QAA,LLC - Resume for Taryn G. Scholz of Quality Assurance Associates

Quality Assurance Associates
QAA, L.L.C.

TARYN G. SCHOLZ

PRESIDENT AND SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER

EDUCATION

BS, Chemical Engineering, University of Houston, 1983; Magnum Cum Laude
Undergraduate study in Chemical Engineering, Texas A & M University, 1979-1980; G.P.A. - 4.0

TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE

Twenty years experience in:

Quality Assurance Management
Centralized Management of Sample, Analytical, and QA Data
QA Data Validation and Review
Hazardous Waste Treatment Process Evaluation
Analytical Chemistry, Data Interpretation, and Problem Solving
Refinery Process Engineering

EXPERIENCE SUMMARY

Areas of experience include analytical chemistry, chemical engineering, quality assurance, litigation support, and project management. Analytical chemistry work includes sample preparation, gas chromatography, and atomic adsorption analysis. Chemical engineering experience is in the petroleum industry and includes computer process simulation, process design, crude evaluation, manufacturing cost determination, and exposure to all operating areas within a refinery. Quality assurance experience includes assignment as Quality Assurance Manager for a federal Superfund site, laboratory coordination, data management, raw data reprocessing, and data review. Data review has included extensive data validation and usability determinations for numerous diverse projects under various EPA Regions, CERCLA Superfund, Louisiana’s RECAP (Risk Evaluation/ Corrective Action Program), Texas State Superfund, the Texas Risk Reduction Program (TRRP), and the Texas Petroleum Storage Tank (PST) program. Experience in performing TRRP-13 and Texas state Superfund reviews and preparing Data Usability Summaries includes a broad range of sites (e.g., LPST, hydrocarbon processors, automotive parts/ repair, recycling scrap yard, semiconductor manufacturing, nylon manufacturing) and various analytical parameters (e.g., Metals, VOC, SVOC, BTEX, TPH, Herbicides, PCB). Litigation support includes performing literature searches, theoretical chemical calculations, data interpretation/ evaluation, and preparation of expert reports (see Projects - Litigation Support). Project management experience centers on data usability projects for environmental sites involving thousands of samples.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Ms. Scholz is currently a partner and the President of Quality Assurance Associates, a limited liability company that provides quality assurance services to the environmental industry and for litigation support. Key projects include:

Assignment as Quality Assurance Manager for a federal Superfund site, which included preparing the Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP), providing analytical expertise to the environmental firm, coordinating with the laboratory, and providing oversight of the Level III or Level IV data validation (primarily electronic) of more than 500 samples submitted for the complete analytical suite (volatile organics, semivolatile organics, RCRA metals, pesticides, and PCBs);
Comprehensive data validation and usability reviews for several sites under various EPA Regions, CERCLA Superfund, Louisiana’s RECAP (Risk Evaluation/ Corrective Action Program), Texas State Superfund, and the Texas Risk Reduction Program (TRRP-13);
A third-party audit of on-site laboratory and QA procedures for a major oil company under the NPDES general permit for off-shore oil rigs;
Litigation support for a case involving alleged eye injury due to toxic chemicals being deposited on ophthalmic surgical instruments during the sterilization process;
A contract with the TCEQ to develop procedures for salvaging GC/MS environmental analysis data that was improperly processed in order to make it appear that all QC requirements were met;
A similar litigation support project to determine the effects of improper processing of GC analysis data on the reported results for pesticide/PCBs; and
The development of algorithms to check for errors and standardize reporting limits in a database containing thousands of records of analytical data for a large contaminated site.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Jan. 1994 to present

QUALITY ASSURANCE ASSOCIATES, L.L.C. - COLLEGE STATION, TX

President and Principal

Prepares technical proposals and cost estimates. Serves as project manager for major data quality review projects. Assists in development of company marketing plans, financial planning, and long-term company development strategies.

Senior Environmental Engineer

· Data Validation and Usability Review: Organizes and performs data validation projects including development of checklists and validation criteria for all types of projects (CERCLA, NPDES, RECAP, TRRP, legal). Prepares project validation reports and interfaces with clients. Identifies functional design criteria for in-house development of electronic data validation software.

