Meet the LSRPA Board of Trustees:
Rebecca Hollender, LSRP, is a Sr. Principal Consultant and Office Practice Leader for TRC’s New Providence office and the Director of LSRP Services. She is a Certified Professional Geologist and Licensed Site Remediation Professional since 2009 and has over 32 years of experience. She oversees the work completed by TRC’s LSRPs and has extensive experience in the investigation and remediation of soil, ground water and vapor intrusion impacts at bulk petroleum terminals, refineries, pharmaceutical, residential, commercial and industrial facilities, public entities and utilities. Ms. Hollender has a Bachelors degree in Geology, a Masters degree in Land Resources and Environmental Science and a Masters in Business Administration. Ms. Hollender has been an active member of the LSRPA since 2010, when she joined the Nominating Committee and subsequently served as Co-Chair and then Chair until 2020. Ms. Hollender is the Chair of the DE&I Committee, which she formed in 2021; Ms. Hollender is also a member of the Emerging Contaminants and Marketing committees. Ms. Hollender has served on the Board of Trustees since 2018, and has been a member of the Executive Committee since 2022, formerly serving as the Treasurer and currently serving as the President. In addition to her work with the LSRPA, Ms. Ward is also Chair of the National Chapter of Society of Women Environmental Professionals (SWEP), member and Treasurer of SWEP of Greater Philadelphia, NJSWEP Gala Committee Co-Chair, and an active member of CIANJ, AEG NY-Philadelphia, and AHMP-NJ. Ms. Ward spends time away from work traveling, indulging her love of photography, volunteering for Bucks County Habitat for Humanity and coaching future homeowners, and enjoying time with family and friends.
Michael Poland, Treasurer Michael Poland, PE, LSRP has over 25 years’ experience in consulting and founded Poland Environmental Consulting, LLC in 2018. He has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering and a master’s degree in Geo-Environmental Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. He has served as Secretary of the LSRPA Board of Trustees and was previously Chair of the LSRPA Continuing Education Committee.
With over three decades of dedicated experience in environmental consulting, Rakesh Ganta excels in technical and leadership roles, specializing in the petroleum, construction, and manufacturing sectors. As President of RLG Environmental, Inc., located in Elmwood Park and Bound Brook, NJ, he spearheads innovative initiatives in environmental consulting and contracting.
Candace Baker, LSRP, is a Senior Professional with GEI Consultants and works out of the Bloomfield office. With over 25 years of experience in site characterization, remediation, and environmental due diligence, Candace is a valuable addition to GEI’s well-established team of seasoned, client-focused professionals practicing throughout northern New Jersey.
Chris Casarona is the Strategic Marketing Advisor and Principal of Creative Counsel, Inc., a firm he has led with distinction since 1992. With over three decades of expertise, Chris specializes in helping small-to medium-sized, privately held companies achieve their growth objectives through a strategic, results-oriented approach to marketing. Chris has a unique depth of experience within the environmental sciences, IT, healthcare, and professional services markets. These technical B2B industries have honed his ability to align marketing strategies with complex business objectives to drive measurable and sustainable At the heart of his methodology is the development of integrated brands—a cohesive market promise supported by operational behaviors—that resonate both externally with customers and internally with teams. His work spans strategic positioning, brand communications, creative and value-based content, and the creation, launch, and management of digital demand generation campaigns that are backed by robust performance metrics. Chris’s professional journey includes over 25 years of applied strategic and creative marketing processes, offering clients a comprehensive suite of services—from strategic learning to creative campaign management. Prior to launching Creative Counsel, Chris established a solid “In my role, I help businesses uncover and articulate a unique promise to their markets, while ensuring this promise serves as a rallying cry for internal operations. When a brand’s external message and internal actions are fully aligned, companies unlock their greatest growth Chris’s visionary approach has helped countless organizations build brands and marketing strategies that not only drive demand but also attract talent to sustain measurable growth.
Charlene Drake is a Senior Principal Geologist at Terraphase Engineering with over 30 years of experience in environmental site characterization and remediation, with a focus on brownfields redevelopment, due diligence, and community engagement. She is a New York Professional Geologist and is a New Jersey Licensed Site Remediation Professional. Charlene holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Allegheny College, Meadville, PA. Charlene was the recipient of the 2024 NJ Growing Great Women in the Garden State award from NJ Society of Women Environmental Professionals and co-chairs the LSRPA Communication Committee and the Committee on Soil and Fill Recyclable Materials. She also authors and edits articles on technical topics and regulatory briefings. Outside of LSRPA, Charlene is active in the Philadelphia Urban Land Institute and has chaired their Women’s Leadership Initiative and Membership Committee and is currently co-chair of the Industrial Council. She was spotlighted in “Philly Girls Do Good”, a cohort of Women
Kassidy Klink is an Associate with Peak Environmental, a Nova Group GBC company. He has almost twenty years of environmental consulting experience in New Jersey, providing technical oversight and management for a variety of industrial and commercial clients. Kassidy, a graduate of both Kean University (BS Earth Science: Geology Option) and the University of Florida (MS Environmental Science), currently holds both Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) and Professional Geologist (PG) licenses. He has managed and conducted numerous subsurface investigation and remediation projects at various types of commercial, government, and industrial facilities. Kassidy has been happily married to his wife, Lisa, for fifteen years. He has two incredible children, Olivia (14) and Amelia (11), who attend high school and middle school, respectively. The Klink household is enthusiastic for sports, particularly soccer (New York Red Bulls) and ice hockey (New Jersey Devils). As each child plays for club teams, there are a lot of sports going on at home in real life or being watched on television. Kassidy, a long-time resident of Old Bridge, enjoys listening to science fiction and fantasy audiobooks in his free time, especially when taking his kids to practice or games.
