Our Instructors

It is with great honor that we announce the Harpeth Conservancy has awarded Mr. Paul Davis its 2023 River Steward Award!  Paul served Tennessee's Department of Environment and Conservation for 40 years, 28 of which were as its Director of Water.  For more than a decade Paul has been a valued instructor for National Stormwater Center.

Paul's depth and breadth knowledge of stormwater is unparalleled.  His advocacy for Clean Water positively impacts the waters of the great state of Tennessee every day, and he accomplishes this through public outreach, remaining active and involved in organizations such as the National Municipal Stormwater Alliance and the Water Environment Federation. 

The National Stormwater Center celebrates Paul, his contributions to our nation's water, and his achievement as the 2023 River Steward Award Recipient!

https://harpethconservancy.org/

John Whitescarver, QEP, MS Civil Engineering

As a charter employee of the U.S. EPA (1970) John received the EPA Bronze medal for serving on the team that developed the NPDES Program, and a group award for developing the EPA's Industrial Effluent Guidelines.  As acting Chief of the Municipal Permit Branch for 10 years he was a member of the EPA team that developed the NPDES program. John is currently a national expert in NPDES policy, a member of the EPA's Alumni Association, an EPA advisor, a consultant to industry, and an expert witness.  His passion for stormwater led him to start the National Stormwater Center, LLC dedicated to training stormwater inspectors across the nation.  As Executive Director he hosts 50 inspector training events a year; including managing the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Stormwater Management Inspector Program.  John lives in Maryland and Florida, and has been publishing the Stormwater Quarterly since 1995.

Paul Davis, PE, Tennessee Water Pollution Control Director (Retired)

Retired from TDEC after 38 years of service, including 24 years as Director of Water Pollution Control, Paul is a dedicated environmentalist who understands the complexities of stormwater permitting and permit enforcement. Paul is a licensed engineer with a BS in Engineering Science and a MS in Water Resources. He is a US Masters Swimmer and lives in Tennessee.

Dan Ahern, PE, BCEE, U.S. EPA Region 4 (Retired), Stormwater Utility Manager, Beaufort, SC (Retired)

Retired from the U.S. EPA after 35 years of service, and recently retired from Beaufort County, SC where he served as Stormwater Utility Manager. During his tenure in Beaufort County, he oversaw the adoption of runoff volume controls and has published a number of articles on post-construction controls. Dan serves on a WEF national stormwater committee and has degrees in Civil Engineering and a MS in Sanitary Engineering. He lives and gives flying lessons in South Carolina.

Gianna Castro Muniz, CSI

Gianna is President of C&G Environmental Group in Puerto Rico. She was previously a chemist with the Puerto Rico Aqueduct & Sewer Authority. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the Catholic University of Puerto Rico, and a Masters of Science from the University of Lowell in Massachusetts.

Bob Gross

Formerly in charge of South Carolina’s water pollution control program, Bob Gross has 46 years of experience in environmental engineering. He developed South Carolina’s NPDES program and wrote the attendant regulations. With degrees in engineering Bob is a Diplomat in AAEES.

Jeff Hutton

Jeff is a retired Environmental Protection Specialist from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. He also served as a Technical Assistant at the Illinois Natural History Survey. Jeff has a Bachelor’s degree majoring in Zoology with a minor in Chemistry from Eastern Illinois University. As an Environmental Protection Specialist, Jeff worked on a number of tasks including reviewing permits issued by the Bureau of Water, reviewing the general NPDES Permit Program for stormwater, and dealing with issues regarding the land application of sludge containing technically enhanced radiation. He also reviewed documentation supporting Federal and State construction grants for water and sewer facilities.

Jim Newton

Jim Newton served for over 9 years at U.S. EPA. Jim has an extensive background in civil engineering and engineering science. In addition to writing NPDES permits, Jim also has extensive regulatory compliance experience in RCRA, OSHA, Air Permits, TSCA, HazCom, and HAZWOPER.

Kevin Magerr, P.E.

Recently retired from US EPA, Kevin holds an MS in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, a BS in Chemical Engineering, and is a professor at Temple University. While at EPA Kevin provided environmental assessments and mitigation reviews for NEPA, and technical expertise for stream and wetland mitigation. One of his major accomplishments and duties was the investigation of Clean Water Act compliance, development of enforcement cases, and he provided Stormwater, Combined Sewer Overflow and Sanitary Sewer Overflow technical expertise in development of injunctive relief. Kevin also served as Acting Branch Chief where he developed and implemented the Region’s first Storm Water and Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation Enforcement Programs. ​

Don Green, LEED AP

With a specialty in stormwater, Don’s background includes project management, sustainability, water quality, policy development, developing partnerships, and environmental education for Tennessee DOT, TDEC, City of Franklin, and City of Chattanooga. Working as the state's Assistant Manager of the Nonpoint Source Water Quality program, he was Project Manager of Project Wet, WaterWorks! And TVA’s Tennessee Growth Readiness and NEPA process. Green developed the Stormwater Program for Franklin, TN and became the Stormwater manager and Water Quality Supervisor for Phase 1 MS4 Chattanooga, TN.  He supervised industrial inspections and post construction, water quality program. He is a LEED AP where his interests include green infrastructure, energy efficiency and sustainability.