People
Natural Systems Utilities brings together a talented team of experienced planners, engineers, and managers, all committed to the highest standards of environmental sustainability and quality. In addition to a core team of executives and project managers, NSU has strategic partnerships with the leading practitioners in the field nationally and internationally, who together offer an unsurpassed range of experience and skills.
Dominic Kulik, Founder & Director
Dominic Kulik has been an entrepreneur and investor for nearly 25 years. Since 2000, Mr. Kulik has been the founding Principal of Dakai Enterprises, an investment and management firm focused on early-stage sustainability markets, including clean-tech and water, media and education, and consumer products segments. From 1986 through 1997, Mr. Kulik was the founding CEO of LEAD, USA, a national educational service firm focused upon fostering alternative energy and sustainable development programs, and Better World, an organic cotton clothing company launched with seed funders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, founders of Ben & Jerry’s, and Tomio Taki, founder of Anne Klein and Donna Karan fashion houses. He then spent five years managing venture portfolios with the Blue Dot Venture Fund, and privately for LBO financiers Michael Dubilier and Raymond Chambers. Mr. Kulik served from 1992 to 1997 as a founding director of Business for Social Responsibility, and is presently the Chairman of Investors’ Circle, which he has helped direct since 2000. He holds BA and MBA degrees, with Honors, from Williams College and Columbia University Business School, respectively. Email: dckulik@naturalsystemsutilities.com.
Ed Clerico, Chief Executive Officer
Ed Clerico is widely recognized as an innovator and entrepreneur in the field of sustainable infrastructure. He is also noted for having brought decentralized water reuse systems to reality throughout the northeast US with over 30 projects, some of which are part of America’s leading green buildings and neighborhoods. Mr. Clerico has authored numerous journal articles on the subject of water reuse and was recognized in the Museum of Natural History’s exhibition, "H2 =Life" for his role in establishing water conservation and waste discharge practices that provide new alternatives for the future. Mr. Clerico has also been Co–Principal Investigator on research sponsored by the Water Environment Research Federation that focused on successful methods for implementing decentralized wastewater infrastructure and included development of a decision support tool for municipalities and developers. He is a licensed professional engineer, licensed wastewater operator and a LEED Accredited Professional. Mr. Clerico was the founder and president of Applied Water Management, Inc. before holding executive roles with American Water as Technical Development Director and VP Strategy. Presently he operates his own consulting business known as Alliance Environmental that focuses on advancing water/energy improvements and adapting ecology as infrastructure. Email: eclerico@naturalsystemsutilities.com.
Donald Rodgers, Chief Operating Officer
As a microbiologist and Class IV WWTP Operator (highest level), Don Rodgers is a technology and operations expert, and as an MBA-trained senior executive managed project portfolios exceeding $100 million in annual revenue. After being the East Regional Manager for WheelabratorEOS for over five years, Mr. Rodgers lead the operations division of USFilter Operating Services as Vice President-Operations. This organization achieved unprecedented success and was ultimately acquired by Vivendi/Veolia. Mr. Rodgers has run the operations of both small and large municipal and industrial facilities, and business development for the largest private water utility operations (directly managing teams with over 400 total employees.) As NSU’s COO, Mr. Rodgers applies his technology/operational know-how and business acumen to establish cost-effective solutions for clients focusing on full life-cycle performance. He continues in his current role to assure innovative product/service offerings, with successful long-term client relationships. Email: drodgers@naturalsystemsutilities.com
Robert Rubin, Senior Environmental Scientist & Professor Emeritus
Dr. Rubin served the Biological and Agricultural department of North Carolina State University from 1978 to 2004. During his last five years as a tenured professor, he also served as a visiting scientist with the US EPA in Washington, DC where he assisted with development of wastewater management guidelines. He was first appointed as an extension specialist and progressed through the ranks to become to professor in 1996. Rubin has conducted one of the most dynamic and far reaching programs in wastewater management and biosolids recovery/disposal in the United States. His innovative technology transfer efforts, aimed at training operational personnel, regulators, and government officials, were second to none and extremely well attended. Dr. Rubin provided national leadership in the critically important areas of rural water quality and wastewater management, as evidenced by his invitation to address Congressional committees that deal with those problems throughout the U. S. His work in this area is so widely known he was asked to give the keynote speech at the 2007 International Water Congress in Spain. This conference wad focused on sanitation for small communities and was a prelude to the 2008 International Year of Sanitation. Email: brubin@naturalsystemsutilities.com.
Ryan C. Brandt, Executive Vice President, Operations, NSU & President, EcoCheck
Ryan C. Brandt has over 12 years of water and wastewater management experience and is one of the nation’s leading experts at operating treatment wetlands. Mr. Brandt was a founding partner of Minnesota-based EcoCheck, Inc, the leading decentralized wastewater and water management firm in the Midwest. He led the growth of EcoCheck from a start-up to a firm that today manages residential, commercial, and municipal systems with capacity for nearly 5,000 EDUs. Mr. Brandt is a biologist and water/wastewater operator who pioneered the operation, maintenance, and management approaches for operating cold-climate natural systems. He and his team have received more than 40 wastewater operation awards from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and also received, along with North American Wetland Engineering, the prestigious Minnesota Environmental Initiative Award for Environmental Management for work in Decentralized Wastewater Management. Mr. Brandt is now developing a regional service platform model for replicating EcoCheck’s integrated water management approach across NSU’s diverse markets and locations. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, River Falls, with studies in biology and chemistry. He also attended the Executive Development Program offered by the Queen’s School of Business in Kingston, Ontario from 2008 to 2009. Email: rbrandt@naturalsystemsutilities.com
Richard H. Cisterna, Executive Vice President, East Region
Richard Cisterna has nineteen years of entrepreneurial, engineering and management experience in the water and wastewater consulting business. His work has covered all aspects of water resource and wastewater system planning and infrastructure development, including implementation of over $500,000,000 of capital improvements. He was a partner at a leading international environmental engineering consulting firm, where he led business development in the northeastern United States and served as the corporate water reuse group leader. Other executive level responsibilities included serving on the firm’s corporate strategic planning committee focused on creating and implementing a plan to ensure the firm’s long term success. He has a M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Stanford University and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno. Email: rcisterna@naturalsystemsutilities.com.
