National Environmental Banking Association (NEBA) Board of Directors last week presented inaugural awards for Excellence in Mitigation Banking and Excellence in Public Service in Jacksonville, Florida. The awards were unanimously approved by the NEBA Board and selected from nominations received from membership.
John Paul Woodley, Jr current Chair of the NEBA Board who led the meeting, presented the awards along with members and other representatives from the Board.
2023 Excellence in Mitigation Banking
For Excellence in Mitigation Banking, Mike Rolband of Viriginia was given the inaugural award. “Mike Rolband is and has been a pioneer in the mitigation banking industry, he was a pioneer in the policies that led to creation of the 2008 Final Mitigation Rule, he founded a leading mitigation firm in Virginia, and now serves as Director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality of Virginia,” said Woodley in the presentation. Rolband thanked the Association for the recognition, calling mitigation banking ‘a great industry’ noting that he was one of the original founders of our Association. Among noteworthy achievements, he founded a non-profit more than a decade ago to improve applied research and study of practices for restoration and mitigation. “We’ve come a long way, and we need to do better,” he said.
Mike Rolband, Now director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality accepted the Excellence in Mitigation banking Award from NEBA Chairman John Paul Woodley at an event in Jacksonville, Florida recently.
2023 Excellence in Public Service
For Excellence in Public Service, Brandon Gaspard from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of the New Orleans District was given the award. The 15-year veteran of the Corps is known widely throughout the District for going above and beyond in his work in regulatory, and indeed with his efforts more recently focused on mitigation banking. Mr. Gaspard, who was previously committed to another event, was represented by his colleague from the New Orleans District, Trent Stockton. “This is an honor for our group,” he said. “Personally, this award (to Gaspard) does not surprise me one bit as I have known Brandon now for 15 years. He is an esteemed and valuable colleague.”
Trent Stockton of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Regulatory) accepts on behalf of Brandon Gaspard the Excellence Award from NEBA Chairman John Paul Woodley at an event in Jacksonville, Florida recently.
The National Environmental Banking Association, its membership and Board again wish to thank the 2023 awardees for their vital leadership and many ongoing contributions. “I can safely say that if these two awardees are examples of the quality of people that NEBA will be privileged to recognize in the future, our Association will be truly delighted,” said Woodley at the event.