Clean Water

Charles O'Melia, Abel Wolman Professor of Environmental Engineering Emeritus, Johns Hopkins University

Charles O’Melia was named professor of environmental engineering at Johns Hopkins in 1980 and was department chairman from 1990–1995 and from 2004–07. In 1998, he was appointed as the Abel Wolman Chair in Environmental Engineering at Johns Hopkins.

He held prior academic positions at Georgia Institute of Technology, Harvard University, California Institute of Technology, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he served as deputy chairman of the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering.

O’Melia is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and formerly served on the Water Science and Technology Board. He has served as director, vice president, and president of the Association of Environmental Engineering Professors. He chaired the National Research Council’s Committees on Watershed Management for New York City.

O’Melia received his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in sanitary engineering from the University of Michigan.

Lynn E. Broaddus, Ph.D., M.B.A., Director, Environment Programs, The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread

Panel Discussion Moderator

Lynn joined The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread in December 2008, and is responsible for shaping the Foundation's environmental programming with an emphasis on the freshwater crisis facing the United States. In the last year-and-a-half Lynn has convened national leaders in government, business and non-governmental organizations to explore the intersections of freshwater and climate change, infrastructure and built environment, agriculture, energy and public health. In June 2010, Lynn will facilitate The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread Freshwater Summit, in which leaders in business, government and not-for-profits will be asked to develop a national call-to-action and a set of key water initiatives.

Prior to joining The Johnson Foundation, Lynn served for six years as executive director of Milwaukee Riverkeeper?, a water advocacy organization. Before joining Riverkeeper, she spent 12 years working for The Nature Conservancy and a related organization, NatureServe, where her role as director of U.S. Network Partnerships focused on negotiating data sharing agreements among the nation's Natural Heritage Programs.

Lynn holds a bachelor's degree in environmental sciences from the University of Virginia, a master's in business administration from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, and a doctorate in botany and genetics from Duke University.

Academia Panelist

Dr. Paul W. Brandt-Rauf is currently the Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  He also holds appointments as Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences in the School of Public Health, Professor of Medicine in the College of Medicine, Professor of Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering in the College of Engineering, Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Professor of Public Administration in the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs.  Dr. Brandt-Rauf received his B.S., M.S., and Sc.D. in Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, his M.D., and his M.P.H. and Dr.P.H. in Environmental Sciences from Columbia University.  After completing his training, he joined the faculty of Columbia where he was Professor and Chairman of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Professor of Medicine, Earth and Environmental Engineering and International and Public Affairs.  In 2008, he became Professor Emeritus at Columbia when he assumed his current position at the UIC. Dr. Brandt-Rauf's major research interest is environmental carcinogenesis, particularly the molecular biology and the molecular epidemiology of cancer-related proteins.  He has also written extensively about ethical issues in occupational/environmental health policy.  He has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards and has served as an advisor and consultant to business, labor, academic and governmental organizations in the U.S. and around the world.

Manian Ramesh, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer, Nalco Company

Industry Panelist

Dr. Mani Ramesh is the Chief Technology Officer for Nalco Company, a premier service organization addressing the water, energy, air and process based needs of various industries.  He holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry and was a Welch fellow at Texas A&M University with Nobel Laureate Sir Derek Barton.  He joined Nalco in 1990 as a Senior Chemist in the Corporate Research group.  Prior to his current role, he served as Vice President, Research and Development from September 2002 to October 2003 and Vice President Water and Core Technologies from October 2003 to June 2006 and Vice President Process, Water and Core Technologies from July 2006 to May 2007.  He holds 48 United States patents and has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed technical publications.  Dr. Ramesh was inducted into the National Hall of Fame for Inventors in 1998.  He also has served on several executive committees including the Water Energy Nexus under the U.S. Senate Committee for Energy as well as in various selection committees for prestigious awards such as US Presidential Green Chemistry Award.