Practical Sustainability

Dr. Earl R. Beaver, Ph.D. FAIChE

Title:  Managing Partner

Earl R. Beaver is Chair Emeritus of the Institute for Sustainability (New York), Managing Partner of Practical Sustainability, LLC (St. Louis), Senior Technical Advisor of RJLee Group Inc. (Pittsburgh) and Chair, National Accounts Committee for the Global Footprint Network; he retired from Monsanto after 30 years of service. In his final position there he was responsible for the development of new environmental technology solutions for Monsanto Company's diverse operations, internal and external advocacy for sustainability and pollution prevention as well as the development of sustainability and eco-efficiency tools. He held numerous positions of increasing responsibility in research, development, environmental and commercial functions during his career with Monsanto. In addition, he is Emeritus chair of the Center for Waste Reduction Technologies. He is a member of the American Chemical Society, a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and a director on numerous boards. He has authored many publications and patents. In 1994, Dr. Beaver was presented with the Lawrence K. Cecil Award by the Environmental Division of AIChE and the Gary Leach Recognition Award. At Monsanto, he led the successful co-product development program, development and commercialization of air separation membranes (Prism®, Prism Alpha®, and Prism Cactus®), the 90% Air Toxics Reduction Program and the Monsanto $1 Million Challenge Program. Also, he is past chair of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Sustainable Engineering Forum and is a board member of the North American Alliance of Chemical Engineers.

Jonathan Wistrom

Title:  Chemist

Jonathan Wistrom is a 2008 graduate of Northwest Missouri State University with an ACS accredited B.S. degree in Chemistry. Jonathan has 7 years of experience in mechanical operations as well as several years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Along with experience in organic chemistry laboratory synthesis, Jonathan has also proven himself as an organic lab instructor. He is experienced in a variety of analytical techniques, including Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Gas Chromatography (GC) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR).

David Beaver

Title:  Manager, LIMS

David Beaver has 20 years of experience in the information systems field. He has been a leader in the information systems department for Humana, St. Louis Community College and A.G. Edwards and Sons. His most recent position was as a Senior Oracle Developer for Wachovia Securities. David is responsible for maintaining the Enterprise Laboratory Information Management Systems. Along with his work in information systems, David is also pursuing a biology degree from the University of Missouri - St. Louis.

Sakshi Uppal

Title:  Intern

Sakshi Uppal is a junior at Northwest Missouri State University pursuing an ACS accredited B.S. degree in Chemistry and a minor degree in Biology. She is originally from New Delhi, India and is fluent in many languages. She is trained and competent in working with Beckman Coulters SA 3100 (Surface Analyzer), LS 13 320 (Laser Diffraction Particle Analyzer), TGA (Thermo-Gravimetric Analyzer) and Halogen Moisture Analyzer. Coupled with her mechanical skills, Sakshi’s analytical skills are incorporated with work in life cycle analysis and total cost assessment.