Shane Trussell
President & CEO - Ph.D., P.E., BCEE
Rhodes Trussell
Chairman of the Board - Ph.D., P.E., BCEE
Celine Trussell
Chief Financial & Strategy Officer - P.E., BCEE
Bryan Trussell
Director of Engineering - P.E., BCEE
Eileen Idica
Director of Engineering - Ph.D., P.E.
Brian Pecson
Director of Engineering - Ph.D., P.E.
Aleks Pisarenko
Director of Plant Operation and Maintenance Services, Ph.D., WTPO Level 3
Keel Robinson
Director of Marketing
David Hokanson
Ph.D., P.E., BCEE
Jean Debroux
Ph.D.
Elaine Howe
P.E. (NM), BCEE
John Kenny
P.E., BCEE
Emily Owens-Bennett
P.E., BCEE
Yan Qu
Ph.D., P.E.
Brett Faulkner
P.E., WTPO Level 3
Luciana Pereyra
Ph.D.
Brie Post
P.E.
Elise Chen
P.E., AWTO Level 4, WTPO Level 5
Anya Kaufmann
P.E.
Teresa Venezia
Mitchel Bartolo
P.E.
Emily Darby
P.E.
Aviv Kolakovsky
P.E., AWTO Level 3
Rodrigo Tackaert
P.E., AWTO Level 3
Fernanda Baccaro
Nate La Breche
Emily Holland
Bryce McFerrin
Jacob Newman
Nicholas Babcock
Kaitlyn Chin
Estefania Escobar
Andrew Rudchenko
Alicia Qiu
David Aponte
Shane Trussell
President & CEO - Ph.D., P.E., BCEE
R. Shane Trussell is the President of Trussell Technologies, Inc. Dr. Trussell has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California (U.C.) at Riverside, a M.S. in Environmental Engineering from U.C. Los Angeles and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from U.C. Berkeley. Dr. Trussell is a registered Civil Engineer in the State of California with 17 years of experience who has authored more than 57 publications and presentations. His professional experience has focused around membrane processes in the water, seawater and wastewater treatment field. He is a recognized expert on Membrane Bioreactors (MBR) and has an intimate understanding of the process limitations, both at high organic loadings and high mixed liquor suspended solids. Dr. Trussell performed his doctoral research on the effects of mixed liquor properties on membrane performance in the MBR process with Profs. Hermanowicz and Jenkins as advisors. Dr. Trussell is interested in advanced water and wastewater treatment with a focus on water reclamation and reuse. Dr. Trussell is a member of AWWA, WEF, WRF, ASCE and AIChE.Dr. Trussell is a member of the AWWA Membrane Research Committee. In addition, Dr. Trussell is a PAC member on a WRF project.
Phone
858-314-4134
Location
San Diego Office
Rhodes Trussell
Chairman of the Board - Ph.D., P.E., BCEE
The founder of Trussell Technologies, Inc., R. Rhodes Trussell, has a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Trussell is a registered Civil and Corrosion Engineer in the State of California with more than 40 years of experience who has authored more than 200 publications. He is recognized, worldwide, as an authority in methods and Criteria for Water Quality and in the development of advanced processes for treating water or wastewater to achieve the highest standards. He has worked on the process design for dozens of treatment plants, ranging from less than one to more than 900 mgd in capacity and has experience with virtually every physiochemical process and most biological processes as well. Dr. Trussell is available to review and advise on any complex water quality problem. He has a special interest in emerging water quality problems and reuse.Dr. Trussell served for more than ten years on EPA’s Science Advisory Board, on several committees for the National Academies, including as Chair of their Water Science and Technology Board. For the International Water Association, Dr. Trussell has served on the Scientific and Technical Council, Editorial Boards, and on the Program Committee.
Phone
626-463-0394
Location
Pasadena Office
Celine Trussell
Chief Financial & Strategy Officer - P.E., BCEE
Céline C. Trussell has a B.S. and M.S. in Civil Engineering from the French Engineering school E.S.T.P (Ecole Spéciale des Travaux Publics) in Paris, an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from U.C. Los Angeles and an MBA from the U.C. San Diego Rady School of Management. Ms. Trussell is a registered Civil Engineer in the State of California with 14 years of experience. Ms. Trussell has authored 10 publications. Her areas of focus are water treatment and design with a strong emphasis on membrane applications for desalination and water treatment. She has been involved in membrane treatment processes feasibility, pilot testing, detailed design and cost estimating. Ms. Trussell also has experience in conventional water treatment studies and designs. Ms. Trussell conducted extensive pilot studies of water treatment processes (conventional water treatment, ozone, DAF, Actiflo, MF/UF, RO, etc.).
Phone
858-314-4129
Location
San Diego Office
Bryan Trussell
Director of Engineering - P.E., BCEE
Bryan Trussell has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley and a M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Mr. Trussell is a registered Civil Engineer in the State of California with more than ten years of work experience. His Master’s thesis involved testing and analyzing the impacts of preexisting solids on the precipitation kinetics of calcium carbonate. His past work includes the calibration of the MIKE URBAN hydrodynamic model for the City of Los Angeles’ wastewater collection system and assisting with the negotiation of the Hyperion and Terminal Island Treatment Plants NPDES permits. His recent work includes testing Advanced Oxidation Processes and assessing treatment technologies for satellite treatment plant feasibility studies.He is currently vice president for the Los Angeles Basin Section of the California Water Environment Association.
Phone
626-463-0385
Location
Pasadena Office
Eileen Idica
Director of Engineering - Ph.D., P.E.
Eileen Y. Idica has a B.S. from the University of California at Berkeley and a M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles. Her doctoral graduate work focused on the coastal water quality of Southern California, particularly the dynamics and transport of potential contaminants using regional ocean modeling. Dr. Idica has past experience working in two conventional municipal wastewater treatment plants, during full-time and part-time internships, in a variety of process and planning projects. She also has past experience with bench-scale conventional activated sludge testing and pilot-scale membrane bioreactor testing. Dr. Idica’s recent project experience includes data analysis and modeling of biological wastewater treatment to improve effluent water quality for discharge and recycling, modeling to simulate advanced oxidation processes, water treatment plant design, and water and wastewater treatment facility operations optimization. Her interests span a wide range of water quality issues, including advanced treatment, water reuse, and wastewater discharge to the environment.
Phone
858-314-4130
Location
San Diego Office
Brian Pecson
Director of Engineering - Ph.D., P.E.
Brian Pecson, Ph.D., P.E., uses his expertise in disinfection and pathogens to address a variety of issues in water, wastewater, and recycled water treatment. Dr. Pecson is currently engaged in a number of projects related to potable and non-potable reuse, including the newly emerging paradigms of surface water augmentation and direct potable reuse. Work in this area includes the development of public health criteria for potable reuse, and the design, evaluation, and testing of reuse technologies that can reliably protect the public from both chemical contaminants and pathogenic microorganisms. Through these projects, Dr. Pecson is working with the California Division of Drinking Water to advance and expand options for the design, implementation, and permitting of innovative potable reuse systems. Dr. Pecson also has interest in residuals management, including brine streams, industrial wastes, and sludges, and how design decisions affect the carbon footprint of treatment facilities. Dr. Pecson has an M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, and a B.S. and B.A. from the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Pecson is a registered engineer in the state of California with over 15 years of experience. He has authored 12 research papers on topics ranging from pathogen disinfection to public health protection.
Phone
510-457-2201
Location
Oakland Office
Aleks Pisarenko
Director of Plant Operation and Maintenance Services, Ph.D., WTPO Level 3
Aleksey N. Pisarenko has a B.S. in Chemistry from York College of PA and Ph.D. in Chemistry from Miami University. Dr. Pisarenko has over 5 years of experience in water and wastewater treatment, conducting research on emerging water contaminants and development of mitigation strategies, and is a co-author of 16 publications and over 30 presentations. Dr. Pisarenko has conducted pilot-scale studies in advanced wastewater treatment, such as: membrane bioreactor (MBR); advanced oxidation, including O3/H2O2, UV/H2O2; and membrane filtration systems, including microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), and reverse osmosis (RO). While working at Southern Nevada Water Authority, Dr. Pisarenko investigated the effects of oxidation on the effluent organic matter (EfOM) to minimize organic fouling of RO membranes and evaluated the impacts of various technologies on trace organic and inorganic contaminant mitigation in water reuse applications. His current work involves investigating the chemistry of NDMA and perfluorochemical (PFC) formation in wastewater during ozonation. For his Ph.D. work, Dr. Pisarenko was part of the team that investigated perchlorate ion formation in sodium hypochlorite and developed strategies to minimize potential contamination of drinking water. This work also resulted in recent development of Hypochlorite Assessment Model, which can be used to predict sodium hypochlorite decomposition and formation of chlorate and perchlorate ions. Dr. Pisarenko is interested in chemical oxidation technologies, membrane treatment, inorganic and organic water contaminants, development of novel technologies in water treatment and water reuse. Dr. Pisarenko is a member of American Water Works Association, American Chemical Society, and American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Phone
858-314-4127
Location
San Diego Office
Keel Robinson
Director of Marketing
Keel Robinson enjoys using his experience and expertise to help clients solve their water challenges. He has over 22 years of experience as a professional in industrial process, environmental remediation, municipal drinking water, municipal wastewater, and reuse applications including ion exchange, adsorption, membranes, and oxidation. Keel’s career began as a field service engineer at U.S. Filter (now Evoqua) leading full-scale start-ups of large process and water treatment systems. He then became a process and application engineer leading the treatability testing and equipment sizing to design full-scale treatment systems. This “real-world field experience” and “process expertise” has since provided the foundation for Keel to excel at various engineering and management positions throughout his career working for both an environmental consultant (URS, now AECOM) and equipment manufacturers (APTwater and Xylem). Keel is interested in solving all water treatment challenges ranging from drinking water to wastewater with a particular passion for water reuse. He is a recognized expert in ozone- and UV-based oxidation processes along with being a thought leader in advanced treatment reuse applications. Keel has presented at over 30 conferences, workshops, and seminars related to reuse. He has lead the pilot-scale, demo-scale, and full-scale implementation of numerous innovative potable reuse technologies including UV/chlorine AOP, Ozone/peroxide AOP, and Ozone/BAF applications that have advanced the state of water treatment in California and throughout the USA. Keel is an active member of WateReuse and has served the last 3 years as a reuse research advisor for the Water Environment & Reuse Foundation. Keel has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Keel is a Principal Engineer at Trussell Technologies’ Oakland office.
Phone
510-457-2210
Location
Oakland Office
David Hokanson
Ph.D., P.E., BCEE
David R. Hokanson has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering, a M.S. in Civil Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Michigan Technological University. Dr. Hokanson is a registered Civil Engineer in California and a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Michigan with over 15 years of experience who has authored more than 50 publications. He is recognized by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE) as a Board Certified Environmental Engineer (BCEE) in two specialty areas: (1) Water Supply & Wastewater and (2) Environmental Sustainability. His professional experience has focused around physicochemical processes in water treatment and sustainable engineering. He is a recognized expert on mathematical modeling of water treatment processes and has authored seven engineering design tools (e.g., adsorption, advanced oxidation, air stripping) that are widely used by engineering firms and by government sponsors. Dr. Hokanson performed his doctoral research on developing a mathematical model describing the multifiltration beds (ion exchange and adsorption) applied for wastewater reuse onboard the International Space Station water processor with Prof. David Hand as advisor and Prof. John Crittenden as a project collaborator. Dr. Hokanson is interested in advanced processes for water treatment with a special interest in emerging water quality problems. Dr. Hokanson is a member of AWWA, WEF, ASCE, IWA, IOA, IUVA, and AEESP.
Phone
626-463-0388
Location
Pasadena Office
Jean Debroux
Ph.D.
Jean Debroux, Ph.D. has 35 years’ experience serving clients in the water industry. Focused mainly on potable reuse and drinking water planning and design projects, Jean is a water quality and physical-chemical treatment process specialist. Jean received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of South Florida and a M.S and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder evaluating disinfection by-product formation nationally and water quality transformations during soil aquifer treatment in budding groundwater recharge projects in the Southwestern United States. As a post-doctoral researcher at Stanford University, Jean continued his potable reuse research with investigations into the fate and transport of wastewater derived contaminants in full-scale groundwater recharge projects. Jean has performed applied research throughout his career and has been a member of four NWRI Independent Advisory Panels on potable and non-potable reuse in California. At a previous firm, Jean managed senior technical specialists and mentored staff as the Chief Technology & Innovation Officer. Most recently, Jean was the co-Principal Investigator of DPR-4, a Water Reuse Foundation and California State Water Resources Control Board grant investigating the fate of regulated and non-regulated chemical contaminants through advanced treatment trains to support the formation of California’s Direct Potable Reuse regulations. Jean is the author of over 45 water quality publications to date including refereed journal articles, book chapters and conference proceedings. Jean has also made over 50 presentations at water related conferences and has been an invited speaker at 14 regional, national, and international events.
Phone
415-632-8341
Location
Oakland Office
Elaine Howe
P.E. (NM), BCEE
Elaine Howe has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Florida, an M.S. in Environmental Health Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and her Professional Engineering license in the state of New Mexico. Ms. Howe has more than 14 years of experience in environmental engineering and has authored more than ten publications. Ms. Howe is experienced in the design and performance of bench-scale and pilot-scale water treatment studies. Her process experience includes high-rate clarification; alternative disinfection/oxidation scenarios using ozone, ozone/peroxide, chlorine dioxide, potassium permanganate, chlorine and chloramines; conventional anthracite/sand filtration and monomedia GAC filtration; ozone plus biofiltration for disinfection by-product (DBP) control; GAC adsorption; and nanofiltration (membrane softening). Ms. Howe has participated in the predesign of a large (100 mgd) surface water treatment facility, and the predesign of a large (24 mgd) membrane softening groundwater treatment facility. Most recently, Ms. Howe has managed the performance of bench-scale enhanced coagulation jar tests and ozone demand tests, and participated in predesign, for a new 40-mgd surface water treatment facility on the Sacramento River. For this same project, Ms. Howe prepared a report of the occurrence and treatment of synthetic organic chemicals, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in the Sacramento River.Ms. Howe is a member of the American Water Works Association.
Phone
858-314-4135
Location
Oakland Office
John Kenny
P.E., BCEE
John Kenny is a process and water quality expert with Trussell Technologies, Inc., with particular focus on potable reuse and recycled water. He is the lead process engineer and regulatory strategist for the Pure Water Monterey project, a 5 mgd groundwater replenishment reuse project utilizing ozonation upstream of membrane filtration. He has also worked with the California Division of Drinking Water to implement novel tertiary treatment approaches such as granular media filtration rates greater than 5 gpm/sf and free chlorine disinfection at CTs less than 450 mg-min/L, allowing facilities to increase capacity with minimal infrastructure. Mr. Kenny leverages both science and experience to solve emerging water quality issues, and enjoys finding elegant solutions to complex problems.Mr. Kenny has an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Kansas. He is a registered engineer in the state of California with over six years of experience. He has authored over 20 publications and presentations on treatment design, permitting, and optimization.
Phone
510-457-2204
Location
Oakland Office
Emily Owens-Bennett
P.E., BCEE
Emily Owens-Bennett has a B.A. in Geology and Environmental Studies from Whitman College and an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Michigan Technological University. Ms. Owens-Bennett is a registered Civil Engineer in the State of California. As part of her master’s degree, she spent three years as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer, working on the implementation of rural community watexr and sanitation solutions in East Timor and the Republic of Palau. Since joining Trussell Technologies in 2009, Ms. Owens-Bennett has been involved in projects addressing seawater desalination through the use of UF/RO and the application of preformed chloramines, implementation of rigorous water quality monitoring programs aimed at demonstrating regulatory compliance for future full-scale facilities, characterization and laboratory investigation of solids in a brine wastewater matrix, a study of the seawater quality impacts of red tides and stormwater inputs, pilot project field monitoring and water quality analyses, sampling and maintenance of soil columns replicating groundwater water quality and contaminant attenuation (synthetic organic compounds, microbes, nutrients, etc.), a five month contract working directly for a water district in the capacity of water quality and compliance supervisor, routine laboratory water quality analyses associated with a variety of water and wastewater treatment applications, investigation and pilot treatment of groundwater odor issues, bench-scale testing of advanced oxidation processes (solution ozone test and collimated beam testing), and the development of point-of-use (POU) water treatment technologies.Ms. Owens-Bennett is a member of the California Water Environment Association.
Phone
626-463-0389
Location
Pasadena Office
Yan Qu
Ph.D., P.E.
Yan Qu has a B.S in Environmental Engineering from Shandong University and a Ph.D. from Tongji University, China. She continued her postdoctoral research training with Dr. Michael R. Hoffmann at California Institute of Technology. Dr. Qu has past experience working on design, pilot testing and commercialization of a solar toilet with electrochemical treatment as the core technology, which was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation under the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge. Her doctoral graduate work focused on the degradation of perfluorinated chemicals and NDMA in the aqueous phase by utilizing an advanced reduction process. Dr. Qu also has past experience with a bench-scale adsorption process for perfluorinated chemicals. Her interests span a wide range of water quality issues, including advanced oxidation/reduction treatment and water reuse.
Phone
626-463-0402
Location
Pasadena Office
Brett Faulkner
P.E., WTPO Level 3
Brett Faulkner has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Mr. Faulkner has been the project engineer for an array of unique water, wastewater, and recycled water treatment plant design, assessment, and optimization projects in the San Diego area. His area of focus is recycled water with an emphasis on process design, process optimization, operations support, treatment efficiency, and water quality.
Phone
858-314-4128
Location
San Diego Office
Luciana Pereyra
Ph.D.
Luciana Pereyra has a B.S. in Food Engineering from National University of Mar del Plata and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University. She performed her doctoral research on the biomolecular characterization of the microbial communities responsible for the remediation of mining-influenced water in passive anaerobic treatment systems. An important contribution of her research was the development of a method to quantify genetic biomarkers of key microbial functions involved in the remediation process. Dr. Pereyra also conducted postdoctoral research at Colorado State University and Lund University (Sweden) in the areas of biofuels from microalgae and industrial biotechnology, respectively. Her interests include potable reuse and biological processes in water and wastewater treatment.
Phone
858-314-4396
Location
San Diego Office
Brie Post
P.E.
Brie Post has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Montana State University and an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. Her work experience includes post stabilization treatment design including cost estimation, writing Title 22 Engineering Reports and design reports, drafting process design drawings for advanced water treatment systems, data analysis and regression modeling for enhanced treatment plant efficiency and executing tracer studies.
Phone
510-457-2202
Location
Oakland Office
Elise Chen
P.E., AWTO Level 4, WTPO Level 5
Elise Chen has a B.S. and M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles. Her work experience includes operation and maintenance of the Advanced Water Purification Facility in San Diego, collection of water quality samples, performing laboratory analyses for water quality parameters, monitoring and analyzing water quality data to evaluate treatment train performance, execution of tracer studies, and aiding in the preparation of technical reports.
