Audrey Binder

"It’s hard to believe I’ve been involved with the NAEP since 1978 and for my entire professional career." - Audrey Binder

Audrey Binder became involved with the NAEP when a friend asked her to help plan the program for one of NAEP’s first conferences. Two years later she joined the NAEP in 1980, and the rest is history. Audrey was an elected Board Director from 1981 – 1996. She's been on numerous committees over the years, and chair of several, including Membership, Zirzow Student Award, Fellows, and Awards. She has been NAEP President for 2 terms, Vice-President for 4 terms, and Secretary for 4 terms. Audrey was on NAEP’s Certification Committee and helped to develop our Certification Program. After the Certification Program became independent as the Academy of Board Certified Environmental Professionals (ABCEP), She received her CEP (Certified Environmental Professional) credential, first serving as a reviewer on the Certification Review Board, and then as a Director on the ABCEP Board, eventually serving as Secretary, Treasurer, Vice-President, and President of ABCEP. After the ABCEP received Accreditation from the Council of Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards (CESB), She served as ABCEP’s representative on their Board of Directors. Later, in 2008, Audrey served as CESB’s Treasurer, in 2009 as Vice-President, and in 2010 as President (the first scientist to serve as the CESB’s President). Audrey is currently still active in the NAEP as Chair of the Fellows Committee (since 2006), and Chair of the Zirzow Student Award Committee (since 2001).

Professionally, Audrey has been a Federal employee for most of her career, mostly with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) headquarters in Washington D.C. She started her career as a member of the Technical Staff, with the Mitre Corporation in McLean, Virginia. In 1980, She took a position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Electrification Administration, doing site visits and writing EIS’s and EA’s for electric generation and transmission projects. In 1984 Audrey transferred to the USEPA in the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, in EPA’s New Chemicals Program. As a Program Manager, she specialized in risk assessment, risk characterization, and risk management, where she worked with a team of specialists including engineers, toxicologists, chemists, and economists to develop and write regulations and regulatory strategies for new industrial chemicals. In 2005 as part of the EPA team, she did site evaluations after Hurricane Katrina, in New Orleans. Also under the Toxic Substances Control Act, she specialized in biotechnology issues and assessments, as well as coordinating with EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation on chlorofluoro carbon substitutes. Audrey is especially proud of her public service, having spent most of her career with the USEPA, and working with such dedicated people.

Audrey Binder's educational background includes a Bachelors degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond Virginia; a Masters degree from American University, in Washington D.C.; and most of her Doctorate (all but dissertation) from George Mason University, in Fairfax Virginia. For the last 5 years, she has taken on the new responsibility of primary caregiver for each of her parents until their passing. This was a steep learning curve, becoming familiar with everything she could about Dementia, Alzheimer’s, Kidney Disease and caregiving. Although Audrey did not have much time for leisure, she had played tennis for many years, much of it on competitive leagues for the U.S. Tennis Association. She enjoys sailing on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay and doing as much humanitarian volunteer work as she can fit in. Audrey's work in the NAEP over most of her professional life has been a labor of love, not always easy, but rewarding. She believes it is gratifying to have the met and worked with so many dedicated and brilliant people in all 3 of the professional organizations that she has been involved with. Serving the environmental profession through these organizations has been her pleasure.

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