2026 Spring Speakers
Mike Abraczinskas
Director
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Air Quality
​Mike Abraczinskas currently serves as the Director of the North Carolina Division of Air Quality (DAQ), bringing over 26.5 years of experience to the role. In this capacity as Director, Mike sits at the intersection leadership, operations, and technical and policy issues. He focuses on creating clarity around priorities, aligning leadership teams, and establishing conditions for consistent execution as the agency evolves.
Throughout his career at DAQ, Mike has built a broad and deep foundation in air quality management. His expertise spans emissions and air quality modeling, mobile source modeling, regulatory development, planning, compliance and enforcement, and quality management. He was named Deputy Director in 2010 and became Director in 2017.
Mike is recognized as a leader in the air quality field and actively contributes to national and regional organizations representing state and local air agencies. He has held leadership roles in the Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies (AAPCA), the Carolinas Air Pollution Control Association (CAPCA), the Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Management Association (MARAMA), and the Southeastern States Air Resource Managers Association (SESARM).
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology with a Minor in Environmental Science from North Carolina State University. He is certified as an Engineer-In-Training (EIT) and is a graduate of the North Carolina Public Managers Program.
Nathan Daniel​
Mr. Daniel is a Senior Engineer and Environmental Compliance Service Leader at Bunnell Lammons Engineering, Inc. (BLE), where he has been a licensed engineer for seven years. He brings unique perspective from his prior roles in industrial operations, including experience with specialty chemical manufacturers in the upstream oil & gas sector and a nylon 6,6 production facility. Mr. Daniel holds a B.S. in Environmental Engineering and an M.S. in Systems Engineering from Southern Methodist University. His leadership extends beyond BLE through his role as Chair of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce's Solid & Hazardous Waste Subcommittee and participation in BLE's internal AI and Innovation Subcommittees, where he helps shape both industry standards and innovative engineering practices. He currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina with his wife, four-year-old daughter and one-year-old son.
Rich Hamel
Rich has over 20 years’ experience in providing air quality consulting services, especially air dispersion modeling, permitting, and litigation support to projects in the power, oil & gas, chemical, metals, and manufacturing sectors. He has performed dozens of air modeling analyses and has worked closely with many state agencies and U.S. EPA in negotiating complex modeling approaches on behalf of clients in support of major capital projects. Rich also leads ALL4's power sector team in helping clients navigate the siting and permitting challenges across the whole gamut of electricity generation projects.
Mark McIntire
Mark McIntire serves as Environmental Policy and Affairs Director for North Carolina. Prior to joining the Regulatory Affairs team, Mark held several roles at Duke Energy, including Director of Government and Environmental Affairs, Stakeholder Strategy, Energy and Environmental Affairs Director, Strategic Water Engineer and Air Quality Engineer. Before arriving at Duke Energy, Mark worked as a consulting engineer focused on infrastructure and sustainability, managing large projects in the US and the Middle East.Mark has 30 years of engineering, government affairs and stakeholder engagement experience in Raleigh, having spent the first 10 years of his career as an environmental engineer and manager with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. He has deep relationships within the energy industry and the executive branch of government in North Carolina.Mark previously served as President of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, is a member of the board of the Carolinas Air Pollution Control Association and serves on the Industrial Advisory Board of the NCSU College of Engineering’s Department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering. He is a licensed Professional Engineer, a member of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and a Carbon Reduction Manager through the Association of Energy Engineers. He is also a member of Class XXVI of Leadership North Carolina.Mark spent his teenage years in the Republic of Panama and came to Raleigh for college, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering and Master of Civil Engineer from North Carolina State University.
Erin E. Wallace
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Erin has 20 years of expertise in air permitting and compliance. She began her career with a focus on air dispersion modeling in a consulting role before advancing to managing permitting projects for the wood products, utilities, and chemical sectors. In 2015, Erin joined Duke Energy as a subject matter expert in permitting and compliance, providing comprehensive support across all areas of the company. She currently leads a team of air permitting and compliance professionals serving Florida, the Carolinas, and the Midwest.