Abraham Villegas, CPEA (06-09)

MWRD SAFETY - Kirie WRP 701 W. Oakton Street Des Plaines, IL 60018 (847) 375-2511 Abraham.Villegas@mwrdgc.dst.il.us

Abraham has over 19 years of environmental, safety, and industrial hygiene experience.  He has been with MWRD for 12  years and previously spent 7 years with environmental engineering consulting companies such as Dames & Moore, Inc. (now URS Corp.), PARSONS Engineering, Inc., and Environmental Analysis, Inc..  He also spent an additional 4 years as a US Army Nuclear, Biological, Chemical (NBC) Specialist: 2 years NBC Recon, 92nd Chemical Co., 3rd Infantry Division, Giebelstadt, West Germany; 1.5 years NBC Defense Specialist (NBC NCO), 8th Engineer Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, Ft. Hood, Texas.

He is a Certified Professional Environmental, Health & Safety Auditor (CPEA) by the Board of Environmental, Health & Safety, Auditor Certifications (BEAC), and holds various Illinois asbestos licenses (Project Manager; Air Sampling Professional, Building Inspector).  He is an IDPH-approved instructor for Asbestos Abatement Worker, Contractor/Supervisor Initial/Refresher courses in both English and Spanish.

Education includes a B.S. in Environmental Science from Roosevelt University. He is also currently pursuing a minor in Environmental Chemistry,  A.S. Physical Science & Ecology, at William Rainey Harper College.

Abraham's goals as a Chicago AIHA Board Member are to to introduce the profession to high school students by encouraging them to study IH and EHS curriculums in college.  He also strives to educate the the general public about careers available available in the industrial hygiene, environmental science, and engineering fields.  It is his hope to establish an IH/EH&S mentorship program for High School and Jr. High students.  He also holds special affiliations as a Disabled Veteran/American Legion member and as a Chemical Corps Regimental Association (CCRA) Life Member.

Major accomplishments include becoming a Chicago Section AIHA Board Member (since 2001) and serving on a committee which helped organize the highly successful full day seminar "Homeland Security and the Health & Safety Professional" in March 2003.