Debbie Hickson

Waste Plant Manager at Chobani

acelr1@r.postjobfree.com

Summary

PLANT & ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGER

Proven leader and Environmental compliance expert offers a record of success in defining standard operating

procedures and best practices in both established and start-up settings. Excels in budget and team management,

driving proper resource allocation, safety and risk mitigation. Experienced in correcting mismanaged

operations to meet regulatory standards. Sustainability Pillar team leader focusing on defining and improving

environmental issues.

Experience

Waste Plant Manager at Chobani

February 2013 - Present (1 year 5 months)

Providing leadership to one supervisor and four operator team operating a 0.900 MGD MBR

aerobic wastewater treatment plant.

Directing proper disposal of hazardous, non-hazardous and universal waste.

Developing a sustainable environmental management system.

Encouraging and mentoring operators in obtaining state wastewater certifications.

Driving teams to successful problem solving using team concepts from focused improvement.

Overseeing laboratory testing for process control as well as sample collection for permit compliance.

Submitting monthly monitoring reports according to SPDES discharge monitoring requirements.

Developed Best Management Practices for stormwater management.

Led a team to successfully obtaining bulk chemical storage permitting.

Became a member of confined space rescue team through successful training.

Attended classes to become certified wastewater operator in the state of NY.

Created training for proper storage of hazardous, non-hazardous and universal waste.

Writing Standard Operating Procedures for laboratory testing and WWTP operations.

Conducting monthly environmental audits to remain in compliance with NY state

requirements.

Developed training as well as manage SPCC and SWP3 programs for state compliance.

Created KPI monitoring and reporting to ensure proper budget management

Environmental Manager at Southwest Cheese Company

June 2007 - October 2012 (5 years 5 months)

Managed four operations and one land application specialist in operating anaerobic and aerobic waste water

treatment.

Empowered and mentored all operators in obtaining state water and wastewater operator certifications.

Developed statistical process control procedures for laboratory testing.

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Directed laboratory testing, sample collection and reporting for water and waste water, including monitoring

wells.

Held toolbox safety training to remind employees their safety is most important.

Performed mock spills to educate and prepare employees of potential environmental threats.

Organized and led confined space entry teams making mechanical repairs at WWTP.

Handled Haz-com, Blood born pathogens and all environmental record keeping.

Conducted company-wide training of employees on SPCC and SWP3 programs, as well as other related

environmental requirements, to educate and enlist employees.

Served as part of a waste minimization team, leading efforts to reduce the amount of water and chemicals

used.

Directed clean up and safe disposal of hazardous, nonhazardous, and infectious waste materials.

Used SAP to enter work orders for plant maintenance and ordering chemical/lab consumables.

Collected data and prepared Tier II and SARA 313 Reports.

Maintained and collected data concerning carbon foot print.

Managed recycling efforts concerning aluminum cans, cardboard and plastic bottles.

Oversaw monitoring of air quality, storm water, drinking water and discharge water permits, necessary for

permit reporting activity.

Accountable for budget and costs, WWTP, drinking water and environmental

Established an environmental management system for filing, auditing, reporting, and data collection.

Developed a filter press and building project, managing all contractors and project details for the assignment.

Participated in environmental assessments and audits, keeping plant in compliance.

Sustainability Leader of Focused Improvement Programs to define and improve on environmental concerns.

Plant Manager at Liquid Environmental Solutions

2012 - 2012 (less than a year)

Directed environmental solutions at a plant that processes 120,000 GPD grease trap waste and discharges

75,000 GPD to Dallas POTW; directed six operators, one office administrator, and one truck driver.

Developed standard operating procedures for all plant equipment and trained staff of safety policies.

Managed manifest documentation for solid wastes, specifically grease trap disposal.

Administered a $3.6M annual budget as well as chemical inventories and other stocked supplies.

Provided city regulators with proof of discharge compliance and submitted quarterly monitoring reports;

prepared internal expense/operating documents, conducted SWP3 and SPCC audits, and led safety

inspections.

Drove successful equipment startup of a rotating vacuum drum

Plant Manager at Ecovation

2006 - 2007 (1 year)

Headed WWTP operations and served as a vital member of the Waste Minimization Team.

Collected and analyzed process control and regulatory samples, including monitoring wells.

Prepared quarterly discharge monitoring reports for the state of New Mexico.

Proved vital in preparing the WWTP for shut down due to a plant closure.

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Surface Water Operator at City of Athens

2000 - 2006 (6 years)

Operated a 6MGD surface water plant and three associated wells; analyzed samples to ensure water was

treated in compliance with state requirements and drove efforts to organize and store ten years of data for the

plant.

Obtained Surface Waster B and Ground C Licenses from TCEQ.

Skills & Expertise

Environmental Policy

Facilities Management

Regulatory Compliance

Cost Controls

SAP

Inventory Management

Operations Management

Budget

Project Management

Proposal Writing

Risk Management

Safety

Water Treatment

Wastewater Treatment

Waste Management

Environmental Compliance

Training

Sustainable Development

Laboratory Skills

Budgets

Water

Program Management

Environmental Awareness

Cost Engineering

Environmental Impact Assessment

Leadership

Waste

Environmental Science

Sustainability

Hazardous Waste Management

Environmental Management Systems

Environmental Engineering

Environmental Auditing

Stormwater Management

Water Quality

Remediation

EHS

Environmental Issues

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Courses

Associate of Science (A.S.), Chemical

Technology/Technician

TSTI Harlingen

General Chemistry

Organic Chemistry

Unit Operations

Technical Report Writing

Chemical Calculations

Labs for all courses

Waste Plant Manager

Chobani

Hazardous Material Handling

HAACP and SQF

Sensory Training

Confined Space Rescue

Environmental Manager

Southwest Cheese Company

Complete Environmental Compliance

Hazardous Material Management

Focused Improvement Bootcamp

Incident Commander Training

CPR Certification

Smoke School (Air Emissions)

Education

TSTI Harlingen

Associate of Science (A.S.), Chemical Technology/Technician, 1985 - 1987

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Debbie Hickson

Waste Plant Manager at Chobani

acelr1@r.postjobfree.com

Contact Debbie on LinkedIn

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