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.
Melissa Bamford
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Melissa is a Senior Consultant at the Trinity Consultants Charlotte, North Carolina office. She has over 20 years of experience in both consulting and industry. Melissa began her consulting career primarily supporting air quality compliance, but also has extensive experience supporting EPCRA reporting and water compliance projects. Melissa works with a wide variety of industries including aerospace, rubber manufacturing, power generation, chemical manufacturing, terminals, and general manufacturing. She has provided support for clients in several of states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Texas, and Oregon. In addition to her consulting experience, Melissa also worked for industry within automotive parts design and manufacture and aircraft manufacture sectors. Melissa resides in Cornelius, North Carolina with her husband, three kids (16, 14, 10), and boxer Gracie.
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.
Jimmy Graves
Jimmy Graves is a senior consulting engineer and project manager with expertise in Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permitting and compliance. He has 20 years of in-depth experience working on a broad range of environmental permitting and compliance projects in many different industries, including chemicals, plastics, forest products, pharmaceuticals, minerals, automotive, textiles, packaging, and many others. Before joining TRC, he worked in the chemicals and plastics manufacturing industry with Eastman Chemical Company where he served as a process improvement engineer for multiple operations in Tennessee and Texas. Given his broad depth of experience and expertise, Jimmy is routinely called upon by TRC’s clients to participate in audits for regulatory compliance across all environmental media. He acts as the project manager and lead auditor for multiple corporate environmental audit programs that TRC supports in the United States and internationally. Jimmy is a licensed professional engineer in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Florida.
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.
Kevin McOmber
EPA Region 4 Regional Administrator
Kevin’s impressive 37-year career is distinguished by his dedication to community service and a deep commitment to environmental and municipal development. As a Professional Engineer (PE), he has led the design and execution of numerous large-scale public works projects across Georgia and the Southeast, focusing on sustainability, quality control, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Notably, Kevin has been a trusted partner to local and state agencies, navigating complex permitting processes and fostering collaborative relationships that drive impactful outcomes. Prior to joining the EPA, Kevin served as Executive Vice President and National Community Practice Leader at CPL Architecture, Engineering, and Planning. Since joining the EPA Southeast Region in February 2025, Kevin has advanced EPA’s Powering the Great American Comeback initiative across its five pillars by aligning regional program delivery; strengthening state, Tribal, and local partnerships; sharpening compliance and enforcement; improving efficient and transparent permitting; and directing community-centered investments to protect air, water, and land across the Southeast.
Myra Reece
Myra serves as Director of the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services
(SCDES), overseeing bureaus of Air Quality, Coastal Management, Land and Waste
Management, Regional and Laboratory Services, and Water. As Director, Myra works
collaboratively with state and federal agencies, local governments, businesses and
communities to ensure protection of South Carolina’s natural resources while balancing the state’s economic and environmental interests.
Myra served in leadership roles with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) for more than 30 years. She was Regional Office Director and Chief of the Bureau of Air Quality prior to becoming DHEC’s Director of Environmental Affairs. She currently serves as the Chair of WaterSC, as SCDES is the lead coordinating agency for that statewide water planning initiative. In the summer of 2022, Myra was named president of the Environmental Council of States (ECOS), the national non-profit, non-partisan association of state and territorial environmental agency leaders. ECOS plays a critical role in facilitating a quality relationship among federal and state agencies across the country. Myra previously served in leadership roles with ECOS as Planning Committee Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, and Vice President. As “past-president” of ECOS, she continues to be a part of important national conversations about successes and challenges of protecting human health and the environment.
Myra received a bachelor's degree in microbiology from Clemson University and a master's degree
in public health from the University of South Carolina. She is also a graduate of the Management Academy for Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a graduate of the Southern Center of Excellence in Environmental Health at Emory University and has obtained professional certification as a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager
Thomas I. Sullivan, P.E. (Texas)
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Thomas I. Sullivan, P.E., serves as a corporate Director of Environmental Services at Martin Marietta in Raleigh, NC. Prior to joining Martin Marietta, he was a Client Services Manager in the Environmental Division of POWER Engineers and officed in Austin, TX. Mr. Sullivan has over 30 years of environmental consulting and industry experience with primary areas of expertise in developing air permitting strategies, coordinating the permitting process, developing compliance strategies, and auditing for compliance.
His air quality experience includes state and federal New Source Review (NSR) permitting, Title V Operating Permits, Greenhouse Gas Permitting, New Source Performance Standard (NSPS) compliance, Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) compliance, Standard Permits, Permits by Rule, and Greenhouse Gas Reporting compliance.
His industry experience includes cement production, aggregate and ready-mix operations, oil and gas production, midstream, and refining facilities, petrochemical, plastic resin and specialty chemical manufacturing facilities, electricity generation, wood products manufacturing, and aerospace manufacturing and testing facilities. Mr. Sullivan earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Rice University and is a Registered Professional Engineer in Texas.
Rhonda Banks Thompson, P.E.
Chief, Bureau of Air Quality
South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (DES)
Columbia, SC
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Rhonda Thompson has been with the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (formally DHEC) for over 35 years. She has been the Chief of the Bureau of Air Quality since 2016. Prior to becoming Bureau Chief, she served as Assistant Bureau Chief, director of the permitting division, manager of the air toxics section, and a permit writer.
At the regional and national level, Rhonda is the newly elected Chair of the Southeastern States Air Resource Managers (SESARM), Board member of the Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies (AAPCA), and a past President of the Carolinas Air Pollution Control Association (CAPCA) Board of Directors.
Rhonda has a B.S. Degree in Engineering from the University of South Carolina, and she is a Registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) in South Carolina.
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.