Anita Locke is a Senior Scientist at Geosyntec Consultants, Inc. She has 24 years of experience in consulting including assisting clients with a wide range of environmental investigations, assessments and remediation in New Jersey. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Geology from the University of Delaware. She has performed, managed and directed varied investigation and remediation projects for private and commercial entities including the industrial manufacturing, development, warehousing and petroleum sectors.
Patrick is currently a member of Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC (CSG Law), where he practices with the law firm’s Environmental Group. In his role, he brings extensive experience advising industrial, commercial and developer clients on a variety of issues related to Brownfield redevelopment, site remediation, real estate and corporate transactions, regulatory compliance and permitting, and resolution of enforcement and litigated matters. Patrick also has extensive experience as an environmental professional, providing counsel, creative solutions, and management strategies for all types of environmental issues. With extensive background as an environmental lawyer, environmental risk manager, and geologist, Patrick evaluates environmental issues holistically by integrating legal, technical, and financial perspectives to serve the business objectives of the client.
Mr. Saltzman is an LSRP with more than a decade of consulting experience working on a variety of projects featuring residential, governmental, commercial, and industrial sites. He is proficient with various environmental laws, regulations, and associated technical guidance documents that have been established for New Jersey. Mr. Saltzman also has experience navigating compliance for sites within the regulatory frameworks of New York and Pennsylvania. Mr. Saltzman has directed environmental investigations and remediation for various groups of contaminants, including solvents, petroleum products, metals, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and emerging contaminants, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and 1,4-dioxane. He has assisted numerous clients in the industrial manufacturing, chemical, pharmaceutical, energy, and redevelopment sectors. Mr. Saltzman has been involved in international transactional due diligence related to property acquisition and divestiture. He also has experience coordinating large-scale, cross-functional projects requiring input from several departments and their respective project managers, including geotechnical, survey, civil, and land use permitting departments. Additional consulting experience includes managing the investigation and remediation of former manufactured gas plant sites for a major former energy sector client. Mr. Saltzman is familiar with the Industrial Site Recovery Act (ISRA) and has worked with owners of industrial properties to attain compliance with ISRA requirements. As Senior Project Manager, Mr. Saltzman is responsible for overseeing the investigation and remediation of contaminated sites and helping to manage the daily performance of the environmental professional staff. His duties include mentoring staff, technical oversight, Quality Assurance/Quality Control review, and project implementation. Mr. Saltzman also serves as a Continuing Education Course Instructor for the LSRPA. In addition to his role as a member of the Board of Trustees for LSRPA, he serves as the chair for both the Aspiring Professionals and Marketing Committees and member of Communications, Membership, and Fundraising Committees.
Mr. Scagnelli is a Partner and Past Chair of the Environmental and Land Use Law Group at Scarinci Hollenbeck, LLC. He previously worked at Whitman Breed Abbott & Morgan, a New York City firm, and served as Managing Partner of the firm’s Newark, New Jersey office and Chair of the firm’s Environmental Law Practice Group. Prior to that, Mr. Scagnelli worked at the Clapp & Eisenberg in Newark, New Jersey, where he served as Chair of the firm’s Environmental Law Department. Mr. Scagnelli also served as legal counsel with Chesebrough-Pond’s, Inc. and as Vice President and General Counsel of Allied Maintenance Corporation, a subsidiary of Ogden Corporation. Mr. Scagnelli has also served as special environmental counsel to public authorities and municipalities, including the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, the Passaic Valley Sewerage Authority, and the Jersey City Redevelopment Authority, and the cities of Elizabeth and Hoboken, among others. |
Rebecca Hollender, President
Sonya Ward, Vice President, Internal Affairs
Brandi Gray, Vice President, Eternal Affairs 
Rakesh Ganta, Secretary
Candace Baker, LSRP
Chris Casarona
Charlene Drake, LSRP, PG
Kassidy Klink, LSRP
Anita Locke, LSRP
Patrick Mottola, Esq.
Alexander Saltzman, LSRP
John M. Scagnelli, Esq.