Phone
858-314-4131
Location
San Diego Office
Anya Kaufmann
P.E.
Anya Kaufmann has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Tufts University (Medford, MA) and a M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Stanford University (Stanford, CA). Her work experience includes pilot-scale post-treatment stabilization design, and developing bench-scale testing protocols including Cryptosporidium inactivation using ozone. She also has experience developing tracer study protocols, assisting in the preparation of technical reports, and performing literature reviews and data analysis.
Phone
510-457-2208
Location
Oakland Office
Teresa Venezia
Ms. Teresa Venezia has a B.S and a M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University La Sapienza and a M.A. in Governance, Auditing and Control Systems from the University of Roma Tre, both in Rome, Italy. She has seven years experience, at the Italian National Research Council (the Italian equivalent of US National Academy of Sciences), at the University of California in Los Angeles, and at Trussell Technologies, Inc. She has extensive experience in pilot testing for water reuse and reclamation applications, particularly testing the effect of ozone pretreatment of secondary effluent on MF fouling, the effect of ozone pretreatment on reverse osmosis (RO) membrane performances, implementation of ozone dose-control strategies, effect of ozone on NDMA formation and on EDCs (endocrine disruptor compounds) reduction. She has evaluated perchlorate removal from groundwater using ion exchange or biological processes.She has designed and tested a laboratory apparatus to perform ozone demand and decay tests, tested a laboratory instrument for the detection of explosive compounds; She has studied the contribution of atmospheric deposition of toxic contaminants to contamination of urban stormwater runoff; she has worked on waste recovery and recycling using the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) approach and sustainable technologies, and she has worked on a variety of water quality projects as well. Ms. Venezia’s experience includes project planning, project writing, laboratory work and field work.
Phone
626-463-0395
Location
Pasadena Office
Mitchel Bartolo
P.E.
Mitchel Bartolo has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering Science from the University of California at Berkeley and a M.S.E. in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. His Master’s thesis work with Dr. Lynn Katz and Dr. Desmond Lawler was part of an EPA Small Water Systems project investigating alum coagulation in drinking water with respect to fluoride and natural organic matter removal. Mr. Bartolo has past experience working with the City of San Diego Storm Water Division and the Oro Loma Sanitary District where he was involved with several water quality and wastewater treatment design projects. Mr. Bartolo’s current work has contributed to several aspects of potable reuse projects in the San Diego area including engineering design reports, Title 22 Engineering Reports, pathogen studies, evaluation of treatment train water quality, and various components of treatment process design. His general interests include water and wastewater treatment, water reuse, and the realization of sustainable water resources in California. Mr. Bartolo is currently a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists, and the American Water Works Association.
Phone
858-314-4389
Location
San Diego Office
Emily Darby
P.E.
Emily Darby has a B.A. in Chemistry from Pomona College, an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from UC Berkeley, and an M.S. in Chemistry from UC Berkeley. She has worked on projects related to drinking water treatment and potable and non-potable reuse. Her experience with drinking water includes modeling to determine water quality compliance with disinfection byproduct standards. Her experience with reuse includes modeling to determine ocean plan compliance for nitrogen and trace organics in waste streams, developing a conceptual design for an on-site potable reuse system, and writing O&M manuals for potable reuse facilities. In addition, she has experience preparing technical reports, and performing literature reviews and data analysis.
Phone
510-457-2211
Location
Oakland Office
Aviv Kolakovsky
P.E., AWTO Level 3
Aviv Kolakovsky has a B.S. in Biotechnology from Mikhmoret School of Marine Sciences, Israel. His current work experience at Trussell Tech includes the upkeep and operation of the Advanced Water Purification Facility in San Diego, tracking and interpreting water quality data to evaluate treatment train functionality, carrying out laboratory analyses for water quality parameters, and testing water quality by collecting samples. Aviv also has 8 years of experience with irrigation and water distribution projects in the Israeli agricultural sector.
