Contributor: Nancy W. Wentworth Business Title: Director, Quality Staff Contact Information: Quality Staff Office of Environmental Information, (2811R) 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington DC 20460-0001 Phone: 202 564 6830 Affiliation: The EPA has developed a Quality System to manage the quality aspects of its environmental data collection, generation, and use. The goal of the EPA Quality System is to ensure that its environmental data are of sufficient quantity and quality to support the data's intended use. The EPA Quality System requires that each EPA Office, Region, and ORD Laboratory, and Center develop and implement supporting Quality Systems. EPA's Quality System requirements also apply to extramural agreement holders (i.e., contractors, grantees, and other recipients of financial assistance from EPA). The Office of Environmental Information's Quality Staff is responsible for developing Agency-wide policy for quality assurance, developing guidance and tools, providing training and outreach, and overseeing the implementation by the EPA organizations. Biography: Mrs. Wentworth is the Director of EPA's Quality Staff; she joined the Quality Assurance program in 1985, and became its Director in 1991. She also worked in EPA's national drinking water program, and worked as a consulting engineer focusing on water, municipal, and industrial wastewater issues. She is a civil/environmental engineer and is registered in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She holds a BS in civil engineering from Tufts University and a master's degree in sanitary engineering from Penn State.

Title of Presentation: Certification, Quality Systems, and Auditing Author: Nancy Wentworth Key Words: professional, certifications, environmental, quality systems, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Abstract: What is the value of professional certifications in environmental programs? Do certifications have any impact on the quality of the work that is done? Does having certifications give you an advantage in getting work in the environmental field? What do the certifications mean when you are working with EPA, your clients, and others? This presentation will explore the various certifications available to environmental professionals, the value of these certifications in the professional fields of practice, and how EPA views professional certifications. Title of Presentation: ISO 14000 and New ISO 19000 Systems Author: Nancy Wentworth Key Words: environmental management systems, EHS, standards, ISO, quality, international, Environmental Protection Agency, USEPA, EPA, regulatory Abstract: International Standards are becoming more widely applicable to environmental fields. We work with high level Quality and Environmental Management Systems (EMS) standards. There are also a multitude of national standards dealing with more technical issues and activities. The merging of the Quality and EMS standards provides an opportunity to better coordinate internal management systems and deal more holistically with these related, but historically separately managed topics. This presentation will provide an update on the status of the International Standards and how the USEPA is taking advantage of their application across the spectrum of regulatory programs.