2023 Speakers

Kurt Fullbeck is the Vice President – Development Strategies for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC). The IEDC is the economic development arm of the State of Indiana and is the primary point of contact for businesses and consultants who are wishing to expand their operations. Kurt’s career started with the City of Indianapolis where he was responsible for numerous urban in-fill projects around the city. Prior to joining the IEDC, Kurt worked as a Site Selection Consultant with Ernst & Young representing numerous clients on projects across the United States.

Sue Glick (R-LaGrange) is a member of the Indiana Senate representing Senate District 13. Senator Glick is also Assistant President Pro Tempore of the Indiana Senate, chairs the Senate Natural Resources Committee, and serves as Ranking Member of both the Senate Agriculture Committee and the Corrections and Criminal Law Committee. She is an attorney and served two terms as LaGrange County Prosecutor. She is a member of the LaGrange County Library Board and past president of the LaGrange County Election Board.

Carey Hamilton (D-Indianapolis) is a member of the Indiana House of Representatives representing District 87 in Marion County. Representative Hamilton was first elected to the Indiana House in 2016. She serves as Democratic Caucus Chair and is a member of the Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications and Roads and Transportation committees. She is also a member of the Statutory Committee on Ethics and is founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Indiana Legislative Trails Caucus. Outside of the part-time legislature, Carey Hamilton is an executive in the climate tech sector. She has also served as a nonprofit executive and has worked in the environmental field for more than 25 years.

Mark Heirbrandt is Hamilton County Commissioner for District 3, a role he has held since 2013. In addition to Mark’s responsibilities as Hamilton County Commissioner, he collaborates across the state with other counties and commissioners to implement best practices as the current president of the Indiana Association of County Commissioners (IACC). He has received several public service awards, including the Advocate of the Year Award from the Humane Society for Hamilton County, recognition for Exceptional Leadership and Service from the Hamilton County Leadership Academy, the IACC Award for Outstanding Team Effort for County Commissioners in 2017, and awards from the Association of Indiana Counties: the Local Government Cooperation Award in 2015, 2016, and 2019, the County Achievement Award. In addition to serving as county commissioner, Mark serves as an Executive Board Member for the Humane Society for Hamilton County, an Executive Board Member for the Metropolitan Planning Organization, and on the Hamilton County Community Foundation and the Big Cicero Regional Board. Mark has lived in Hamilton County for over 32 years with his family --- wife Gina, sons Blake, Ethan, and Evan.

Dylan Lambermont is Executive Vice President and Head of the Drinking Water Group at Wessler Engineering. He has been employed with Wessler since May of 2006. He manages the design and construction of source water, water treatment, water distribution and water storage projects along with studies of drinking water systems, master plans and hydraulic and water quality evaluations. His projects have been funded by local, state, and federal funds, including Indiana State Revolving Fund (SRF) Loan Program, Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) and Rural Development grants and loans. Dylan has worked on a broad variety of projects for systems as small as 150 service connections to the largest water systems in the State, and managed construction projects that range in value from less than $50,000 to more than $15 million in construction costs.

Garth Lindner is the Manager of the Resource Assessment Section in the Division of Water at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. The Resource Assessment Section is deeply involved with the state’s instrumentation network. The section is primarily tasked with assessing the water resources throughout Indiana, largely focused on groundwater with some work in the surface water (stream gages, fluvial erosion, lakes) and atmospheric (mesonet, drought monitoring) realms. Garth holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana University and a PhD from University of Maryland – Baltimore Campus in the fields of Geography and Environmental Sciences. Dr. Lindner’s professional interests include watershed hydrology, hydrogeology, and fluvial processes. He is an adjunct faculty member in the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.

Dr. Lu Liu is an Assistant Professor in the Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering Department at Iowa State University. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Environmental Science from the University of Oklahoma and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland. Professor Liu’s research focuses on the impact of climate change on water resources and adaptations in the water sector to climate change. Her research group seeks to facilitate sustainable water resource planning via robust decision-making tool development and active science-policy integration.

