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 and CEO
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: dominic@natsyssolutions.com.
John Tomac, Chief Operating Officer
John Tomac has an extensive career in water utility management. Prior to joining NSU, John was President and Chief Financial Officer from 1997 to 2008 of Birmingham Utilities, an investor-owned water utility operated in 18 towns and cities throughout Connecticut. Mr. Tomac retired from Birmingham Utilities upon the sale of the company to a large regional water authority in January of 2008. During his tenure at Birmingham Utilities, he increased the market capitalization of the company by 444 percent. Prior to joining Birmingham, Mr. Tomac worked for 19 years at Aquarion Water Company of Connecticut, the largest investor-owned water utility in New England. At Aquarion, he was responsible for the Regulatory Affairs and Budgeting activities of Aquarion’s utility subsidiaries. Mr. Tomac was an active member of the National Association of Water Companies, serving as chairman of the Rates and Revenue Committee and of the New England Chapter and as Vice Chairman of the Small Water Committee. He is also past president of the Connecticut Water Works Association and a member of the American Water Works Association. Mr. Tomac holds an MBA in finance from the University of New Haven and a BS degree in accounting from Central Connecticut State University. Email: john@natsyssolutions.com
Scott Wallace, Chief Technology Officer
Scott Wallace specializes in the design of ecological systems including constructed wetlands, decentralized wastewater systems, stream bank stabilization, and control of nonpoint source pollution. He has extensive experience in both municipal and industrial wastewater treatment. Mr. Wallace currently leads a private consultancy offering design and advisory services to clients with unique and complex wastewater challenges, with an emphasis on utilizing treatment wetlands. He has additional experience in wastewater treatment plant operation, laboratory analysis, groundwater monitoring, and wetland delineation. The author of papers in numerous technical publications, Mr. Wallace currently holds one Canadian and four U.S. patents for wastewater treatment processes, including Forced Bed Aeration™. He is the co-author of Treatment Wetlands, 2nd Edition, the definitive textbook on wetland treatment systems. He was also Principal Investigator for Small-Scale Constructed Wetland Treatment Systems; Feasibility, Design Criteria, and O&M Requirements on behalf of the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF). He has designed more than 200 wastewater treatment systems for residential, commercial, and industrial clients and is a registered professional engineer in 23 states. Email: scott@natsyssolutions.com
Linda Hann, Chief Financial Officer
Linda Hann is a senior financial professional with more than 20 years of experience in all aspects of business planning, private, and public fund raising, financial modeling, establishment of financial systems and controls, and ongoing financial maintenance. Most recently, as a consultant to both early-stage and established companies, Ms. Hann has worked with several media sector clients to meet the needs of significant market changes including maximizing the value of intellectual property rights in new media markets. Her corporate experience includes serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of EMI Records, responsible for all operational divisions including production, new markets, finance, and business development. Following EMI, Ms. Hann served as Chief Financial Officer of Volcano Entertainment in New York, a music media company backed by Allen & Company and private investors. She worked with investors and management to structure the sale of Volcano to Zomba Entertainment in 1998. Ms. Hann has also served as Vice President of Finance for a NYSE computer company and was an audit manager at Coopers & Lybrand. Email: linda@natsyssolutions.com
Michael J. Ciolli, Executive Vice President, Finance
Michael J. Ciolli has 14 years of equity research, investment banking, and entrepreneurial venture experience. Mr. Ciolli is the Principal of Piton Advisors, LLC, a financial and corporate development advisory firm. Through Piton and prior to NSU, he served as the Vice President, Finance of Innovation Fuels, Inc., a biodiesel producer with over 40 MMGY production capacity. Mr. Ciolli helped Innovation launch and obtain $17 million of Series A capital from a sponsor group led by Credit Suisse (CFIG). Prior to Innovation, he was a Senior Associate with The Chesapeake Group (CGI), a buy-side M&A advisory firm specializing in the IT and business services industries. Mr. Ciolli advised corporate and financial sponsor partners on more than 15 strategic projects, including five closed transactions worth more than $100 million. Prior to CGI, he was an Equity Research Analyst with Donaldson, Lufkin, & Jenrette (DLJ) covering the IT and business services industries. Mr. Ciolli has written more than 100 investment recommendations and collaborated on over $1 billion in public offerings. He received his MBA in finance and management from Columbia Business School and is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma academic honor society. Mr. Ciolli received his BA in economics from Colgate University. Email: michael@natsyssolutions.com
Patricia Dandonoli, Executive Vice President, Corporate Development
Patricia Dandonoli has worked on behalf of mission-focused organizations and philanthropies for more than 25 years, with particular expertise in organizational assessment and design, strategic planning, marketing and communications, fundraising, program design and implementation, and governance and leadership development. Prior to joining NSU, Ms. Dandonoli was founding President and CEO of WaterAid America, an international nongovernmental organization whose mission is to overcome poverty by enabling the world’s poorest people to gain access to safe drinking water, basic sanitation, and hygiene education. Ms. Dandonoli previously served as Head of Resource Development in the office of Her Majesty Queen Rania al Abdullah of Jordan, as Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Sundance Institute, and Executive Director of Strategic Planning at the American Museum of Natural History, among other posts. Email: pat@natsyssolutions.com
Judy Lissick, Executive Vice President, Client Development & Management
Judy Lissick is a seasoned operations executive with broad experience in all aspects of business management. Ms. Lissick spent more than 20 years in various capacities in the financial services industry with the firms of Securian, ReliaStar, and ING. Her experience included Division P&L responsibilities, Enterprise Information Technology, Customer Service Organization and Strategic Planning. Ms. Lissick's most recent 10 years have been in environmental consulting. Ms. Lissick was a partner and Chief Operations Officer of two privately held firms, North American Wetland Engineering and EcoCheck, that had a focus on design and operations of natural systems for wastewater treatment. Ms. Lissick led the growth of both firms to the point of acquisitions. Ms. Lissick remained with the acquiring company in a position of operational leadership through integration. Email: judy@natsyssolutions.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: jeff@natsyssolutions.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: ryan@natsyssolutions.com