THE TEAM

Brian is the Director of the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center and is a Senior Environmental Specialist at the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment. He is a Registered Sanitarian, Environmental Health Specialist, and Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator. Originally from Upstate New York, Brian has lived on Cape Cod for 15 years and currently resides in Mashpee, where he formerly served as Chair of the local Board of Health. 

George Heufelder is Project Specialist at The Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center (MASSTC) and former director of the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment . He has been instrumental in both beginning the MASSTC and initiating the first-of-its-kind electronic performance tracking service for alternative onsite septic systems. George conducts research on various aspects of onsite wastewater disposal including nitrogen, phosphorus and contaminant of emerging concern removal. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Kansas State
University and a Master’s Degree in Biology from Eastern Michigan University. He is a Class 4 Treatment Plant Operator, a Certified Title 5 Soil Evaluator and Septic System Inspector and he is a Registered Sanitarian in the Commonwealth.

Bryan joined the MASSTC team in 2020 as the site Operator. A native Cape Codder and avid outdoorsman, he is passionate about protecting the local environment. Although he is relatively new to the wastewater field, he has a significant background in related environmental topics including coastal ecology, ecological restoration, stormwater management, eco-toilet research and development, and monitoring lakes for harmful algal blooms. He earned a B.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder and is currently studying for Massachusetts Grade 4 Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator certification.

Emily Michele Olmsted has had an interest in water quality ever since she started swimming at a young age and has found a new fascination in wastewater. She performed research on Oyster Pond in Woods Hole and wrote her senior thesis in her findings as part of her Bachelor's of Science at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. After spending some time teaching and completing service as an AmeriCorps volunteer, Emily Michele started at Barnstable County as a beach sampler testing bathing beaches for bacteria. She then volunteered at the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Testing Center (MASSTC) until being offered a position with Barnstable County's Innovative/Alternative septic system tracking program, where she continues to work.

Alexie joined MASSTC in November 2022 as the Responsible Management Entity (RME) Coordinator tasked with overseeing the implementation of management infrastructure for decentralized onsite Innovative/Alternative (I/A) septic systems. Having grown up playing in tidepools, fishing, surfing, and exploring Rhode Island’s shoreline, she’s always been passionate about the coastal environment and is grateful to be able to contribute to water quality protection through her work. She has a background in environmental social science, and has both a B.A. in International Development from McGill University and a Master of Coastal Environmental Management from Duke University with a concentration in Community-Based Environmental Management. Prior to joining MASSTC, Alexie spent three years as an ORISE Fellow at the US EPA’s Office of Research and Development conducting research on social factors influencing the adoption of I/A septic systems and studying technology adoption and diffusion.

Abby joined the team in November 2021 as a laboratory technician supporting the virus project at MASSTC. She earned her Bachelor's degree in biological sciences from the University of Rhode Island where she was a research assistant at the wildlife genetics and ecology lab for 2 years. Abby started with the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment during the summer of 2021 as the assistant bacteriologist, helping with the beach sampling program as well as with testing drinking and waste water. From there, she was eager to continue her career at MASSTC.

Sara Wigginton joined MASSTC in 2021 as an Environmental Project Assistant. Sara eared her Ph.D. in the Laboratory of Soil Ecology and Microbiology (LSEM) at the University of Rhode Island in May 2020. During her doctoral program, Dr. Wigginton investigated advanced nitrogen removing onsite wastewater treatment systems and served as a training staff member at the New England Onsite Wastewater Training Program. She earned a Biological and Environmental Sciences Master’s degree in 2015 at the University of Rhode Island and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Western Kentucky University in 2013. Sara has been involved in environmental research and monitoring for the past ten years and has been researching onsite wastewater treatment systems since 2017. She is an expert on nutrient movement through landscapes and nitrogen removing onsite wastewater treatment systems.

Tracy joined MASSTC in 2020.