develop consensus standards for use by TNI's programs. This group has a support role in assisting other programs with activities such as guidance and standards interpretation.
fosters the generation of data of known and documented quality is through the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program, or NELAP. The purpose of this program is to establish and implement a program for the accreditation of environmental laboratories.
is to establish and maintain a national PT program to support TNI’s National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program, and other activities.
Field Activities Program (NEFAP) Executive Committee is to establish and implement an accreditation program for field sampling and measurement organizations (FSMOs).
Audit Sample Program is to develop consensus standards for the manufacture and analysis of audit samples for source emission testing.
on a variety of topics of interest to the environmental measurement community. TNI also hosts two regularly scheduled meetings per year, typically in January and August. Both are a week long and involve open meetings of TNI committees as well as training courses and other special sessions.Biographical Sketches - Nominees for the TNI Board of Directors
Jump to Board Nominee:
Steve Arms
Caitlin Brice
Robin Cook
Stacie Crandall
Harold Longbaugh
Judy Morgan
Valerie Slavin
Alfredo Sotomayor
Steve Arms has nearly 33 years of managerial and analytical experience in the environmental testing field. Now retired for 6 years from the Florida Department of Health, his background combines 13 years of analytical and supervisory work in the Florida drinking water primacy laboratory with 19 years as the administrator of the Environmental Laboratory Certification Program (ELCP). As ELCP Administrator, Mr. Arms was responsible for oversight and periodic evaluation of the program's quality system and day-to-day operations, ensuring that all employees were trained, competent and knowledgeable. Active in NELAC since 1997, he served on the NELAP Accrediting Authority Committee (currently known as the Accreditation Council) and was chairperson of the NELAC Standards Review Committee. Also active in INELA, he was a member of the Accreditation Body and Implementation Support Committees as well as the Board of Directors. He participated on the Partnership Planning Team and Transition Board in the merger of NELAC and INELA. He is a Past Chair of the TNI Board of Directors and chair of the TNI Advocacy Committee and served on the NGAB working group. He now works part-time in consulting and serves as Lead Evaluator for the recognition of TNI NELAP Accreditation Bodies. Mr. Arms has a BS degree in Chemistry from the University of Florida.
Caitlin Brice
Director of Quality Assurance
SGS North America
Kansas City, Missouri
Caitlin has experience in both small and large environmental labs, on the bench, in quality, executive and financial management. She has 5 years experience as a QA Director, and 6 years as a Lab Director. While she has not yet been active on TNI committees, she has been an active volunteer in other organizations, including FSEA and NAEP. Caitlin is motivated by a deep desire to make an impact, preferably for the good of others and the preservation of natural resources.
Robin Cook
Regulatory Compliance Officer, QA Manager
City of Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach, Florida
Robin has 25 years' experience in environmental testing. Her experience includes both chemistry and microbiological analysis, supervisory and management experience, consulting, regulatory compliance and Quality Assurance. Robin has been an active volunteer throughout her career, not only with TNI but also the Florida Society of Environmental Analysis (FSEA) where she has served as Treasurer since 2008. With TNI, Robin has volunteered as a member of several committees, including the Quality Systems, Microbiology Expert, Advocacy, Training, Mentoring, CSDEC, and PT subcommittee for Micro Quality Systems. She serves as TNI's Small Laboratory Advocate and has made numerous presentations on behalf of TNI.
Stacie Crandall
Chief, Laboratory Division
Hampton Roads Sanitation District
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Stacie Crandall has over 25 years' experience in analytical and environmental testing. In her current position, she has oversight of a NELAC accredited municipal laboratory with a staff of 50. Her responsibilities include both regulatory and research programs. She has extensive experience in quality assurance and served as the laboratory's Quality Assurance Manager for 15 years. Stacie has been an active leader in TNI as a member of the TNI Board of Directors, Advocacy Committee, the LASEC and SIR subcommittee, the past Chair and member of the Proficiency Testing Program Executive Committee, member of the Proficiency Testing Expert Committee and membership in the TNI Advocacy Committee. She is also active in WEF's Laboratory practices Committee (past Chair) and the Virginia Environment Association (Past Chair and member of Laboratory Practices Committee).
Harold Longbaugh
Lab Manager
City of Houston Drinking Water Operations
Houston, Texas
Harold has a PhD in chemistry with over twenty years of industrial and government experience in environmental analyses and regulatory compliance. He has first-hand experience in spearheading the entire process of obtaining the initial NELAC accreditation for a municipal lab and benefited from the continuous improvement process. He has a passion for helping TNI to expand its horizon, as evidenced by his support as a committee member on the LASEC, SIR Subcommittee, Competency task force and the Mentoring Subcommittee of the Advocacy Committee.
Judy Morgan
Vice President, Chief Compliance and Training Officer
Pace Analytical Services, LLC
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Judy has been serving the environmental industry since 1986. In her current role, she is responsible for the design and implementation of the Compliance Program, Green Initiatives Program, Safety Program, Training, Ethics and Confidentiality and Waste Disposal/Minimization program as well as various aspects of quality assurance for a large, multi-location laboratory network. She is a respected expert witness and a prolific technical writer. Judy has her BS in Chemistry from Austin Peay State University and an MS in Analytical Chemistry from Western Kentucky University. She is currently a member of the TNI Board of Directors, Chair of the California Environmental Laboratory Technical Advisory Committee (ELTAC), Chair of the TNI Non-governmental Accreditation Body Recognition Committee, Chair of TNI Consumables Task Force, TNI Assessment Forum Coordinator. The list of the other TNI committees, ad hoc groups and NEMC activities that Judy has contributed to since the beginning of the organization is extensive.
Valerie Slavin
Laboratory Director
PDC Laboratories
Sparta, Illinois
Val has significant leadership and management experience. She had been a QA Manager, Consultant and is a Laboratory Director. She served for many years on the Chemistry Expert Committee and served as its Chair.
Alfredo Sotomayor
Laboratory Manager
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Alfredo is a founding member of TNI and INELA and participated in NELAC since its inception. He is passionate about environmental accreditation and has made many strategic contributions to TNI. Alfredo is currently the Laboratory Manager of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Central Laboratory, an accredited laboratory by a NELAP Accreditation Body. Prior to his current position, he worked for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as a laboratory assessor and drinking water supply specialist, earning a reputation for in-depth knowledge, collaboration, and fairness. He is a member of the TNI Board of Directors and serves as its Chair. He has also served as Chair of the Policy Committee and has led numerous ad hoc task groups. Alfredo has demonstrated his commitment to TNI thorough lengthy service and would like to continue to do so. He has a deep understanding of laboratory accreditation and extensive experience with committee management.