WHO WE ARE

A brief history of the Foundation

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina (2005), Woodard & Curran, Inc. supported the disaster relief effort, and the scope of that tragedy prompted action to answer a question that had been on the minds of many for some time: How could the company expand its charitable giving into sustainable and ever-growing funding to support the environment? The answer was Woodard & Curran Foundation, which was formally granted 501(c)(3) public nonprofit status in 2010.

A decade-plus of doing good

Woodard & Curran, Inc. employees remain strong, collaborative partners, board members, donors, and volunteers. All our supporters share our passion for addressing complex environmental problems and we disperse the donations they entrust to us via a variety of grants to nonprofit organizations working to protect our water and environment.

As of 2024, we have surpassed $1.5 million in grant money committed!

We are proud of our origins and look forward to supporting worthy projects long into the future. Thank you to all who make the work of the Foundation possible!

Foundation Board of Directors

Barry Sheff, President

Barry is a founding Board member of Woodard & Curran Foundation, and a Senior Principal with Woodard & Curran, Inc. Barry took on the role as Board President in 2016 with a goal of bringing the “Giving While Living” philosophy of philanthropy to our Foundation. A professional civil engineer licensed in multiple states, Barry’s expertise centers around municipal infrastructure engineering and urban site development. In addition to the Woodard & Curran Foundation, Barry is a current and former Director on several non-profit organizations. Barry’s career has focused around solving complex environmental challenges and he brings those skills, energy and enthusiasm to support the Foundation’s mission and vision.

Sam Olney, Vice President

Sam is a Professional Geologist with nearly 15 years of experience in environmental assessment and remediation at Woodard & Curran, Inc. Her technical work focuses on data management, interpretation, and visualization in support of bringing municipal, industrial, and commercial properties into compliance with state and federal regulations. Outside of work, she volunteers teaching skiing to people with disabilities. Sam became active with the Foundation by volunteering for one of the first grant recipients in 2013, then joining the Giving Committee. She has served on the Giving Committee and as an office liaison to the Foundation since. Sam is excited to bring this commitment and passion for volunteering and community involvement to help continue the success of the Foundation.

Laura Tessier, Secretary

Laura is the National Federal Specialist and Principal with the Woodard & Curran Fiscal Solutions team and provides strategic guidance and support to Woodard & Curran clients seeking federal funding for capital improvement projects. She is a graduate of Yale University’s School of the Environment and has more than 30 years of environmental science, policy, planning, management, and consulting experience in both the public and private sectors. Laura has held certifications as both Professional Wetland Scientist and Certified Ecologist, and was one of the first recipients of the USEPA-Environmental Law Institute National Wetlands Award. She has also been recognized by the National Association of Counties for developing one of the first intermunicipal watershed-based nonpoint source management programs in the country, for Westchester County (NY). Laura currently serves on the City of Stamford (CT) Environmental Protection Board and is a member of the Technical Advisory Board for the environmental nonprofit, Hudsonia Inc. She traces her interest in, and commitment to the environment to her roots in both upstate Vermont and the Adirondack Park.

Jennifer Andrews

Jen is the VP of Marketing for Woodard & Curran, Inc. She has served on the Giving Committee since the Foundation’s inception in 2010, and for many years was the committee’s Chair. Formerly a member of the Green Schools Committee of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Maine Chapter and the Development Committee of the Maine Cancer Foundation, she is an active member of the Society for Marketing Professional Services and a Certified Professional Services Marketer. With more than 20 years of experience in marketing and communications, she is passionate about participating in purpose-driven work that makes the world a better place.

Duff Collins

Duff is a founding Board member of Woodard & Curran Foundation and is an Executive Vice President and Board Member with Woodard & Curran, Inc. Duff is currently the Business Unit Leader for Woodard & Curran’s national Environment & Remediation services businesses. He has over 30 years of environmental consulting experience managing and conducting field investigations, feasibility studies, and remediation activities at hazardous waste sites for clients in the private and public sectors. Duff focuses his practice on identifying and applying risk management tools and criteria to complex environmental problems and regulatory settings nationwide. Duff has been active with the Foundation fundraising activities helping initiate and participating in our New England Road Races, New Jersey Golf tournament, and Atlanta-area Casino night events.  A high energy leader, Duff brings his curiosity for the natural environment and our need to adapt to the ever changing climate to support the Foundations growth and direction. 

Craig Deeney

Craig is a chemical engineer with over 30 years of experience in the environmental consulting field. His background has included remediation projects predominantly in the mining and oil & gas industries. He has enjoyed applying multiple forms of water treatment, storm water management, and hazardous waste treatment and recovery techniques to solving problems on various sites. Craig’s most recent work experience involves a complex Superfund site impacted by decades of historic mining operations within the boundaries of a small urban area, requiring unique strategies for groundwater and storm water management. A life-long Montanan, Craig enjoys serving his community by participating on his church board and officiating high school football.

Kelly Cowan

Kelly is a registered Professional Engineer with more than 20 years of experience in the environmental field. A former regulator with The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM), she transitioned to consulting in 1997 and now serves as a project manager assisting industrial, utility, institutional, and government clients in achieving and maintaining environmental compliance. Her experience with a wide variety of topics (air pollution control, water/wastewater management, spill prevention, etc.) offers valuable insight to the challenges of achieving environmental citizenship while maintaining a healthy economy. Kelly has served on the Giving Committee for many years, including a long tenure as committee Chair. She believes that cultivating a positive corporate culture and giving back to our community go hand in hand and her commitment to the Foundation is her way of ensuring that our resources are enjoyable for future generations.

