ORCAA's Staff Biographies
Rita Cirulis came out of retirement to join ORCAA in December 2004. Although she retired in 2002 from her 12-year stint as a Senior Air Pollution Inspector with the Shasta County Air Quality Management District in California, a hiking and canoeing vacation on the Olympic Peninsula with her husband convinced her that relocation to this area was a high priority and that she still had too much energy to burn for leisure only. Her interest in hiking kicked in as a result of majoring in Geology at the University of Colorado in Boulder, whereas sailing and kayaking became pastimes during her studies at the University of California in Santa Barbara. She has also worked in the water and wastewater treatment fields while employed by the National Park Service in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park and on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona from 1980 to 1989.
Aly Dyson joined ORCAA in January, 2008.
Kathy Embody joined the ORCAA team in March, 2006. She has worked as a legal secretary and paralegal for over 13 years and in law enforcement for 5 years. She met her husband while in law enforcement and they moved to Olympia in 2000. She has one daughter currently attending college and two step-children who are both working in the Grays Harbor area. She keeps active working after work and on weekends on a horse ranch located next to her family home. She and her husband also like to hike, golf, beach comb and are avid readers.
Geoffrey Glass joined ORCAA in December 2005. Although you can't tell from this photograph, Geoffrey Glass is actually both an Engineer II and a very handsome man. He came to ORCAA from Spokane where he had been teaching chemistry at Fairchild Air Force Base (AFB), Gonzaga University, and Spokane Community College. Before that, he worked in the Environmental Science and Engineering practice at ICF Consulting in San Francisco. Geoffrey holds a BA from UC Santa Cruz and an MS from the University of Washington. Currently, he is reading Sterne's classic, "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman."
Mark Goodin has worked for ORCAA since 1991 as the agency's professional engineer. He has a BS degree in Environmental Engineering from California State University at Humboldt, and is a certified mechanical engineer in Washington. Mark's primary responsibilities include managing ORCAA's new source review and air operating permit programs. At home, Mark is married and the father of four children who keep him pleasantly busy with their school activities, sports and hobbies. Mark enjoys several other hobbies including gardening, cider making and gold mining, but his favorite thing to do is guitar picking and singing around a recreational campfire with family and friends.
Lynn Harding is Olympic Region Clean Air Agency's administrative services manager and accountant.
John Kelly and his family moved to Thurston County fifteen years ago from New York City - the Big Apple. After having worked 12 years in the construction industry as a carpenter, John completed his education in 1993, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences from the Evergreen State College in Olympia. During more than 10 years with ORCAA, John has worked on several special projects, including woodstove education, air quality monitoring, and air toxics emissions inventory. John's recent duties included responding to citizen complaints and inspecting commercial and industrial businesses for compliance with air quality rules. Currently, he is a member of the ORCAA Engineering Division. In the off hours, John and his extended family enjoy outings to area beaches, local farms and various other cultural activities in the South Sound region.
Gordon Lance has been an air quality engineer with ORCAA for 3 years and is a Washington transplant, having lived in Thurston County for 5 years. Gordon grew up in Idaho, Arizona, and Ohio and attended the University of Idaho graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1999. Much of Gordon's free time is spent working on the old farmhouse in rural Thurston County that he shares with his wife and daughter. Gordon is slowly working towards his private pilots license.
Debbie Moody grew up in ORCAA's jurisdiction, though she wasn't aware it was ORCAA jurisdiction until her husband, Robert, started working for the agency more than 15 years ago. Debbie joined the staff in 1990 as a temporary employee -- that temporary position became permanent in 1991, now serving as ORCAA's Administrative Assistant. Debbie and Robert have five kids, four fish, three dogs, two cats and—as a recent addition -- one son-in-law. Debbie enjoys hunting (deer and elk) as well as reading, scrapbooking and making an annual visit to Las Vegas with her sister-in-law and cousin -- "That's my real recreation," she says!
As a native of Olympia, Robert Moody has seen many changes in Thurston County. Certainly, the community has a larger population and more-congested streets but, Robert notes, we also have the addition of wonderful parks and cleaner air. Robert spent about half of his working years in recreational boat repair/rigging, which paid for two Bachelor degrees from The Evergreen State College. After several years as a temporary employee, he joined ORCAA as a permanent employee in 1992. Outside the office Robert enjoys hiking, climbing, hunting, and photography.
Dan Nelson has lived and worked in the south Puget Sound region for nearly 15 years. He joined the ORCAA staff as Public Information Officer in February, 2004, after working for a variety of newspapers and magazines since graduating from Washington State University in 1989. Dan loves the grandeur and diversity of the northwest outdoor recreation opportunities. He and his spouse get out as often as possible to hike, climb, canoe and fish - often with their yellow Labrador retriever at their side. Mostly, though, they enjoy flying their paragliders whenever possible, though the dog doesn't join them for that! He maintains a personal website at www.adventuresnw.net.
Stephanie S. recently moved to Washington from the Adirondack Park in northern New York where she lived for about 5 years. She attended Paul Smiths College and received a Bachelors of Science degree in Environmental Science and an Associates degree in Fish and Wildlife Technology. While in New York, Stephanie worked for a private engineering and consulting firm, the Adirondack Watershed Institute, and for PSC as a forest research technician. Her time spent in the Adirondack’s was filled with hiking, competing in canoe (90-mile ADK Canoe Classic) and snowshoe races (International Champion), cross-country skiing, and touring the great Northeast Kingdom. Stephanie the newest addition to the compliance team at ORCAA as an Air Quality Specialist I.
Mike Shults joined the ORCAA team in February, 2005, as an Air Quality Specialist I. Mike received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Science from The Evergreen State College in 1986 and went to work for eight years in Seattle doing Biotechnology lab work. He says the calling to switch from private to public employment took over then. He became a Registered Sanitarian in Washington and has worked for county and tribal governments ever since. Mike has worked in several disciplines within the environmental health field, including hazardous waste, water quality, sewage, food sanitation, and indoor air quality. He is married, has five kids and enjoys fishing, sports, and traveling in his free time.
Richard Stedman has been ORCAA's executive director since January 2001. He was previously the manager and principal investigator for the Cooperative Agreement Program between the Washington State Department of Health and the federal Agency for Toxics Substances and Disease Registry. Richard came to Washington state from Honolulu, Hawaii, where he received his master of science degree in toxicology from the University of Hawaii's School of Public Health. He also has a bachelor's degree in geography/biology from the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB). Richard has more than 10 years of experience managing hazardous material programs for the County of Santa Barbara Environmental Health Services Department and working as a senior air quality engineer for the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District. He has also taught courses in environmental chemistry, risk assessment and hazardous materials management at UCSB. In his spare time Richard enjoys performing music, cycling, sailing and surfing.
James Werner has lived and worked in the south Puget Sound area for 36 years and with the help of family and friends built his second homestead 24 years ago. He joined the ORCAA staff in August 1981 and is responsible for the agency air-monitoring program. Jimmy tries to spend as much time as possible in the outdoors hiking, skiing, fishing, hunting and taking as many digital photographs as possible. Other hobbies include archery, wild mushroom picking, oystering, wine making, gardening, and building as well as maintaining a small tree farm and orchard.
Jim Wilson graduated in the field of Chemical Technology from Seattle Community College, attended the University of Washington, and has pursued continuing education as needed. Before ORCAA he worked for small business, the aerospace industry, the federal government, and the forest products industry. He enjoys sea kayaking, rock climbing, skiing, and fishing.