Elizabeth Denly
PFAS Initiative Leader & Chemistry Director, TRC
Ms. Denly serves as TRC’s per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) Initiative Leader & Chemistry Director. As a project QA chemist at TRC, Ms. Denly is responsible for providing quality assurance (QA)/quality control (QC) oversight in support of different environmental investigations, including remediation programs, ambient air monitoring, and human health/ecological risk assessments. Ms. Denly is currently serving on the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC) PFAS team, is a co-leader on the PFAS Naming Conventions sub-team, and won the 2017 ITRC Industry Affiliates Award for her contributions to this team. She currently works on many different types of PFAS investigations with a specific focus on chemistry, sampling procedures, data interpretation, forensics, QA/QC, and analytical methodologies. She has recently collaborated with laboratories on research activities including (1) evaluation of the leachability of PFAS from environmental sampling products; (2) evaluation of analytical approaches (isotope dilution liquid chromatography/dual mass spectrometry, total oxidizable precursor assay, and total fluorine) on samples collected from aqueous film forming foam sources and paper mill sources; (3) evaluation of the solubility of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid; and (4) evaluation of sampling/analytical approaches for the measurement of PFAS in ambient air. Her major areas of expertise include emerging contaminants, data evaluation, quality assurance project plans, data usability assessments, field and laboratory audits, and consulting for regulatory agencies.

Jeff Hale, PG
Practice Leader / Emerging Contaminants, Woodard & Curran
Jeff is the Practice Leader for Woodard & Curran’s Emerging Contaminants group. He provides consultation, strategy, and direction for challenging environmental and natural resources issues with emphasis on PFAS, emerging contaminants, complex sites, remediation, liability management, and environmental forensics. His approach is to provide multidisciplinary solutions to clients across industry sectors, integrating stakeholder interests, insight, advocacy, and technology. He is a thought leader for emerging environmental issues, having served on expert panels and chaired multiple working groups on environmental issues ranging from hydraulic fracturing to emerging contaminants. Jeff’s core technical expertise includes contaminant hydrogeology, fate and transport, and fractured bedrock characterization.

Kristen Thoreson, PhD
Vice President of Quality and Process Improvement, REGENESIS
Dr. Thoreson serves as the Vice President of Quality and Process Improvement, where she manages and evaluates our company-wide quality processes and continuous improvement activities to ensure consistencye and reliability in product quality, performance, and service. Prior to this role, Dr. Thoreson served as the Vice President of Research of Development for REGENESIS and Land Science, where she lead the development and implementation of many numerous products and technologies. Dr. Thoreson is an inventor on several issued patents and is a frequent speaker at scientific industry events. Before joining REGENESIS, she spent time as a postdoctoral associate at Helmholtz Zentrum, the German Research Center for Environmental Health, in Münich, Germany. Dr. Thoreson is trained as a chemist and was instrumental in the development and award of a number of US patents . She earned her B.S. in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse, and her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Minnesota. Before joining REGENESIS, she spent time as a postdoctoral associate at Helmholtz Zentrum, the German Research Center for Environmental Health, in Münich, Germany.