Zachary F. Gallagher, Vice President, Engineering & Construction
Zach Gallagher is a licensed Professional Engineer in New Jersey and a LEED Accredited Professional holding BS and MS degrees from Rutgers University in Bio-Resource and Civil/ Environmental Engineering. Mr. Gallagher brings to NSU a fresh view of the current state of regulatory affairs in New Jersey and New York with regard to water resource management. As author of several wastewater management plans and lead engineer on numerous innovative water resource projects, he is well known to the regulatory agencies, an attribute that is a critical aspect of moving new technology forward. Mr. Gallagher has also written a number of articles on water reuse and has served as a technical speaker for multiple conferences throughout the northeast region. His current focus is on the water-energy nexus and sustainability initiatives as applied to projects like the Visionaire and the Carvel Property Development. Email: zgallagher@naturalsystemsutilities.com.
Paul Knowles, Ph.D., Sustainability Engineer & Corporate Responsibility Officer
Paul Knowles combines specialisms in life cycle analysis and measurement of sustainability, design for energy and water conservation, and wastewater treatment by natural systems; to produce the most economically, environmentally and socially appropriate wastewater infrastructure solutions for NSU. Mr. Knowles undertook his doctoral research at Aston University, UK in collaboration with water utility Severn Trent Water Ltd. (UK). His research addressed hydraulics and clogging in municipal wastewater Treatment Wetlands. Mr. Knowles holds a first class Master's Degree from the University of Warwick (UK) in Mechanical Engineering with a focus in sustainability, water and energy. His specialist knowledge regarding optimized hydraulic design of subsurface flow treatment wetland systems for improved longevity has been the subject of several publications in scientific journals such as Water Research and Ecological Engineering, and has been applauded through numerous prizes at international scientific conferences. Email: pknowles@naturalsystemsutilities.com
Axel Hester, Executive Vice President, Finance
Mr. Hester’s substantial career as a senior financial professional has included principle investment experience as a founding member of a distressed debt hedge fund portfolio management team at Oppenheimer Alternative Investments Group, trading and product management at Metropolitan West Securities / Wachovia, and trading and product development at Merrill Lynch. Mr. Hester has a BS in Engineering/Management of Technology from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He leads NSU’s project finance and investment modeling efforts. Email: ahester@naturalsystemsutilities.com
Mike Zavoda, PE, Managing Engineer
Mike Zavoda is a licensed Professional Engineer in three states, and a LEED Accredited Professional holding a BS degree from Lehigh University in Chemical Engineering. He is currently a Managing Engineer for Alliance Environmental (AE) focusing on the design of various forms of innovative and energy efficient wastewater treatment and reuse systems ranging from natural/constructed wetlands to membrane bioreactors (MBR). Prior to this time Mr. Zavoda worked for John Todd Ecological Design designing various varieties of Eco-Machines, and Applied Water Management Group where he specialized in the design and permitting of small community wastewater systems and advanced urban water reuse systems including the Solaire building in New York City. Email: mzavoda@naturalsystemsutilities.com
Angela Clerico, AICP, Senior Planner
Angela Clerico is a licensed Professional Planner in the State of New Jersey, a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, and a LEED Accredited Professional holding a BS degree from Keene State College and a Masters of Urban & Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia. She is currently a Senior Planner focusing on sustainable land use planning and community development in rural and agricultural communities. Ms. Clerico is a leader with the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association and is heading up the Chapter’s task force on creating the guidance document, “Planning for Sustainability: A Guide for New Jersey Planners.” Prior to joining Alliance Environmental, Ms. Clerico worked for a municipal planning firm focusing on affordable housing, open space planning, bikeway and walkway planning, historic preservation and watershed planning. Email: aclerico@naturalsystemsutilities.com
Jeff Speck, Partner & Chief Planning Advisor
Jeff Speck is a city planner who has centered his practice on smart-growth and sustainable design. He has more than 15 years of experience in urban planning, design, and public service, including positions with National Endowment for the Arts and Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ). Mr. Speck currently leads a private consultancy offering design and advisory services to public officials and the real estate industry. During his tenure as director of town planning, DPZ completed designs for over 150 new towns, regional plans, and community revitalization projects. More than 40 of these were either led or managed by Mr. Speck. While design director at the NEA, Mr. Speck directed three leadership initiatives: the Mayors’ Institute on City Design, Your Town, and the Governors’ Institute on Community Design, which he created to bring smart-growth principles and techniques to state leadership. Mr. Speck conceived and co-authored the book Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream, which has sold more than 90,000 copies and is taught in universities across the United States and overseas. He has also recently completed, with Andres Duany, The Smart Growth Manual, published in 2009 by McGraw Hill. Email: jspeck@naturalsystemsutilities.com