serves on the Board of Directors as Vice President of Marketing and is the Chair of the SOIL Fund and Technology Section 3 (Vegetation Establishment) Committee.

The IECA Board of Directors is made up of nine members, each serving a three-year term. Board positions will be decided at the Board meeting to be held at Environmental Connection 2011 (EC11), IECA’s annual conference and expo, 20-23 February 2011, in Orlando, FL, USA.

IECA would like to thank outgoing Board of Directors member Mike Chase, CPESC, CPSWQ, CESSWI for his years of dedication and service to the association. As a member of IECA, Chase has served on the Future of the Association Strategy Team (FAST), the Professional Development Committee, the Save Our International Land (SOIL) Fund, Technology Section 4 (Stormwater) Committee and the Technology Section 6 (Erosion and Sediment Control) Committee. Mike is also a Past President of the Western Chapter of the International Erosion Control Association. He has most recently held the position of President on the IECA Board of Directors. Chase will continue his involvement on the Board of Directors as ex-officio board member for the next 2 years as immediate past president.

About IECA

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) is the world’s oldest and largest association devoted entirely to helping members solve the problems caused by erosion and its byproduct–sediment. Founded in 1972, IECA is a non-profit organization that serves as the premier global resource for the prevention and control of erosion. For more information about regional Chapters, state-of-the-art educational events and materials, please visit our website at http://www.ieca.org.

Contact

Katie Laurin
+1 303 640 7554
katie@ieca.org