Julie Loehr is currently working as the Southwest Program Manager for Conservation Cropping Services Initiative, a program of the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (IASWCD). Her job there is to assist local Soil and Water Conservation Districts with improving soil health on Indiana cropland. Prior to taking this position, she was a watershed coordinator for Gibson and Pike SWCDs. She has worked for ten years as a watershed coordinator on Lower Patoka, Middle Patoka, Lower East Fork White, and Gibson Pigeon watersheds covering seven counties in southwest Indiana. Julie has worked through the 319 grant program to write three approved watershed management plans and has worked on four watershed implementation projects. Julie also partners with her husband managing their farm in Gibson County and assists her daughter with the “Learning to Lope” horse riding business by taking care of the horses.

Matt Meersman developed a strong connection to the water growing up near the St. Joseph River in South Bend, IN. In the summer he played in the river during the week and traveled two hours away to his family's lake cottage on the weekend. His mind was blown when he realized the lake was connected to the river and the water was all the same. He now works as the Director of the St. Joseph River Basin Commission and serves as the President of the Friends of the St. Joe River Association. His passion for the water comes from a love of being on and in it. When he is not working on watershed projects, you will find him paddling canoes and kayaks on lakes and rivers throughout the Great Lakes region and beyond.

Jim McGoff is Chief Operating Officer and Director of Environmental Programs of the Indiana Finance Authority and has also served as the Finance Authority's General Counsel. Prior to joining State government, Jim was a partner in the Indianapolis law firm Bingham McHale LLP (currently, Dentons, LLP), where he was a member of the firm's public finance practice group, representing the State of Indiana and many Indiana cities and towns with their municipal borrowing needs. He is a past member of the US EPA Environmental Financial Advisory Board (2016-2021), US EPA SRF State Workshop and the Council of Infrastructure Financing Authorities, serving as President from 2020-2022. Jim was also a member of the Great Lakes Protection Fund - Advisory Board. Mr. McGoff is a past member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers, Indiana and American Bar Associations and is a Certified Public Accountant (Inactive). He graduated with a degree in Accounting from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business and earned a J.D. from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

Jenny draws on more than 30 years of experience in the engineering world in her role as Burke engineering department director. She is passionate about creating safe, beautiful spaces for our communities that are also sustainable for the long term. Jenny previously served as the city engineer in Lafayette, leading a variety of projects ranging from drainage and streetscape improvements, to pedestrian bridges and sewer tunnels. Her public sector experience translates to a better understanding for clients’ needs and a comprehensive approach to devising solutions. As the director of engineering, Jenny leads a creative and outgoing team of engineers well-versed in civil- and water resources-based projects.

Julie Olthoff (R-Crown Point) is Indiana State Representative for House District 19, representing parts of Lake County and Porter County. She is currently serving in her 4th term in the Indiana House of Representatives. Rep. Olthoff serves on 3 committees: Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development; Family, Children and Human Affairs; and Rules and Legislative Procedures. While working her way through college at Indiana University Northwest, Representative Olthoff began as a graphic artist and worked her way to art director. She then started her own marketing company, VIA Marketing, and currently has 6 employees. They have been serving Northwest Indiana for over 35 years. She and her husband, Ron Olthoff, have been on many mission trips to Argentina and Brazil, and she has a strong passion for her hobby, pottery.

Carrie Parmenter is the Lower Wabash Project Director for The Nature Conservancy. Carrie has an Agriculture degree from Truman State University with an emphasis in Natural Resource Conservation and over 13 years of experience in conservation. She worked for local Soil and Water Conservation Districts prior to joining The Nature Conservancy. Carrie’s work in the Lower Wabash is aimed at increasing resiliency and biodiversity in the floodplains and improving water quality and soil health through regenerative ag practices.

Sara Peel, CLM has over 20 years of water quality and watershed management experience as owner and environmental scientist with Arion Consultants and Auburn Street Consulting. She received her B.S. in Biology and Chemistry from Alma College and her M.S. in Environmental Science from Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs. She serves as the treasurer for the Indiana Lakes Management Society and on the National Water Quality Monitoring Council and previously was a board member on the Indiana Water Monitoring Council and on the Purdue University School of Agriculture Dean’s Advisory Council.

