Michael S. Rolband, PE, PWD, PWS Emeritus

Mike Rolband joined the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality as its Director on January 15, 2022 – after failing retirement for the second time.  Rolband established the nonprofit Wetland Research Initiative in 2007 to fund applied research in wetlands creation, restoration, and enhancement activities. It and a companion effort – the Stream Restoration Initiative – are both managed through the Resource Protection Group Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization Rolband founded in 2012.

He founded Wetland Studies and Solutions Inc. (WSSI) in 1991 and grew his company into a multidisciplinary natural and cultural resources consulting firm with a staff of more than 200. Rolband is a P.E., PWD, PWS Emeritus and LEED AP. His firm constructed the first LEED Gold facility in Virginia and utilized multiple Low Impact Development practices for stormwater management in 2005.

In 2014, WSSI was acquired by The Davey Tree Expert Co. and, under Rolband’s leadership, expanded to include offices in Maryland and across Virginia. WSSI assisted land developers and public works agencies navigate the Clean Water Act, Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act and local environmental regulations.

Rolband’s lifelong interest in wetlands and stormwater management and its interaction with natural waterbodies has led to changes in Virginia environmental laws. He has testified before the General Assembly and lectured to numerous organizations on stormwater management and mitigation, wetlands and stream regulatory policy and Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act regulations. 

Rolband was instrumental in developing Virginia’s new wetlands laws in 2000 and served on the technical advisory committee that developed subsequent regulations. He was also involved in developing the new stormwater regulations and the energy balance method of stormwater quantity control. He has been appointed to a number of advisory boards and stakeholder groups. The 2021 Virginia General Assembly honored Rolband and his extensive contributions through unanimous passage of Senate Joint Resolution 371.

In 2017, Rolband was named a Professor of Practice by Cornell University, where he enjoyed teaching and mentoring engineering students through August 2020, and giving back to his alma mater, where he received his BS (Civil and Environmental Engineering) ‘80, M. Eng,’81 and MBA’82.

W. Lee Daniels, PhD

W. Lee Daniels is the Thomas B. Hutcheson Jr. Professor of Environmental Soil Science at Virginia Tech. His areas of specialization include stabilization and restoration of disturbed lands including areas affected by mining, road building, waste disposal, urbanization and erosion. His research program focuses on mine reclamation, wetland impact mitigation and soil-waste management systems. He has extensive consulting experience in mined land reclamation and wetland creation in the USA, Brazil, Poland and Australia. He also sits on the Virginia Abandoned Mined Lands Advisory Committee. His teaching programs at Virginia Tech focus on soil geomorphology and landscape analysis with particular emphasis on the relationships among surficial geology, hydrology, soil patterns and long term landscape evolution processes.

Lee received his PhD in Soil Science (Agronomy) from Virginia Tech in 1985. Major awards include the Reclamation Researcher of the Year by the American Society for Surface Mining and Reclamation (ASMR) in 1993, USEPA’s National Biosolids Utilization Research Award in 2000, and the Lifetime Achievement in Research Award by ASMR in 2012. In 2016, he was named as a Fellow by the Soil Science Society of America. Details on Lee’s research and outreach programs can be found at landrehab.org.

Justin Curtis, Esq.

Justin Curtis is Vice President of AquaLaw, where he is responsible for a variety of complex projects related to water, wastewater, stormwater, and other utility infrastructure, including permitting, regulatory compliance, enforcement defense, and related litigation. Mr. Curtis is currently advising and representing utility owners in permitting infrastructure development projects, TMDL appeals, and multiple NPDES permit appeals, among other significant projects.

Prior to joining AquaLaw in 2013, he practiced environmental law in Washington, D.C., representing electrical power, mining, and shale gas interests. Before that, he served a two-year clerkship under U.S. District Judge Thomas E. Johnston in the Southern District of West Virginia. Mr. Curtis earned his BA from the Pennsylvania State University, and his JD from University of Richmond Law School.

Art Parola, PhD, PE

Dr. Art Parola is the director of the Stream Institute and a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Louisville. He received his PhD in Civil Engineering and Water Resources from The Pennsylvania State University in 1990.

Dr. Parola is a recognized expert in stream and wetland restoration methods, stream morphology, and sediment dynamics. He has conducted fieldwork in at least 28 US states and Australia and New Zealand, and for more than 20 years, he has collaborated with federal, state, and local agencies and community organizations, provided engineering consulting services, taught, and carried out applied research.

Larry Butler

Larry Butler is the Chief Operating Officer of Reston Association, after serving as its Director of Parks and Recreation for Reston Association for 20 years.  Prior to that he was General Manager for Ashburn Village Community Association in Loudoun County, and prior to that he held various positions at Reston Association beginning in 1982.

Larry initiated Reston’s lake and watershed management activities in the mid-1980s when the developer turned over the lakes to the Association.  These activities have included establishing citizen committees on natural resource issues, policy development on use and management of natural resources, development of a watershed management plan, dredging and shoreline stabilization projects, and coordinating a private stream restoration mitigation bank on the Association’s property.

Larry has a BS in Wildlife Resources Management from West Virginia University and a Masters in Urban and Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia.  His particular interests are recreation facilities planning, water resources and open space management. He has been actively involved in the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS), serving on the Board and as President, and has also been active in the Virginia Lakes and Watersheds Association.