Board Member Bios

Elizabeth Zernik, ToR/QISP/CGL, QSD/QSP, CPESC is designated by the California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA) as a Certified Trainer of Record (ToR) for the Industrial General Permit (IGP). CASQA based the selection on experience in the California Industrial General Permit (IGP) implementation, academic credentials, and training competencies of the applicants. Ms. Zernik is part of an inaugural set of ToRs qualified to conduct training required under the California IGP. Ms. Zernik has over 20 years of experience in environmental and stormwater quality compliance. Ms. Zernik has provided construction and industrial stormwater support services to a wide range of clients. She maintains a current understanding of stormwater regulations and the practical implications to a client site. She has taught field and classroom compliance training courses. She is currently working to provide ongoing content support to the IGP Training Team, developing the training for the Qualified Industrial Stormwater Practitioner (QISP) Certification.

Seneca Dykes is a qualified storm water practitioner (QSP) with 8 years of diverse experience in storm water and air quality compliance. Ms. Dykes has experience assisting clients with CGP and IGP compliance, SWPPP writing and implementation, and asbestos reporting. She has conducted Low Carbon Fuel Standard reporting, supported multiple annual emission inventories and prioritization score evaluations, and has modeled emissions associated with proposed construction projects using CalEEMod. Ms. Dykes has supported with coordinating and managing various IEC/OC events. She is eager to expand her network, knowledge, and expertise so that she may provide innovative solutions relevant to environmental compliance.

James A. Westbrook is a SCAQMD Certified Permitting Professional (CPP) and President of BlueScape Environmental, an air quality and environmental consulting firm based in Southern California. He specializes in developing strategic, cost-effective environmental permitting and compliance strategies designed to achieve client business goals. In the past 30 years, he has managed or completed more than 100 projects for industrial clients located in the Orange County and Los Angeles region, including refineries, oil & gas operations, power plants, chemical plants, Port operations, building materials manufacturing, semiconductor manufacturing, battery plants, aerospace companies, and electronics manufacturing. He holds a B.S in Atmospheric Sciences from UCLA and an M.S. in Environmental Science from Indiana University in Bloomington. Prior to founding BlueScape in 1997, James worked for Ramboll ENVIRON and Kleinfelder.

Mehran Ebrahimi is a California licensed Professional Civil Engineer and a stormwater Industrial General Permit (IGP) Trainer of Record (ToR) for Qualified Industrial Stormwater Practitioner (QISP) Training.  Mehran has extensive experience with implementation of the California IGP and has provided storm water program support to a variety industrial facilities in California covered under the IGP. He has developed site-specific hydrologic simulation models and supported the design and optimization of advanced storm water treatment and infiltration systems. Mr. Ebrahimi has 10 years of environmental consulting experience focusing on operation and optimization of surface water treatment systems, including installation, operations, and system troubleshooting.

Brenda Palermo is a Professional Engineer (civil) with over 11 years of experience. She has designed stormwater BMPs, prepared drainage studies, designed landfill covers, prepared stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPPs), and post-construction Best Management Practice (BMP) plans including Low Impact Development (LID) Plans, Water Quality Management Plans (WQMPs) and Standard Urban Stormwater Mitigation Plans (SUSMPs). She is a qualified SWPPP developer and practitioner (QSD/QSP) under the Construction General NPDES Permit, and a Qualified Industrial Storm Water Practitioner (QISP). She has conducted training on sampling and she has also been a co-trainer for the QSD/QSP course. She has designed detention and infiltration basins, hydrodynamic separators, and stormwater conveyance systems. She has produced construction plans for Water-Wastewater infrastructure, Reservoir Dams, and Landfills. She is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and Ambassador for the Society of Women Engineers. Brenda has participated in IECOC meetings and was one of the trainers in the recent EH&S Training that IECOC put on in November 2019.

Mike Weddle currently leads the safety function for Applied Medical, the largest employer in Rancho Santa Margarita.  He has over 30-years of HSE experience, including roles in the UK and Czech Republic.  Prior to working in Life Sciences, Mike was in the Oil & Gas and Rubber Manufacturing sectors.  He holds a B.S. in Business from Indiana University and a TEFL Certification.  He has resided in Orange County since 2012. 

Jason Gambito is currently an Environmental Engineer at the Disneyland Resort. He is responsible for the air quality compliance program at the Resort including: SCAQMD air permitting, recordkeeping and reporting for the Resort’s Title V/RECLAIM permit, and advising new projects on air quality matters. He also oversees the environmental review approvals for all chemicals and products used at the Resort. Prior to his role at the Disneyland Resort, Jason was an environmental consultant for over 9-years based in Orange County. He provided consulting services to various types of industries such as: aerospace, healthcare, fiberglass, metal finishing/plating, textiles, and food manufacturing primarily in Southern California. He has extensive experience in air, wastewater, storm water, and hazardous materials compliance. Mr. Gambito graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. He is also a South Coast AQMD Certified Permitting Professional (CPP) and Qualified Storm Water Practitioner (QISP).

Helene Jouin is a Senior EHS Engineer, specializing in air quality. She has 12 years of experience in the environmental, health, and safety sector. Helene has led diverse projects in air permitting, criteria, toxic and greenhouse gas emissions reporting, air quality impact analyses, and compliance with local, state and federal rules and regulations for a variety of industries. She has worked with multiple air districts within California and possesses in-depth knowledge of California Air Resources Board’s (CARBs) mobile source regulations and emerging zero-emission initiatives. In addition to her focus on air quality, Helene has direct experience in managing environmental and safety audits and leading root cause analyses to determine optimal corrective action measures. She is passionate about developing innovative and scalable solutions to adapt to new regulations, working closely with stakeholders to achieve compliance and sustainability goals.

Daniel Chavez is an experienced Analytical Environmental Chemist with over 16 years of experience in laboratory analysis, analytical laboratory and project operations, and client services. Mr. Chavez has progressively evolved from laboratory analysis roles into project management, client services, and business development. Mr. Chavez has not only a true understanding of the laboratory processes, but also a passion in connecting people together and to help guide them whenever he can. He is also driven to learn new things through new experiences.