· Data Processing: Organizes reprocessing projects. Reprocesses raw lab data using HP software and compares QC and target analyte results to hardcopy reports to identify fraudulent practices.

· Litigation Support: Assists in litigation support by performing scientific literature searches, theoretical calculations, experimental design, and data validation/ review.

Dec. 1989 to Dec. 1993

FLORY ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS, INC. - PEARLAND, TX, Vice President and Environmental Engineer.

French Limited Superfund Site - Assistant Quality Assurance Manager: Had primary responsibility for the technical definition of the Quality Assurance program and served as Quality Assurance Manager (QAM) in absence of the QAM (coordinating with laboratory, scheduling sampling events, directing data validation, preparing QA/QC reports, etc.). Prepared detailed functional design criteria for an electronic QA/QC validation program, monitored the development and implemented testing of the program. Co-authored the quality assurance project plan and developed procedures for manual QA/QC validation.

Hazardous Waste Treatment Process - Engineering Consultant: Performed process evaluation of a proprietary thermal distillation process for treatment of hazardous refinery waste. Completed theoretical studies of the chemical reactions in the process to determine the fate of organic hazardous waste constituents and the potential for precursors to form dioxin and furan in the process environment.

Lewis Publishers - HazMat Database: Compiled, utilized and published a computerized database of chemical action levels for RCRA, CERCLA, Clean Air Act, SWDA and OSHA to serve as an aid in environmental regulatory consulting projects.

Litigation Support - Performed scientific literature searches, theoretical chemical calculations, data interpretation/ evaluation, and assisted in preparation of expert reports for five legal cases.

Jan. 1984 to Oct. 1986

ATLANTIC RICHFIELD CO. – HOUSTON REFINERY

Process Engineer - Developed unit computer simulation program, optimized catalyst cycle, and supervised catalyst regeneration in the Reforming Division. Engineered unit solvent conversion and developed crude evaluation method and manufacturing costs in the Lubricants Division.

June 1983 to Aug. 1983

ATLANTIC RICHFIELD CO. – HOUSTON REFINERY

Summer Engineer - Implemented strategies with favorable economic and process effects in the Energy Conservation Group.

June 1976 to Aug. 1982

SPECTRIX CORPORATION – HOUSTON, TX

Summer Lab Technician - Assisted in all areas of laboratory work. Performed extractions, standards preparation, atomic adsorption analyses, and gas chromatographic analyses. Prepared EPA-Contract Laboratory Program reports.

PUBLICATIONS

Flory, D.A., Scott, R.B., and Todd, T.F (now Scholz, T.G.), "Quantitation of Priority Pollutants in Sludge Samples", Proceedings of the 137th Southwest American Chemical Society Regional Meeting, San Antonio, TX, (Dec. 11, 1981).
Flory, D.A., Biemann, K., Barker, C., Biller, J.E., Scott, R.B., Fencl, M.K., Nooner, D.W., Todd, T., (now Scholz, T.G.) and Lichtenstein, H.A., "North Slope Oil-Rock Correlations Using Computerized GC-MS Comparisons", Alaska North Slope Oil-Rock Correlations, (Tulsa, OK: AAPG), 663-670; (1985).
Scholz, T.G., Flory, D.A. and Keith, L., Hazardous Chemical Regulations Database, Lewis Publishers (now CRC Press), Boca Raton, FL, (Nov., 1991).
Scholz, T.G., Flory, D.A., and McGinley, L.L., "Automated Data Assurance Manager (ADAM)", Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual Waste Testing and Quality Assurance Symposium, 692-706, Washington, DC (American Chemical Society and USEPA, July 23-28, 1995).
Scholz, Taryn G., McGinley, Louise., and Flory, Donald A., ”Data Quality Assessment: It’s Not Just Pushing Paper”. Environmental Protection, 7,37-38, (September, 1996)
Scholz, Taryn G and Flory, Donald A., ”Clearing Up The Confusion", Environmental Protection, 10, 37-41, (May, 1999)