Conference Overview

The CLEAN Gulf 2025 program is undergoing a complete refresh — with expanded topics, brand-new formats, and more dynamic ways to learn and connect. Full session times and details will be announced soon. Until then, the preliminary agenda below gives you a taste of what’s to come!

PRELIMINARY SESSIONS INCLUDE*:

Panel Discussion: Garden Island Bay Well 59 Incident

Moderator: James Hanzalik, Vice-President, Clean Gulf Associates
Panelists:

  • Mark Mathews Ed.D., Training & Compliance Manager, Clean Gulf Associates
  • Patrick J. Bergeron, President/Partner, Forefront Emergency Management, LP
  • Brandi Todd, SSC, NOAA – Office of Response & Restoration
  • Captain Melanie Burnham O-5, Deputy Sector Commander, U.S. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans     

IMT Resiliency- Building Mental Flexibility in the Incident Management Team

  • Brad Hubbard, Emergency Response Manager, Motiva Enterprises

A Holistic Strategy for Responders’ Well-Being

  • Camilo Olivieri, Senior Emergency Management Specialist, Plains All American

Recent Experiences from Incident Management Teams (IMT) Exercise: Cybersecurity Incident with Operational Impacts

  • Cheryl Scott-Harris, EHS Advisor/Manager, Hess Corporation

Dynamic Risk Assessment and Responder Decision-Making Utilizing Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), Unmanned Ground Systems (UGS), Unmanned Surface Systems (USS), and Unmanned Underwater Systems (UUS)

  • Stephen Pepper, Sr Consultant, CTEH, LLC

Using Generative AI to Support Emergency Management in Brazil

  • Victor Rodrigues, Innovation Coordinator, OceanPact

Operational Probabilistic Simulations Applied in Oil Drift Forecast Uncertainty Assessment for Emergency Responses

  • Marcelo Cabral, Modeling Manager, CLS BRASIL

Innovative On-Line Tools for Interactive Shoreline Response Training

  • Ed Owens, President, OCC Ltd

Use of Micro Learning Challenges to improve Responder Performance

  • LCDR (retired) Shawn Essert, Director, Private Sector Operations, Emergency Management Services International, Inc.

Panel Discussion: Leading Through the Storm: Mastering Crisis Leadership

  • Moderator: Jim Elliott, Chief Operating Officer, T&T Group of Companies
  • Panelist: Frank Paskewich, President, Clean Gulf Associates

The Cyber Threat: Security Best Practices

  • Amanda Eggert, Response Management Consultant, CTEH, LLC

Panel Discussion: Maintaining Response Continuity through Workforce Transitions

  • Moderator: Bob Patterson, Managing Director, Witt O’Brien’s, LLC / Ambipar Response
  • Panelist: Allyson Purcell MEP, CEM, CMER Director, ConocoPhillips

HF-Radar and AI: Supporting Marine Oil Spill Emergency Operations

  • Fernando Túlio Camilo Barreto, Specialist in Computation Manager, OceanPact

Escalating Phase of Response: Guidelines for Air Monitoring Tactics for Emergency Response – An API Publication

  • Nick Flolid, Director Operations – Emergency Management, GHD

Escalating Phase of Response: Building a Functional Situation Unit and Leveraging Technology to Keep Pace

  • Larry Ryan, GIS Project Manager, NJ Resources, Inc.

Escalating Phase of Response Thinking Outside the Box: Cost-Effective Strategies in Emergency Response

  • Cassie Whitefield, Sr EHS Manager, and Matt Taylor, Safety Specialist, Delek Logistics

Ongoing Response Regulatory Concerns

  • CWO-2 Michael Walker, Marine Safety Specialist Response, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston, invited

Ongoing Response: Maximizing Technology to Manage a Response

  • Sean Griffin, CEO, Disaster Tech

Closing Response: What’s Involved in Getting Paid for Spill Response Services

  • Robert Simmons PE (retired), Executive Associate and Surveyor and Principal Consultant to WQIS, Environmental Science Services

Restoration and Remediation

  • Keith Nichols, Senior Project Manager/Scientist, CK Associates LLC

Mitigation Scoring

  • Brian Reilly, Director, Natural Resource Assessment, CSA Ocean Sciences, Inc. (Invited)

Regulatory Landscape of PFAS/Risks

  • Emily von Qualen, Associate Attorney, Liskow (Invited)

Benzene Persistence in Post-Fire Crude Oil Tanks Extinguished with Fluorine-Free Foam

  • Derek Kliethermes, Senior Exposure Scientist, CTEH, LLC

Emergency Response Tactics and Strategies for Responding to Lithium-Ion Battery Incidents

  • Nick Flolid, Director Operations – Emergency Management, GHD

Safety Considerations of Lithium Battery Thermal Runaway Incidents: Enhancing First Responder Preparedness

  • Stephen Pepper, Sr Consultant, CTEH, LLC

Safe Handling and Disposal of Lithium-Ion Batteries

  • Mark Steadman, Regional Program Manager, Call 2/Recycle

Surface Scent, Subsurface Spill: Evaluating the Capability of Oil Detection Canines to Identify Submerged and Sunken Oil

  • Paul Bunker, Principal, Chiron-K9 LLC

Oiled Wildlife Response Plans – Why You Shouldn’t Just Wing It

  • Daniel Wilson, Field Response Manager, Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, Inc.

Applying ICS to Wildlife Emergency Management: Comparative Insights from On-Site and Remote Coordination in Brazil

  • Pedro Furtado, Emergency Response Consultant, EnvironPact Sustentabilidade e Resiliência

Studying the Ever-Changing Cases of Oiled Wildlife Response – Case Discussions Without Naming the Cases

  • Rhonda Murgatroyd, Managing Director, Wildlife Response Services, LLC

Lithium-Ion Battery Fires – Air and Environmental Monitoring Considerations

  • Chris Kuhlman, Principal Toxicologist, CTEH, LLC

Lessons learned from the Implementation of a 24/7 Remote Monitoring Center for Oil Spill Detection via Radar

  • Ana Luisa Conceição, Emergency Consultant, EnvironPact Sustentabilidade e Resiliência

Saltwater Intrusion and the NS Oliver Yard: a Preparedness Case Study

  • Andy Pennington, Environmental Scientist, Arcadis Inc.

Beyond the Compliance Checklist: Building Sustainable Emergency Preparedness

  • Keely Fitzpatrick, Sr. ER Consultant, NJ Resources, Inc.

Thinking Like an Environmental Regulator: Roleplaying for Success

  • Abby Holovach, Environmental Manager, HOLT CAT

Mitigating Risks, Maximizing Preparedness: The Impact of Risk-Based Exercise Planning

  • Nick Furnari, Emergency Preparedness & Response Manager, Marine Well Containment Company

PREP or not to PREP

  • Shawn Essert (LCDR USCG retired), Director, Private Sector Operations, Emergency Management Services International, Inc.

The Simplified Planning “P”

  • David Thomas, Senior Consultant, Helix Well Containment Group

Discover the Pivotal Role of the Environmental Unit Leader (EUL) Within ICS

  • Sarah Hassanally, Emergency Manager, GHD

*Subject to change.

CO-HOSTED BY

Alabama Department of Environmental Management

Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality