Meet our toxics reduction team

Myles Perkins, PE | Unit supervisor

Myles is an engineer with over nine years of experience in environmental consulting for private and public sectors. He supervises a team of technical assistant providers focused on reducing or eliminating toxic chemical use and industrial waste generation at Washington businesses.

Current projects:
Working with dry cleaners to transition toward safer cleaning methods.

Focuses on:

• Chemical manufacturing
• Dry cleaning technologies
• Metal finishing and fabrication

Education:
Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Montana State University.

Contact:
myles.perkins@ecy.wa.gov
425-649-7067

Amy Leang | Toxicologist

Amy has served as a toxicologist for Washington since 2013 and has over nine years of work experience in academia, local and state public health, and environmental agencies.

Focuses on:

• Schools
• Retail businesses
• Small businesses

Education: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental health sciences, and a certificate in green chemistry and chemical stewardship from the University of Washington, Seattle.

Contact:
amy.leang@ecy.wa.gov
425-649-7026

Jenny Yoo, PE | Toxics reduction engineer

Jenny focuses on the healthcare sector and is instrumental in developing our pharmaceutical waste policies and rulemaking. She has provided pollution prevention assistance to most types of businesses in our northwest region for nearly 20 years.

Current projects:
Working with the healthcare sector and universities to find safer alternatives and establish safer work environments for healthcare providers, researchers, professors, and students.

Focuses on:

• Healthcare
• Pharmaceuticals
• Biomedical research
• Colleges and universities

Education: Master’s in environmental engineering from the University of Washington, bachelor’s in earth and planetary science from Washington University in St. Louis. She is a registered Professional Engineer in Washington.

Contact:
jenny.yoo@ecy.wa.gov 
425-649-7166

Paul Fabiniak | Toxics reduction specialist

Paul has over 10 years of experience helping a wide variety of Washington businesses with pollution prevention. He currently manages the Automotive Mercury Switch Removal program.

Current projects:
Providing businesses with audits of their compressed air delivery systems to improve energy efficiency.

Focuses on:

• Painting and coatings
• Electronics manufacturing and assembly
• Automotive recyclers
• Wood, glass, and metal manufacturing

Contact:
paul.fabiniak@ecy.wa.gov
425-649-7072

Rob Reuter, PE | Toxics reduction engineer         

Rob has been a senior professional engineer working on toxics reduction for the last 28 years. Prior to working at Ecology, Rob worked on remediation projects at a national consulting company throughout the United States for four years.

Recent projects:
Working with aerospace facilities on their wastewater treatment methods and helping them choose less toxic chemicals in their vapor degreasing operations.

Focuses on:

• Aerospace manufacturing
• Surface finishing facilities

Education: Bachelor’s in geology from Oregon State University and geological engineering from University of Idaho, and a Master of Business Administration from City University.

Contact:
robert.reuter@ecy.wa.gov
425-649-7086

Hugh O’Neill | Team lead     

Hugh has over 20 years of experience developing strategic partnerships and practicing environmental consulting with organizations in the private, public, and non-profit sectors. He leads a team of technical assistant providers focused on reducing toxic chemical use, waste, and emissions from local businesses.

Current projects:
Collaborating with Impact Washington (Manufacturing Extension), Pollution Prevention Resource Center, WSU Industrial Energy Program, and the EPA to create more efficient services that help businesses reduce waste, risks, costs, and pollution.

Focuses on:

• Strategic partnerships
• Grants
• Lean manufacturing
• Paint spray and energy efficiency

Education: Bachelor’s in environmental science from Binghamton University in New York, and a master’s in environmental studies from Evergreen State College.

Contact:
hugh.oneill@ecy.wa.gov
360-407-6354

Ifeanyi Isigwe, Ph.D. | Toxics reduction engineer            

Ifeanyi is a chemical engineer with over four years of experience working in chemical and renewable energy industries. He is focused on helping businesses reduce their use of toxic materials and dangerous waste generation.

Current projects:
Helping cabinet producers apply “Lean and Green” manufacturing principles to improve production efficiency and reduce the amount of wastes generated.

Focuses on:

• Lean manufacturing
• Energy efficiency
• Greenhouse gas reduction
• Water conservation

Education: Bachelor’s in chemical engineering from Nottingham University, master’s in chemical engineering from Imperial College London, doctorate in engineering management from George Washington University, and a graduate certificate in sustainability from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He is a certified Lean-Six Sigma Green Belt professional.

Contact:
Ifeanyi.isigwe@ecy.wa.gov
360-407-6338

Leatta Dahlhoff | Toxics reduction specialist                   

Leatta has over 20 years of experience providing technical assistance to businesses, industries, and government to foster sustainability, pollution prevention, and safer waste management practices. She is a chemist, environmentalist, and community advocate dedicated to improving people’s lives.

Focuses on:

• Military installations
• Prisons
• Hospitals
• Laboratories
• Universities

Education: Bachelor’s in chemistry from the University of Puget Sound.

Contact:
leatta.dahlhoff@ecy.wa.gov
360-407-6339

Huckleberry Palmer, PE | Toxics reduction engineer

Huckleberry has over 10 years of experience in engineering consulting and environmental regulation in the Pacific Northwest. He is a licensed professional engineer and works with businesses to reduce toxic or environmentally harmful materials in processes, products, and wastes, and to improve natural resource use efficiency.

Focuses on:

• Process engineering
• Energy efficiency
• Stormwater management
• Waste treatment
• Pollution prevention technologies

Education: Master’s in environmental engineering from Washington State University

Contact:
huckleberry.palmer@ecy.wa.gov
509-454-7659

Thatcher Montgomery | Toxics reduction specialist       

Thatcher provides technical assistance to businesses by conducting air leak audits, encouraging them to switch to safer alternatives, and researching alternative sampling methods to reduce solvent use.

Current projects:
Working with our Product Replacement Program, he helps dry cleaners transition from PERC to professional wet cleaning, and firefighting agencies dispose of PFAS-containing foam.

Focuses on:

• Food and agriculture
• Laboratories
• Schools
• Hospitals
• Water, energy, and solid waste reduction

Education: Bachelor’s in technical communication from Carnegie Mellon University.

Contact:
thatcher.montgomery@ecy.wa.gov
509-575-2724

John Blunt | Toxics reduction specialist

John has more than 40 years of experience in environmental analysis, pollution prevention, lean manufacturing, and sustainability in both the private and public sectors.

Current projects:
Working with businesses to improve process efficiency, limit material usage, and reduce costs at municipal solid waste and aircraft maintenance facilities.

Focuses on:

• Small businesses
• Hospitals and healthcare
• Colleges and universities
• Hydropower
• ISO 14001 certification

Education: Bachelor’s in biology and environmental studies from Whitman College, and a certificate in leadership in sustainability from the University of Oregon.

Contact:
john.blunt@ecy.wa.gov
509-329-3525

Rolfe Parsloe | Toxics reduction specialist            

Rolfe provides technical support to businesses, helping them apply cost saving measures that result in eliminating or reducing toxic chemicals and dangerous waste.

Current projects: 

• Researching the hazard of metal working fluids to establish chemical use transparency
• Identifying solvent alternatives for an offset printing operation

Contact:
rolfe.parsloe@ecy.wa.gov
509-329-3533

Craig Manahan, Ph.D. | Safer ingredients chemist          

Craig is a chemist with over three years of experience practicing hazard assessment and chemical selection in the private and public sectors. He focuses on finding and evaluating safer chemical options for businesses.

Current projects:
Working on safer alternatives for detergents, metal can liners, and thermal receipts.

Focuses on:

• Chemical hazard assessment
• Alternatives assessment
• Cosmetics and body care industry

Education: Doctorate in chemical biology (chemistry) from Montana State University

Contact:
craig.manahan@ecy.wa.gov
360-407-7355

Saskia VanBergen | Green chemistry scientist

Saskia is the green chemistry scientist at Ecology, where she focuses on building a technically strong and vibrant green chemistry program across Washington. She works with regional and national partners to develop, support, and sustain green chemistry and safer alternative efforts.

Current projects:
Studying toxics in flame retardants and working to improve the efficiency and environmental performance of toxic chemicals at the state and national level.

Focuses on:

• Eco-certifications
• Chemistry in higher education and K-12 science
• Green chemistry training
• Safer alternatives

Education: Bachelor’s in chemistry from Vassar College, master’s in agricultural and environmental chemistry from the University of California, Davis, and certificate in green chemistry from UC Berkeley Extension.

Contact:
saskia.vanbergen@ecy.wa.gov
360-407-6609