Management

Diane C. Creel is the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Ecovation, Inc. Ms. Creel joined Ecovation in May of 2003. Under her leadership, the company has expanded its technology offerings through acquisition and exclusive licensing agreements; more than tripled the number of staff; and grown in annual revenues, putting Ecovation in the 2006 Top 100 Companies in Rochester, NY. Today, Ecovation has Fortune 1000 companies as its clients.

Ms. Creel was the first woman to hold the chief executive position of a publicly held engineering firm in the United States, as CEO and president of Earth Tech, Inc. Earth Tech is an international consulting engineering firm that provides global water management, transportation, engineering technology and environmental services, headquartered in Long Beach, California. After becoming CEO of Earth Tech in January 1993, the company’s revenues grew from $50 million to $1.6 billion including 21 acquisitions.

Ms. Creel was the recipient of the Inc. Magazine and Ernst and Young 1995 Los Angeles Entrepreneur of the Year Award. She also received the 2001 Excellence in Leadership Award from Leadership Long Beach, the 2001 Elizabeth Milbank Anderson Award for Contributions to the Arts, the 1999 Silver Achievement Award for Corporate Leadership from the Los Angeles YWCA, the 1999 Legacy of Leadership Award from the American Heart Association, and the 1999 Long Beach Entrepreneur of the Year Award. In 2006, Ms. Creel was named as a finalist for the Rochester Small Business Council, Business Person of the Year, and Ecovation received the Hugh O’Brien (HOBY) Corporate Citizen Award.

Ms. Creel currently serves on the Board of Directors of Allegheny Technologies Inc., the American Funds of Capital Research Management, Foster Wheeler, Inc., and Goodrich Corporation. She is also a member of the Women’s Leadership Board of the Kennedy School at Harvard University.
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Mike Tschiderer is Executive Vice President of Operations for Ecovation, Inc. In this role, he is responsible for developing strategic initiatives and operating policies and procedures to support the growth of the company. Mr. Tschiderer has more than 15 years of experience in operations and financial management. Prior to joining Ecovation, he served as controller, treasurer, and senior vice president of finance for Mpower Communications, a provider of broadband high-speed Internet access and telecommunications services. At MPower, he was responsible for all financial operations. Mr. Tschiderer was previously a partner with Bonadio & Co., LLP, where he founded the management consulting division for one of the largest CPA firms in Western and Central New York. Mr. Tschiderer has also been an accounting instructor at St. John Fisher College and was previously a co-owner of Professional Medical Supply, which was voted a Rochester Top-100 company two years in a row. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of New York and holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from St. Bonaventure University. (back to top)

Laura Reitter, CPA, joined Ecovation’s management team in May 2007. She is responsible for overseeing internal reporting processes and instituting strategies to maximize Ecovation’s growth. Most recently, Ms. Reitter was the Regional Sales Integration Manager for Citibank NA, where she oversaw integration with channel and vendor partners, as well as led the sales effort for the Upstate NY region. She also oversaw financial services provided to small businesses. Before joining Citibank, Ms. Reitter was a senior tax consultant for Deloitte & Touche. A graduate of the William E. Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester, where she received a Master’s in Finance, Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Ms. Reitter received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the State University of New York at Albany. (back to top)

Robert Cummings is a co-founder of Ecovation and inventor of the MFT. Prior to forming the company, Mr. Cummings was employed in various research and development positions within the department of agricultural and Biological Engineering at Cornell University. While at Cornell, he was involved with research and development of innovative, cost effective technologies for resource recovery and efficient treatment of polluted waste streams and sludge. During this time, Mr. Cummings designed and oversaw construction and initial operations of the world’s largest anaerobic digester for dairy waste. The digester has been in continual operation for over 10 years. Mr. Cummings is considered an expert in the field of anaerobic treatment of organic waste streams. He holds both a B.S. and M.S. in environmental engineering from the University of Vermont. (back to top)

