Apr 01, 2014
Baton Rouge - Two long time DEQ employees received prestigious awards for service at the recent Louisiana Solid Waste Association’s Environmental Partnership of Business, Industry and Government Conference in Lafayette.
Larry Baldwin, regional manager for the DEQ Northeast, Northwest and Kicatchie Central offices was awarded the 2014 Bentley Mackay, Jr. Award for the Most Outstanding Solid Waste Professional of the year. This award is for the most outstanding environmental professional in the area of Solid Waste Management in the state of Louisiana. It is selected by the Board of Certification and Training. The Bentley B. Mackay, Jr. award has been awarded annually to solid waste professionals since 1998. Nominations for this award must be submitted by a member of the Board of Certification and Training.
Baldwin has been employed by the state for more than 30 years, 28 of them with DEQ. During his tenure at DEQ, Baldwin has been an inspector in the Solid Waste Division, a supervisor in the Surveillance Division at the NE Regional Office and in 2009 was promoted to Regional Manager. He now manages the Northeast Regional Office in Monroe, the Northwest Regional Office in Shreveport and the Kicatchie Central office in Pineville.
Suzanne Bordelon, DEQ environmental program analyst, received an award from the Louisiana Solid Waste Association and the Board of Certification and Training for Solid Waste Management Operators for many years of dedicated service. Bordelon works with the Board of Certification assisting landfill operators in obtaining the certification required by DEQ to operate Type II, II-A and III landfills. She has been in that position since 1997. The Board of Certification, which is made up of members from the Police Jury Association, Municipal Association, private Industry, the Solid Waste Management Association, as well as a DEQ ex-officio member, meets quarterly to review and approve applications for those operators for which exams have been administered by Bordelon. She works closely with the Certification Board and the LSWA Board in provide continuing education for those operators, once certified.
Bordelon has been employed with DEQ for almost 22 years and works in the office of Environmental Services.
“DEQ takes great pride in the quality of the employees that serve the state of Louisiana in many capacities,” said DEQ Secretary Peggy Hatch. “These two employees exemplify the very best in work ethic and service, and we congratulate them on their respective awards.”