Matt Prater is a Branch Chief for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) – Drinking Water Branch and has worked for IDEM since 2011. Work duties at IDEM include helping staff implement the Safe Drinking Water Act regulations, assisting Public Water System owners/operators, responding to media questions, responding to emergency events, and working on special sampling projects. Matt graduated from Ball State University in 2009 with a B.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Management and a Minor in Chemistry. He also received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Bellevue University in 2013. Matt currently resides in Indianapolis, IN with his wife and four children.

Erin Shoup grew up in Lowell, Indiana, where her grandfather was a farmer. She left Lowell for Evansville, where she graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a Marketing degree. Erin has worked in an administrative role for the Vanderburgh County Soil and Water Conservation District for 10 years. Erin has written many grants for the SWCD and has found partnering with neighboring counties is always best for successful grants.

Nathan Stoelting is a District Support Specialist with the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA). He has worked for ISDA since 2008. Prior to that position he worked as a technician for a Soil and Water Conservation District. Nathan currently assists districts in their strategic planning, training, and grant administration. Along with working full time for ISDA, Nathan helps his father and brother run a grain farm in southern Indiana. He has been married for 23 years and he and his wife have 3 children.

Maggie Sullivan has worked for Friends of Lake Monroe for the past four years as the Lake Monroe Watershed Coordinator. She holds a degree in Agricultural Engineering from Purdue University and is a lifelong Girl Scout. Over the last twenty years, she has worked in the fields of environmental consulting, environmental education, and agriculture.

Kristi Todd works as a watershed specialist for northeastern Indiana in the Watershed Planning and Restoration Section at IDEM. She manages nonpoint source grants for IDEM and supports integration of watershed planning and nonpoint source pollution reduction strategies in her service area.

Marlon Webb is the Senior Director of Regional Economic Development at Indy Chamber. He worked at Indy Chamber previously for five years as a Senior Project Manager. Between those appointments at Indy Chamber, Webb was a Project Consultant and Director of Community and Economic Development at The Veridus Group. He volunteers as a board member of Intend Indiana, Leadership Hendricks County, and the Fathers and Families Center. Webb holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington.

Andrew Whelton is a Professor of civil and environmental engineering at Purdue University with 20 years’ experience helping utilities and communities address health risks. He’s often called into nationally significant US disasters including the 2014 chemical spill in West Virginia, 2018 Camp Fire in California, 2021 Marshall Fire in Colorado, and jet fuel spill in Hawaii. In 2023, his teams provided support to communities impacted by the train derailment chemical spill in Ohio. His advice has also been sought by Canadian authorities for wildfire disaster response and recovery when water utilities are damaged.

Jack Wittman is Vice President and Principal Water Resources Hydrologist at Intera, Inc. Prior to joining Intera, Dr. Wittman founded his own consulting firm, Wittman Hydro. He works and loves in Bloomington, Indiana, and has consulted for state agencies, the Indiana General Assembly, and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, in addition to clients across the U.S. and internationally. Dr. Wittman holds a Ph.D. in environmental science from Indiana University and is a Certified Ground Water Professional (National Ground Water Association) and a Professional Hydrologist (American Institute of Hydrology).

Jeffrey Woods is a Supervisory Hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey's Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center. Jeff currently oversees the USGS Hydrologic Networks Section which is responsible for all stream gaging across the states of Indiana and Kentucky. He spent the first 10 years of his career working in support of a large restoration project in the Florida Everglades and as a scientific diver for the USGS before transitioning to his current position. Jeff has degrees in geology and biology from George Washington University.

Katherine Zaiger is the Assistant Director of Environmental Programs for the City of Bloomington Utilities (CBU). She has worked for CBU for almost two years, first serving as the MS4 Program Coordinator (2021-2022) until October 2022 where she moved to her current role. Her background is in stormwater management, green infrastructure, and ecological restoration. Prior to working with CBU Katherine worked as the Green Infrastructure Project Manager at Eco Logic LLC. While there she led a variety of consulting and stewardship projects. She has over 7 years of experience in the field of stormwater management and 8 years of experience in ecological restoration. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and a master’s degree from Oklahoma State University.