KJ Announces Internal Promotions and New Leadership Positions in Strategy, Operations

Kathy Romaine will take on a newly created role as Strategy Director for the firm’s private sector business. Romaine has been with KJ since 2014 and has more than 25 years of experience leading teams and delivering successful outcomes for private sector clients in the pulp and paper, chemical, communications, pharmaceuticals, waste disposal and petroleum industries. Romaine brings her strategic planning experience and business acumen to this new role and will continue to work closely with private sector clients on their complex challenges. Romaine, a Project Management Professional (PMP), has a BS in Biological Sciences from the University of Wisconsin and an MS in Environmental Management from Duke University.

Doug Sawyers will serve as KJ’s Operations Director for the Facilities Engineering, Management Consulting, and Remediation and Compliance organizations, overseeing and optimizing daily operations for a combined team of more than 65 staff. Sawyers is an environmental consultant, client manager, and operations leader with more than 30 years of experience working routinely with public and private sector clients to develop and implement strategies to address environmental challenges and to optimize operations. He has a BS in Civil Engineering and MS in Environmental Engineering, both from the University of Delaware.

Mark Cullington took on the Operations Director role over KJ’s Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii operations mid-year in 2022 where he oversees a growing practice of approximately 50 staff. Cullington has been with KJ since 2006 and for the last nine years, has overseen the Oregon operations, and has served public and private sector water, wastewater, and stormwater clients with a focus on multi-disciplinary design. Cullington is a PMP with extensive experience in wastewater solids planning and design. He holds a BA degree in humanities, a BS in chemistry and MS in soil science from the University of Washington.

Michael Humm became the Operations Manager for Oregon in mid-2022. Humm has been with KJ since 2006 and will now focus on leading the growing Oregon team of 14 engineers. A dynamic civil engineer and project manager, he focuses on infrastructure improvement projects across the water environment. He carries KJ’s client focus approach to his team, prioritizing client-oriented goals and outcomes and delivering successful and long-lasting projects. Humm earned his BS in Civil Engineering from Oregon State University.

Stephan Meurer, who joined KJ in 2022, is now the Operations Manager for the 40-person Remediation and Compliance operations. Meurer is a professional geologist and PMP with over 29 years of broad experience in environmental consulting. Throughout his career, he has worked with a variety of clients on projects ranging from small due diligence efforts to large assessment/remediation programs. Originally from Germany, Meurer attended the University of Tübingen and received a graduate degree in geology with a focus on applied geology and geophysics.

Jason Maglalang-Weakley recently took on the Operations Manager role for KJ’s Facilities Engineering practice. He has over 26 years of experience and will be responsible for planning, designing, and upgrading complex industrial facilities. Maglalang-Weakley will lead KJ’s Facilities Engineering team (currently 11 staff) in designing innovative, cost-effective ways to integrate new/modified processes into industrial facilities including industrial wastewater treatment, chemical handling and delivery systems, land application/permitting, and facilities infrastructure. Earlier this year, he was a KJ President’s Award recipient for Outstanding Client Service. He has a BS in Chemical Engineering and a MS in Environmental Engineering, both from Oregon State University.

Alicia Suzuki was recently named an ACEC Young Professional of the Year, assumed the Hawaii Operations Manager position in December. Suzuki leads a team of 12 staff in the Hawaii office who serve water, wastewater, and stormwater clients in the public and private sectors. Suzuki is an active volunteer and currently serving on the board of the Hawaii Water Environment Association as president. She has both an BS and MS in Civil Engineering from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.