Rachael Dorais

A Senior Manager with Woodard & Curran, Inc., Rachael leverages her strong knowledge of business operations to identify opportunities for continuous improvement. She collaborates with business partners, project sponsors, and stakeholders to evaluate and develop process improvement approaches (through restructuring, process redesign, automation technologies, and other operational and people-based core processes). Rachael also leads and manages the firm's Consulting Project Delivery Specialist and Office Operations teams.

Rachael has been a member of the International Association of Administrative Professionals for over 20 years and a Six Sigma Green Belt. She is passionate about being involved with the community around her and working to support a better environmental future for all.

Laura Epstein

Laura is Project Accountant at Woodard & Curran, Inc. with over 10 years of professional experience. Since joining Woodard & Curran in 2018, she has had the opportunity to work on numerous projects including Human Health & Risk Assessment, Emerging Contaminants, Drinking Water and Wastewater projects for public clients. Prior to joining Woodard & Curran, Laura worked in the public sector as a Compliance Analyst assessing risk, safety, performance, and financial standing of multimillion-dollar construction firms looking to bid on public construction projects.

Laura has been a member of the Foundation’s Advancement Committee since 2019, helping with reviewing policy, grant recipient qualification, and employee outreach. Laura has volunteered with various Non-Profits outside of the Foundation as well, and considers environmental protection a personal passion.

Vinny Martino

Vinny is an environmental engineer with over 5 years of experience in site investigation and remediation at Woodard & Curran, Inc. His experience has included contribution to remedial designs and implementation of various remediation strategies including vapor mitigation, in-situ oxidation, and excavation of impacted materials. Vinny contributes to both public and private remediation projects and has a research background in advanced oxidation disinfection strategies. Vinny has been a member of the Woodard & Curran Foundation Giving Committee since 2020 and a member of the Woodard & Curran Foundation Advancement Committee since 2023. When Vinny is not working on remediation projects for work, he can often be found at various beach cleanups across the Jersey Shore.

Bruce Nicholson

A Maine attorney with over 30 years of experience, Bruce is a founding member of the Woodard & Curran Foundation. He currently serves as Corporate Counsel supporting the engineering, remediation and reuse divisions within Montrose Environmental Group, Inc, which includes Emerging Compounds Treatment Technologies, Inc. (ECT2) based in Portland, ME. After graduating from the University of Maine School of Law, Bruce practiced environmental law with a small firm for seven years before joining Woodard & Curran, Inc. in 1999. His extensive experience working with diverse project teams on complex issues, coupled with his commitment to a consensus-driven, decision-making philosophy are assets that are aligned with the Foundation’s mission.

Jedd Steinglass

Advancement Committee Chair

Jedd is a geologist who specializes in environmental assessment in support of property transactions and remediation design. He focuses on the remediation and redevelopment of former industrial and commercial properties to create affordable and market-rate housing, manufacturing and commercial space, and opportunities for education and international trade. His technical, programmatic, and funding acquisition and management capabilities have also contributed to the success of several EPA-funded Brownfields assessment and cleanup projects, which have reused infrastructure and revitalized contaminated properties throughout New England. Jedd applies his problem solving, project management, and environmental engineering expertise to support the grant fund development goals of the Foundation, including consistently contributing to Foundation events and outreach efforts.

Paddy Stoy

Paddy is an environmental scientist with over 10 years of experience in remedial site investigation and restoration at Woodard & Curran, Inc. His work has primarily focused around water, including assessing, monitoring, and reclaiming oil & gas and mining sites. Paddy's latest work has entailed navigating the intricacies of a Superfund site where the community and the historic mining footprints are co-located, which has demanded innovative approaches to management of stormwater and groundwater and their interactions. Paddy is active in his community through his work with the local Rotary Club, adaptive recreation programs, and numerous environmental and outdoor causes.

Marc Thomas

Marc is a registered professional engineer and licensed wastewater operator with over 25 years experience in the water, wastewater, and public works industry. His background includes operations management and project management in consulting and design/build for municipal and industrial clients. Marc is a Senior Vice President and Operations Leader for the Operations and Management Business Unit at Woodard & Curran, Inc., where he works with project teams and clients to provide safe, regulatory compliant, and efficient operations to meet the challenges faced by municipalities and industries. Marc is passionate about serving others and giving back to the communities where we live and work. As a lifelong outdoorsman, Marc is excited about helping the Foundation make a difference in our world.

Gillian Wood

Gillian is a chemical engineer with over 25 years of experience working in process design and project management for industrial clients, executing capital projects. As a Project Manager at Woodard & Curran, Inc., she focuses on the design, oversight, and installation of process and utility systems. Also a HACCP Certified Engineer, Gillian is experienced with food safety programs. She also serves as the Operations Leader for the Industrial & Commercial business unit, overseeing the day-to-day operations and oversight of the Industrial Water and Industrial Plant Engineering Practices. She has been an active member of the Foundation since its beginning; first with her tenure on the Giving Committee and then moving on and bringing her passion for engaging individuals to the Advancement Committee. As a chemical engineer with a background working with industrial clients, she understands the impact of industry on our natural environment and what is required to protect it for years to come. 

Foundation Administrator

Liz Leuthner

Liz started with Woodard & Curran Foundation in 2017 as our first (and only!) paid contractor. She brings deep and diverse talents from working in a variety of capacities with nonprofit organizations large and small, among them Rhode Island School of Design, Key West Wildlife Center, and Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust. She is president of the board and on the teaching faculty at The Alcyon Center, a nonprofit spiritual and cultural research center on Seal Cove, ME. Liz is a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher and Certified Yoga Therapist and the owner of Deer Isle Yoga Studio, Deer Isle, ME.