Appointments strengthen firm infrastructure and market positioning
Gainesville, FL, November 17, 2020 – ECT announces the election of two external directors to its 2021 board of directors. As a diverse and evolving technical consulting practice poised for continued growth, both directors offer strategic advisory and management value to the organization from their respective disciplines.
“The purpose from which these two professionals work is contagious and inspiring,” said ECT President and CEO Bobbi Westerby. “The depth of expertise they bring to ECT is immediately valuable to our clients and employee owners as well as the board.”
Financial and Operations Executive Loren L Sokolow was most recently the chief financial officer and treasurer of California-based consulting firm Psomas for nearly two decades prior to retirement. With proven success in professional services financial strategies, mergers and acquisitions, board governance, Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP) and organizational development, Loren will lend key expertise.
In addition to his executive role in consulting organizations, Loren has also served in leadership roles for numerous industry organizations such as the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the National Contracts Management Association (NCMA), and the Design Firms Finance Officers Group (DFOG). In 2019, he was recognized with ACEC’s Distinguished Service Award, as well as with the CFO of the Year “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Los Angeles Business Journal.
Loren holds an MBA in Finance, Personnel and Organizational Development from San Diego State University; a BS in Biochemistry and Political Science from the University of California; and is a ENV SP Environmental Sustainability Professional with the Institute for Sustainable infrastructure.
Sustainable Business Practice and Policy Expert Dr. Neil Hawkins is widely considered one of the most respected collaboration strategists in sustainability today. Currently, Neil is the president of the Erb Family Foundation, directing a $300 million endowment and a $12 million annual grant toward nurturing environmentally healthy and culturally vibrant communities in metro Detroit and the Great Lakes.
Ending his 31-year career at The Dow Chemical Company as the chief sustainability officer and a corporate vice president, Neil developed extensive experience remediating ecologically important sites, negotiating environmental treaties, and developing Dow sustainability collaborations with The Nature Conservancy and with the University of Michigan (Graduate Sustainability Fellows Program). These two collaborations represent more than $20 million invested into cross-training students and developing new corporate cultures supportive of nature.
Neil holds a ScD and MS in Environmental Health Sciences from Harvard University where he was also appointed Teaching Fellow of Harvard University and NIOSH Fellow. He also earned a BS in Health Physics/Nuclear Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.
ECT Senior Vice President and Board Member Jeff Meling has retired from his board position after 12 years of service. He will continue to serve in his operations role within the firm’s natural resources division.
About ECT
ECT provides environmental and sustainability consulting solutions to address the complex needs of industry, government, stakeholders, and communities nationwide. With professionals in more than 22 states, ECT specializes in natural resources, ecosystem restoration, remediation, water resource initiatives, and sustainability programs requiring cutting-edge technologies, effective permitting strategies, and responsive project management.