Phone
858-314-4390
Location
San Diego Office
Rodrigo Tackaert
P.E., AWTO Level 3
Rodrigo Tackaert has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California at San Diego and a M.Sc. in Environmental Engineering from the Technical University of Munich, Germany. For his Master’s thesis – done in collaboration with Trussell Technologies, Mr. Tackaert executed system wide chemical challenge tests at a 1 MGD potable reuse demo facility seeking to demonstrate the benefits of added treatment robustness (namely ozone and biological activated carbon) to Full Advanced Treatment (FAT). Within this same study, he applied the concept of indicator compounds to evaluate treatment train performance. Mr. Tackaert also has experience with ozone bench-top testing for pathogen inactivation studies and investigating the applicability of surrogate parameters to assess oxidation of micropollutants during the ozonation of wastewaters.Mr. Tackaert’s interests include the realization of potable reuse, novel monitoring strategies, and treatment performance assessment.
Phone
858-314-4137
Location
San Diego Office
Fernanda Baccaro
Fernanda Baccaro has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from the Sao Paulo State University, Brazil and a M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her master’s thesis was focused on alternative potable reuse treatment processes such as ozone and biofiltration. She operated a pilot-scale ozone biofiltration system to assess its feasibility towards bulk organic matter removal and disinfection by-products (NDMA specifically) mitigation, including upon final chloramination. Her work also included the use of microbiology and molecular biology techniques to understand NDMA abatement during biofiltration. At Trussell Tech, Ms. Bacaro performs several laboratory analyses for water quality, simulates bench- and small-scale treatment processes, and is currently working with advanced treatment processes for potable reuse.
Phone
626-463-0406
Location
Pasadena Office
Nate La Breche
Nate La Breche holds a B.S. in Environmental and Ecological Engineering from Purdue University and an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. While at UC Berkeley, he assisted a Ph.D. student by performing solubility experiments for the phosphate mineral struvite. His previous work experience includes performing water quality sampling for various parameters and assisting in the preparation of an operations and maintenance manual for a conventional wastewater treatment facility. His work with Trussell Technologies so far has included biological modeling with the software GPS-X, data analysis, and assisting in the completion of an application for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.
Phone
858-314-4394
Location
San Diego Office
Emily Holland
Emily Holland is a registered Civil Engineer in the State of California and has a B.S in Environmental Engineering and an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Her master’s thesis was focused on nitrogen removal in wastewater using a process called bioaugmentation with a proprietary blend of microbial cultures. She operated a pilot-scale batch reactor to assess how well the proprietary blend of microbial cultures removed nitrogen compared to the natural bacteria at different stages of the wastewater treatment process at the San Luis Obispo Wastewater Treatment Plant. At Trussell Tech, Ms. Holland assists with the RO and breakpoint chlorination pilot studies at EBMUD and the evaluation of PFAS and hardness treatment at ACWD.
Phone
510-731-4949
Location
Oakland Office
Bryce McFerrin
Bryce McFerrin has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Tennessee Technological University and an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to returning for the master's degree and joining Trussell Technologies, he worked two years as a research and development engineer and six months as an operations team manager with Chemours. His engineering experience with Chemours includes lab-scale and pilot-scale testing for process changes, operation cost optimization modeling, writing operation procedures for new or altered chemical processes, aiding with design of specialized process analyzers, generating performance dashboards for daily operational key performance indicators, revising statistical process control systems, and leading a regulatory process hazards analysis for a high-hazard process. His operations experience with Chemours includes managing four shifts of chemical plant operators, overseeing daily production needs for a chemical slurry process, leading implementation of new safety initiatives, and aiding with various job quality improvement projects for the operators. With Trussell Tech, Bryce will be assisting with technical report write-ups, data analysis, and operational troubleshooting and optimization.
