UF TREEO Center Celebrates its Instructors! The University of Florida’s Center for Training, Research, and Education for Environmental Occupations (TREEO) recently held a day-long workshop and awards luncheon for more than 20 trainers who have helped make UF TREEO Center a leader in environmental occupations training since 1977. The day-long event began with a breakfast meet and greet, followed by a strategic plan overview from Andy Campbell, TREEO’s director, and administrative updates from Lauren McCain, operations manager. Ron Trygar, a TREEO instructor, spoke about the challenges of teaching during a pandemic and presented tips and tricks for teaching virtually. He also led an open discussion around stories that were provided by the attendees about the challenges they face when training. Attendees were treated to an awards luncheon where trainers from five industries were recognized for their years of service and dedication to environmental training. Brainstorming sessions followed the luncheon where the instructors put on their training hats and came up with ideas to assist each other with topics related to instructional technology. By attending either in-person or via Zoom,
Asbestos abatement instructor Karen Meyer (left), receives a gator-themed trophy for her more than 30 years of training from Melissa Hamilton, asbestos program coordinator.
26 instructors had the opportunity to reunite with other trainers they had not seen in several years.
Industry Representation The industries represented and the instructors from each included: Asbestos S Toi Aiken – 4 years S David Wiggins – 25 years S Karen Meyer – 32 years S Terry Zinn – 32 years S Russ Stauffer – 33 years Backflow Prevention S Max Sako – 3 years S Tom Mulling – 25 years S Les O’Brien - 30 years Safety and Health S Cindy Mercado – 1 year S Marian Nesbitt – 1 year Solid Waste S Norm Thomas – 7 years S Carmen Bruno – 9 years
Areiole Williams, water and wastewater program coordinator, presented Phillip Brown with a shirt and service pin recognizing his more than five years of training.
72 February 2022 • Florida Water Resources Journal
Water and Wastewater S Daniel (Rick) Pfleiderer – 1 year S Phillip Brown – 8 years S Michael Cherniak – 24 years S James Clifton – 34 years S Ron Trygar – 19 years Several instructors were not able to attend in person, but were able to participate via Zoom. These included: S Glynn Stoffel, water and wastewater – 15 years S Charlie Martin, water and wastewater – 15 years S Jane Gregory, hazardous waste management 13 years S Kenneth Waite, backflow prevention - 11 years S Jeff Ball, backflow prevention – 14 years S Marco Flammia, backflow prevention, – 8 years S Carlos Vazquez, asbestos – 9 years S Tim Grobe, asbestos – 32 years S Robert Sweeney, asbestos – 2 years In total, these instructors have served TREEO for more than 400 years! All trainers received a UF TREEO polo shirt and a certificate of attendance. Depending on their length of service, the instructors also
Vivian Li, solid waste program coordinator, presented Carmen Bruno with a polo shirt, a length-of-service pin, and certificate of appreciation for his more than nine years of service.