Robert Hickey, Ph.D., leads the development of technology initiatives and applications of waste stream treatment systems for Ecovation. Dr. Hickey has a strong background in the biological treatment of industrial, municipal, groundwater, and solid waste streams. His expertise lies in applied research and development, and commercial application of biological and physical-chemical treatment systems. Over his 29-year career, Dr. Hickey has designed, implemented and managed a wide range of treatment projects both in the US and internationally. Prior to Ecovation, Dr. Hickey was a consultant to chemical, oil and gas companies, and nationwide municipalities where he advised on appropriate strategies and technologies to meet various waste stream treatment needs. Dr. Hickey holds a B.E. in mechanical engineering and M.E. in environmental engineering from Manhattan College as well as a Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Massachusetts. (back to top)

John Zito is responsible for the successful structuring, estimating, staffing and execution of design/build services and construction projects for Ecovation. He has a strong background in the worldwide construction market with over 20 years experience as a design/build contractor and consultant. Mr. Zito has particular technical expertise in water and waste stream treatment projects. Most recently, he was a vice president at Earth Tech, where he managed global project delivery, project services, safety and quality. Prior to coming to the U.S. in 2002, he was responsible for project delivery at Earth Tech UK. Mr. Zito holds a degree in mechanical engineering from Sheffield University. (back to top)

Peter Bokor heads up Ecovation’s West Coast operations as Vice President and Director. In this role, he leads project development, execution and delivery of projects for Ecovation’s customers throughout the western region. Before joining Ecovation, Mr. Bokor was Vice President of Corporate Strategic Services for California-based Earth Tech, Inc., where he established annual operating priorities for the company. As Senior Program Director, he provided strategic direction and program management for developing long-term client relationships and delivering value-added consulting services. His experience with strategy and financial planning was honed during his tenure at Lehman Brothers, where he worked with leveraged buyout funds and performed merger and acquisition analyses to evaluate investment opportunities for client companies. Mr. Bokor holds an M.B.A. from The Anderson School at the University of California, Los Angeles and a B.S. in mechanical and aeronautical engineering from the University of California, Davis. He is a registered mechanical engineer in the State of California. (back to top)

Richard White oversees the ongoing operations of Ecovation’s treatment systems at customer sites, ensuring that they continue to operate at optimal performance levels. White has over 25 years of experience in waste stream treatment operations. Prior to Ecovation, Mr. White was a vice president at Earth Tech, where he was responsible for providing high quality service at over 60 contract operations projects. Mr. White also developed and implemented the first set of performance standards and expectations for these 60 projects, which is now the basis for Earth Tech’s international QA/QC program. Mr. White holds a B.S. in biology from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse University. (back to top)

Robert Franklin, P.E. is responsible for the planning and execution of waste stream treatment projects utilizing Ecovation’s patented MFT technology at customer sites worldwide. Mr. Franklin is a civil engineer and construction manager with more than 26 years of experience in the construction of wastewater, advanced technology, cogeneration, manufacturing, and commercial facilities. He has managed construction projects at positions ranging from general contractor to owner’s construction management consultant and has built third-party designed projects as well as fast-track facilities designed in-house. Prior to joining Ecovation, he was vice president and division construction manager for the Global Facilities and Global Water Divisions at Earth Tech. Mr. Franklin holds an MS in construction engineering and management from Stanford University and a BS in civil engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Project Management Institute, Construction Management Association of America, and Design-Build Institute of America. Mr. Franklin is a registered professional engineer in California and New York. (back to top)

Al Pristera works closely with the CEO, CFO, and other key management and technology staff to implement and execute medium- and long-term business development strategies. Prior to his employment with the company, Mr. Pristera served as Vice President, Sales at Ondeo Degremont, a company specializing in water and wastewater treatment plants. During his tenure with Ondeo Degremont, he was responsible for directing sales and marketing activities in both the municipal and industrial markets, and was responsible for managing applications engineering efforts. From 1996 to 1998, Mr. Pristera was President and COO of Denard, a wholly owned subsidiary of Infilco Degremont. His responsibilities included managing R&D activities and budgets, as well as the applications engineering function. Mr. Pristera held a variety of executive business and engineering positions with Infilco Degremont prior to being named president of Denard in 1996. Mr. Pristera holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Newark College of Engineering. (back to top)