Phone
510-219-8486
Location
Oakland Office
Jacob Newman
Jacob Newman has a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Davis and an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. His previous work experience includes assisting in wastewater treatment design and operations at the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County. Since joining Trussell Tech, he has worked on projects related to drinking water treatment and potable and non-potable reuse. Mr. Newman’s current work involves water quality analysis in the laboratory, assisting in the preparation of technical reports, and drafting documents to certify regulatory compliance for a surface water augmentation project.
Phone
626-463-0392
Location
Pasadena Office
Nicholas Babcock
Nicholas Babcock has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Northern Arizona University and a M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His masters thesis work included operating an ozone-biofiltration treatment system to evaluate the impacts of ammonia and monochloramine on ammonia oxidizing microorganisms and their potential to cometabolize trace organic compounds. Mr. Babcock’s previous work includes firsthand experience with conventional and advanced wastewater treatment processes including ozone biofiltration and reverse osmosis piloting. He currently assists with multiple water reuse projects at Trussell Tech including the Pure Water Demonstration Facility in San Diego.
Phone
858-284-6707
Location
San Diego Office
Kaitlyn Chin
Kaitlyn Chin has a B.S. and M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan. While at U of M, she assisted two PhD students on investigating virus fate in different water matrices and predictive modeling of virus inactivation by UV disinfection. Her previous research involved exploring methods and analysis of detecting SARS-CoV-2 in daily wastewater samples to predict trends using wastewater-based epidemiology. Her current work at Trussell Technologies involves performing water quality sampling, carrying out laboratory analysis for water quality parameters, and assisting in the preparation of technical reports.
Phone
619-961-3439
Location
San Diego Office
Estefania Escobar
Estefania Escobar has a B.S. and M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan. As part of her research work, she assisted in the construction and validation of a novel, low-cost IoT water quality sensor that can be deployed at the household tap level. During the large-scale deployment of these sensors in Ann Arbor, she was responsible for monitoring and analyzing the drinking water quality data from the wireless sensor network and performing maintenance on the sensors. At Trussell Tech, she assists in various water treatment and reuse projects, performs laboratory analyses for water quality, and aids in the preparation of technical reports.
Phone
626-260-7665
Location
Pasadena Office
Andrew Rudchenko
Andrew Has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering and an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Prior to joining Trussell Technologies in 2021, Mr. Rudchenko provided regulatory oversight of soil and groundwater remediation efforts at the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. His current work at Trussell includes preparing technical reports and memoranda, data analysis, and performing laboratory water quality analyses. His select project experience includes the preparation of bench- and pilot-scale testing protocols to evaluate granular media filtration and post-filtration granular activated carbon (GAC) contactors for a drinking water treatment plant, providing operational support for a 10 MGD ozone demonstration facility, and conducting bench-testing investigating the impact of chemical addition order on disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation.
Phone
626-463-0386
Location
Pasadena Office
Alicia Qiu
Alicia Qiu has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering and an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her master’s thesis was focused on resolving a challenge that the Las Vegas Valley Water District and many municipalities have been facing. She investigated different ventilation parameters to optimize spray aeration systems for the removal of regulated DBPs. Ms. Qiu has 4 years of engineering consulting experience. Prior to joining Trussell Technologies, she worked on water blending studies, design of conveyance systems and treatment plants, and master planning projects for water and wastewater municipalities in California, Arizona, and Nevada. Since joining Trussell Tech, she will be focusing on drinking water treatment, advanced treatment processes for potable reuse, and preparation of bench- and pilot-scale testing.
Phone
626-622-0299
Location
Pasadena Office
David Aponte
David Aponte has B.S. in Environmental Engineering from San Diego State University. During his time at SDSU, he was part of the Water Innovation and Reuse Lab. He assisted in the research of EOC degradation rates in sludge from two lab scale parallel anaerobic and aerobic bioreactors, as well as helped to operate, monitor, and maintain the bioreactors. His current work at Trussell involves water quality analysis, process optimization, data analyses, and aid for technical reports and operation plans.
Phone
858-833-5166
Location
San Diego Office
