Dr. Kovalick manages an office chartered to act as champion for the introduction of more innovative site characterization and remediation technologies in the clean-up of abandoned waste sites under Superfund and corrective action under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Formed in 1990, his office is providing policy leadership and technology information within EPA and enabling the broader use of innovative technologies through other Federal agencies, States, consulting engineers, technology vendors and by other countries.

He served from January 1993 until June 1994 (during the Clinton Administration transition period) as the Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. This office is EPA's national program manager for all solid and hazardous waste regulatory programs, as well as site remediation, underground storage tank, chemical emergency preparedness, and innovative remediation technology issues.

For five years prior to December 1989, he was the Deputy Director of the Superfund program where he shared leadership responsibilities for a nation-wide program to respond to hazardous substance releases -- both of an emergency nature as well as from abandoned waste disposal sites.

Joining EPA in 1970 from one of its predecessor agencies, Dr. Kovalick worked at EPA Headquarters and two of its Regional Offices to develop an effective partnership with the States in implementing the Clean Air Act. From 1974 to 1978, he managed a program to develop the initial standards to define hazardous wastes and to regulate generators and transporters of such waste. Until 1984, he directed a staff office of the Office of Toxic Substances to develop strategies and information systems for Agency-wide regulation of chemicals. He has represented EPA on hazardous waste and chemical issues to several international organizations, served as a consultant to the United Nations Environment Program, and, for the past 9 years, has co-chaired a NATO project to share information on remediation technologies.

Dr. Kovalick holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and Management Science from Northwestern University and a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Policy from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He is a 2001 recipient of the President's Meritorious Executive Award as well as EPA Bronze and Silver Medals for Superior Service. In February, 1991, he was named by Engineering News-Record magazine as one of their "1990 Marksmen." In 1997, he received the EPA Fitzhugh Green Award for Outstanding Contributions to International Environmental Protection over 20 years. In June 2000, he received an EPA Manager’s Award for Diversity for his work on minority recruitment. He has served on subcommittees of the National Research Council and the Department of Energy to advise the Department on technology development issues. He is a member of the Visiting Committee of the Engineering Division of the Colorado School of Mines and the Dean’s Advisory Committee, College of Architecture and Urban Studies, at Virginia Tech; in May, 2000, he received the College’s Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Accomplishment. He serves on the Editorial Board of Environmental Engineering Science, and is a member of the American Society for Public Administration and the Academy of Management.

Email address: kovalick.walter@epa.gov