Laura Weber, solid waste manager for the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Environment Division, has accepted a position on the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals’ National Tribal Steering Committee. The committee’s role will be to ensure tribal input and feedback to successfully establish a tribally-relevant waste management system. This will include response training, technical assistance and research programs in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response.

Committee members must be employed by a federally-recognized tribe or Alaska Native village and currently work in the fields of solid waste, hazardous waste, brownfields, federal facilities or emergency and remedial response. ITEP prefers a minimum of three years’ experience in any of those fields.

Weber has 14 years of experience working with tribal communities at the local, regional and national levels. At the national level, she served as the chairperson for the Tribal Association for Solid Waste Management and Emergency Response and as a tribal representative on the National Pollution Prevention and Toxics Advisory Committee.

“Participation on this committee is another example of how the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe is a good steward of the environment,” Weber said. “The tribe has a significant commitment to the environment in many ways. My participation on this important committee will help to create a vision for all tribes to preserve, protect and restore the environment.”

Weber has also served on the board of directors for the American Indian Science and Engineering Society.

In addition to her national experience, she established the tribe’s Solid Waste Management Program and currently manages all operations. She also established the first tribal waste lamp recycling program to eliminate mercury pollution from improper disposal, and developed a culturally sensitive educational program about the negative impacts of improper solid waste disposal. Weber has led educational projects on proper techniques for disposal of used motor oil and composting methods.

The National Tribal Steering Committee consists of 10 voting members and four ex-officio members, serving two-year terms. All members are expected to attend meetings on a quarterly basis in addition to two other conference call meetings per year. Members are eligible to serve an additional two-year term.

Weber attended SUNY Plattsburgh where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry in 1984 and Clarkson University where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering also in 1984. She completed requirements for a Master’s of Science degree from Clarkson University in 1991. She has worked with the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Environmental Division for 14 years, since 1995.

“I’m pleased to be part of this committee and have the opportunity to serve Indian communities in a greater capacity.”