Wisconsin Groundwater Coordinating Council (GCC)
Members and Agencies
The GCC consists of the heads of all state agencies with some responsibility for groundwater management plus a Governor's representative.The state agencies include the Departments of Natural Resources (DNR); Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP); Health and Family Services (DHFS); Transportation (DOT); Commerce; the University of Wisconsin System (UWS); and the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS). The agency heads have appointed high-level administrators who have groundwater responsibilities to sit on the Council.
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) - Todd Ambs
Todd Ambs was appointed as Administrator of the Division of Water for the DNR in January 2003. He had previously served as executive director of the River Alliance of Wisconsin, and is a veteran of public policy work for nonprofit organizations and state agencies. Prior to the River Alliance, he served as a senior policy analyst for then Attorney General Jim Doyle. In the past, Ambs served as a consultant for the national conservation organization, River Network, as executive director of Ohio's River's Unlimited, a statewide river group, the policy director for the Ohio Attorney General, and communications director for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
The Division of Water includes Drinking Water & Groundwater, Watershed Management, and Fisheries & Habitat Protection programs. These programs include wetlands, lakes, rivers, dams, nonpoint source, point sources, wells, drinking water supplies, fish hatcheries, sport, tribal and commercial fisheries, groundwater protection, and monitoring of all water quality. Todd is responsible for policy decisions and oversees a $60 million budget and a staff of 700 FTE.
Department of Agriculture,Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP)- Kathy Pielsticker
Kathy Pielsticker serves as the administrator of the Agricultural Resource Management Division with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Pielsticker, of Lodi, was appointed by Secretary Rod Nilsestuen and officially began her duties on December 6, 2004.
Pielsticker began her professional career in agriculture in 1978 as a soil conservationist for the Soil and Water Conservation District in Bureau County, Illinois, where her family has farmed since 1848. The majority of her career was spent with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, where she served form 1979 to 1998 in various assignments in Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, and Wisconsin. She has worked in the field with farmers and landowners as a soil scientist, soil conservationist, district conservationist, and in other management and executive positions. Her most recent assignment with the NRCS was as the Deputy State Conservationist in Madison, Wisconsin from 1995 to 1998. Since leaving the NRCS, Pielsticker has been involved in a wide range of conservation organizations, including five years as President of the Natural Heritage Land Trust.
Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS) - Henry A. Anderson, M.D.,
In 1980, Henry A Anderson, M.D. joined the DHFS as the State Environmental and Occupational Disease Epidemiologist. In 1991 he also assumed the duties of Chief Medical Officer. He received an MD degree in 1972 from the University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, WI. He was certified in 1977 by the American Board of Preventive Medicine with a subspecialty in occupational medicine and in 1983 became a fellow of the American College of Epidemiology. He holds adjunct Professorships at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, Department of Preventive Medicine and the UW Institute for Environmental Studies, Center for Human Systems and is a lecturer an the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. He has published over 140 scientific articles.
He is a member of the National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control Board of Scientific Councilors, is chair of the USEPA Science Advisory Board's Integrated Human Exposure Committee and is a member of the USEPA SAB Executive Committee. He was a member and subcommittee co-chair of the USEPA Endocrine Disruptor Screening and Testing Committee. He is co-chair of the Great Lakes Sport Fish Consumption Advisory Task Force. He is associate editor of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine and serves on the editorial board of Cancer Prevention International.
Department of Transportation (DOT) - Dan Scudder
Dan Scudder has been the Wisconsin DOT Environmental Services Program Chief since 1999. He supervises a staff providing technical assistance to transportation design and construction teams in the areas of soil and groundwater contamination, hazardous materials management, wetlands and wetland mitigation, erosion control and stormwater management, land use, history, archeology, air and noise analysis, community impact analysis, and environmental documents. Dan shares responsibility for developing the Department's environmental rules and forming environmental policy. He is a registered Professional Engineer and has a BS in Environmental Engineering from UW-Milwaukee as well as a BS in Journalism and Political Science from UW-Whitewater. Prior to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Dan served many years as an environmental engineer and environmental manager in industry and consulting.
University of Wisconsin System (UWS) - Dr. Anders Andren
Dr. Anders W. Andren is Director of the University of Wisconsin Aquatic Sciences Center and its UW Sea Grant Institute and UW Water Resources Institute. The two programs he directs support multidisciplinary research, education and outreach for the protection and sustainable use of Wisconsin’s water resources. He serves as chair of the National Institutes of Water Resources and has served a similar role for the national Sea Grant Association. A professor of environmental chemistry and technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Andren also teaches and conducts research on aquatic chemistry. He received his Ph.D. from Florida State University.
Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS) - Dr. James M. Robertson
Dr. James M. Robertson is the Director of the WGNHS and State Geologist of Wisconsin. He has a Bachelor's Degree in geology from Carleton College and a Masters and Doctorate in economic geology from the University of Michigan. Prior to taking his present position at the WGNHS in 1993, Robertson spent 18 years with the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources in Socorro, New Mexico. His major research interests in New Mexico focused on Precambrian geology and mineral resources.
The Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey has major ongoing programs in groundwater resource delineation, management, and protection. Recent projects include: well head protection for the City of Sturgeon Bay; comprehensive groundwater flow model for Dane County; and a regional groundwater inventory and analysis for seven southeastern Wisconsin counties.
Department of Commerce - Berni Mattsson, P.E.
Berni Mattsson, P. E., is the Administrator of the Division of Environmental and Regulatory Services. In 2002, Berni served as the director of division’s Bureau of Petroleum Products and Tanks. From 1998-2002, she was the Energy and HVAC Program Manager in the Commerce Division of Safety and Buildings, and from 1984-98 she worked in code development for that division. Berni has a BS in Chemical Engineering from UW-Madison.
Governor's Representative - George Kraft
George Kraft is a Professor of Water Resources and Director of the Center for Watershed Science and Education, and Director of the Central Wisconsin Groundwater Center. He holds appointments with both the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point College of Natural Resources and the University of Wisconsin – Extension. Dr. Kraft’s position is largely dedicated to serving the citizens, businesses, and governments of Wisconsin. He is passionate about outreach in the Wisconsin Idea tradition: “The boundaries of the University are the boundaries of the state.” His outreach involvement includes working on groundwater resource sustainability, both for quality and quantity.
Last Revised: Thursday July 12 2007
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