AIHA Potomac Section Board Members

President, John Engel

President-Elect, Lauren Kesslak

Lauren E. Kesslak, CIH, CSP is an Industrial Hygienist in the DC metro area.  She is currently a Certified Industrial Hygienist for Inspection Experts, Inc. in Columbia, MD.  Lauren has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Saint Francis University (Loretto) and a Master of Science degree in Biology from Shippensburg University.   She is Certified in Comprehensive Practice by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (CIH), and by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (CSP).

Past President, Brent Sharrer

Brent Sharrer, MS, CIH is the Director of Industrial Hygiene Services for HP Environmental, Inc. in Herndon, Virginia. Mr. Sharrer has been practicing industrial hygiene for 28 years and has been a member of AIHA for 21 years. In his current role he serves government and private sector clients in the areas of indoor air quality, ventilation, toxicology, asbestos, lead-based paint and mold. He served as the CIH of record for the Capitol Dome Restoration Project from 2014-2016 and recently has focused his efforts on building preparedness in response to COVID-19, filtration technology, IAQ sensor technology as well as mentoring colleagues. He holds a BS in Biology from the College of William and Mary in Virginia and and MS in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina.

Treasurer, Kay Dietrich

Kay has many years of experience in occupational health and safety including work as a consultant, at a teaching hospital/university, in a refinery, at a natural gas distributor and at a nationally recognized testing laboratory (NRTL). She is currently working as a Health and Safety Specialist for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.  She has both a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from North Carolina State University and is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and Certified Safety Professional.

Treasurer-elect, Max Chmielinski

Dr. Maximilian Chmielinski completed his PhD at the University of Washington investigating ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure in agricultural workers under the supervision of Dr. Christopher Simpson. His academic work contained three components: dosimetric monitoring of solar and lamp sourced UV, designing a control system to operate a bench top spectroradiometer as a dosimetric device, and using an open-source architectural light simulation engine to predict ambient radiation conditions created by indoor vegetation supplemental lighting. His current position is a consultant working at HP Environmental, where he has managed large water losses nationwide and performed environmental oversight during large renovations on Capitol Hill. Outside of work, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Explorers Club Washington Group and has a wonderful cat that does tricks and comes when called.

Secretary, Effy Castaneda

Ms. Castaneda is an industrial hygienist based in Baltimore, Maryland. She is currently employed at Tidewater where she provides industrial hygiene monitoring and assists with occupational health program development. She has a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from the University of California, San Diego and a Master of Science degree in Occupational and Environmental Hygiene from Johns Hopkins. 

Secretary Elect, Richard Dillahunt

Richard Dillahunt Jr, MS, CIH, REHS, serves as a Program Manager of Environmental Health and Safety Services at Federal Occupational Health, a component of the Program Support Center (PCS) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Throughout his 10-year career, he has provided industrial hygiene, occupational safety, food safety, pest management, water quality, and emergency response services to various government and private sector organizations. Richard is a Lieutenant Commander in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service. He is the 2022 John C. Eason Award recipient, awarded by the U.S. Public Health Service’s Environmental Health Officer Professional Advisory Committee annually, to recognize the accomplishments of an outstanding Junior Officer. He has worked as an industrial hygienist for the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Marine Chemist Services Inc. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a Master of Science in Environmental Health Sciences from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.

Director Web Admin, Thalia Gedeon

Thalia Gedeon, CSP currently serves AIHA Potomac remotely and works as a Safety Engineer for Northrop Grumman in Utah while attending graduate school at the University of Utah for a Master's degree in Occupational Health. She has been in the IH & Safety fields for nearly 7 years since graduating from Texas A&M University in 2016 (whoop!) with a B.S. in Natural Resource Management. In her spare time, she likes to paint, care for her plants, tour the international food scene with her husband, and read too many self-help books.

Director At Large, Joy Erdman

Ms. Erdman is a private consultant in occupational safety and health, based in Falls Church, Virginia. Prior to this, she was the senior civilian CIH & CSP working in the Pentagon in support of the U.S. Navy’s occupational safety & health program. Ms. Erdman served on a variety of DoD and Federal Interagency committees and completed the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Program for Senior Executive Fellows. She has taught ethics for industrial hygienists seeking certification maintenance for over 10 years. In 2012, ASSE recognized her as one of 100 women making a difference in safety and in 2020, AIHA recognized her as an AIHA Fellow. Ms. Erdman is past chair of the AIHA Leadership and Management Committee, the current Chair of the AIHA Conference Program Committee, and on the Board of Directors with the AIHA Potomac Section.

Director At Large, Sam Youssef

Sam Yousssef, BsChe, MBA, ASP, CSP, CIH is principal at a boutique regional EHS consulting firm based in the DMV, YCC. est 2009. Prior to consulting, Sam gained early career experience in energy, oil & gas, technology and petrochemicals with large multinational companies before launching his entrepreneurial career which has given him experience in many industry sectors. Recently, local activities focus mainly on large construction and infrastructure projects. Sam has travelled the globe on various assignments and engagements, with current country count at 41! He has his BS Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University, and his MBA in Finance, Marketing, International Business and Decision Sciences from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University along with several other certifications.  Sam is excited to become involved in the AIHA and the local Potomac chapter, and hopes to continue promoting the organization’s expertise and profile in the region.

Director at Large, Damien Hammond

Mr. Hammond has over 20 years of experience providing environmental, health and safety services. Damien possesses a broad knowledge of environmental regulatory compliance requirements, he has a strong educational foundation as well, with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of the District of Columbia and a Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Public Policy from George Mason University. He has served as President of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (Potomac), a Board Member for The Campagna Center, a Human Rights Commissioner for the City of Alexandria, and a Subject Matter Expert for the US Black Congressional Caucus and the US Chamber of Commerce.

Director at Large, Mark Geiger