Academic Credentials
  • M.S., Biology, Lehigh University, 1984
  • B.S., Biology/Marine Science, Penn State University, 1981
Professional Affiliations
  • American Fisheries Society
  • American Society for Testing and Materials (Committees: E-50—Environmental Assessment, Risk Management and Corrective Action; D-02—Petroleum Products and Lubricants)
  • Society of Chemical Hazard Communication
  • Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

Ms. BenKinney is an ecotoxicologist with more than 39 years of experience specializing in environmental toxicology and in assessing facility operations, effluent discharges, and the fate, exposure, and environmental effects of substances, mixtures, and formulated products. She has developed, managed, and conducted facility process water, stormwater, groundwater, and wastewater effluent investigations for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting, treatability, compliance monitoring, total maximum daily load (TMDL) modeling, toxicity identification evaluation (TIE), and toxicity reduction evaluation (TRE).

Ms. BenKinney has managed product and facility due diligence assessments, environmental impact assessments, sustainability strategies, chemical hazard assessments, hazard communication development projects, and design and auditing of environmental management systems. She has designed, directed, and contributed to environmental programs ranging from small site-specific and product-specific assessments to large multimillion-dollar site assessments, historical process and facility release reconstructions for site contamination evaluation, oil spill response, facility operations evaluations, and product development programs.

Ms. BenKinney has extensive experience in designing and conducting laboratory and field aquatic toxicity and environmental fate studies in accordance with rigorous quality assurance and good laboratory practice (GLP) procedures. She has managed the development of overall environmental strategies for new and existing product evaluations and product stewardship program design for consumer products, electronics, medical devices, dyes, flavors and fragrances, specialty and industrial chemicals, and petrochemicals, and has assisted in negotiations with state, federal, and international regulators. Ms. BenKinney is a technical expert in aquatic testing procedures, dispersant use and spill prevention/management, and in assessing the fate, exposure, and environmental effects of petroleum hydrocarbons.

Ms. BenKinney was previously employed for 15 years at Mobil Oil Corporation, where she was responsible for testing and consulting activities concerning product registration; product stewardship, including assistance with Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) preparation; and new product development. She served as an advisor to facilities worldwide on environmental issues relating to facility operations and waste emissions, water quality, effluent discharges, stormwater, regulatory permitting, ecological impact, site assessments, and spill prevention/management.