Why us

F. Nicholas Grasberger III is Chairman and CEO of Harsco Corporation and leads the Clean Earth Division. In this role he is responsible for the daily management of the organization and its leadership team. Nick joined Harsco in 2013 as Chief Financial Officer; he was named CEO the following year and elected Chairman of the Board in 2018. Prior to joining Harsco, Nick held financial and operations executive positions. He served as Managing Director of the Precision Polymers Division of Fenner PLC, Chief Financial Officer at Armstrong World Industries and CEO of Armstrong’s Building Products Division. Nick holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate School of Business, and a BBA from the University of Notre Dame.

Madhu Annagiri joined Clean Earth as Senior Director of IT in June 2020. In his role, Madhu is responsible for all IT functions within the company. He brings over 20 years of progressive IT leadership having led multiple transformation initiatives at Ricoh USA, Corporations Services Company and most recently at Michaels. Madhu has extensive experience introducing disruptive technologies and processes along with implementing traditional ERP/CRM solutions like Oracle and Salesforce. Madhu holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and is based out of Clean Earth's King of Prussia location.

Jim Bell is the Senior Vice President of Operations at Clean Earth. Jim has been in the industrial waste management services industry for over 40 years. He was previously employed by Clean Harbors Environmental Services as a Vice President, Business Development focusing on cross-selling across all their divisions. The majority of Jim’s career was with Veolia Environmental Services North American hazardous waste business unit, including 6 years as President & CEO of the group. Jim is a graduate of Villanova University with a degree in Chemical Engineering.

Jay Cooney serves as Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. In this role, Jay is responsible for both the strategy, creative design and execution of Harsco’s internal and external communications, marketing and branding initiatives. He joined Harsco in 2017 from PepsiCo, and has held multiple global leadership roles at Fortune 50 companies. Jay holds a JD from the University of Arizona College of Law and an MS in Broadcast Journalism from Northwestern University.

Jeff Diaz joined the Clean Earth leadership team as the Vice Preident of Finance in June 2020. Jeff is a senior finance executive with 20 years of experience within Financial Planning & Analysis, Controller and Operational finance roles. In his role at Clean Earth, he will be the financial business partner driving finance processes, forecasting, analysis and capital allocation.

He spent most of his career at Tyco SimplexGrinnell with increasing responsibilities before moving to Eaton Corporation where he led finance for their Controls and Protections Division.  Jeff holds a Master’s in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Finance, both from Florida State University. He is based at Clean Earth’s King of Prussia, Pennsylvania headquarters.

Asuquo Edem serves as Vice President of Procurement. In this role, he is responsible for adopting contemporary strategic thinking and superior talent to manage all Clean Earth’s addressable spend and vendor base in order to deliver demonstrable cost leadership, operational excellence, high customer satisfaction and collaborative partnerships with key vendors. Asuquo has over 25 years of experience in all aspects of Supply Chain Management with a long tenured International career with The Shell Group of Companies and subsequent senior roles at Distribution International and Bradshaw Consulting Group in Houston. He has implemented several high impact Supply Chain improvement initiatives adding significant shareholder value. He holds a PhD in Industrial Sociology from University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, MBA Supply Chain Management from Leicester University, United Kingdom and multiple professional certifications.

Michael Goebner is responsible for all operational and financial aspects of Clean Earth soil and dredge material treatment and recycling facilities throughout the United States. With 40 years of experience in the waste industry, Michael has extensive operational knowledge of hazardous and non-hazardous waste treatment facilities.  At Clean Earth, Michael has been an integral part adding 14 facilities, and the start-up of new lines of technologies and services such as bioremediation, stabilization of drill cuttings, rock crushing, and rail transportation through Clean Earth facilities.  Michael’s areas of expertise include acquisitions, regulatory affairs, operational maximization, new facility build-outs and alternative treatment technologies.   Michael graduated from Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Resource Management.  

James Hull is responsible for the continual growth of Clean Earth's soil, dredge materials, and on-site services sales. With over 26 years of experience in the waste industry, James brings a wealth of market knowledge and recognized winning strategies. James’ areas of expertise include continual revenue growth, contract negotiation, and market share growth. Throughout his career, James has proven himself to be an initiator and developer of business growth and profitability. His accomplishments include being selected three times for Waste Management's Circle of Excellence, which recognizes the top sales representatives and was the recipient of the prestigious Eagle Award naming him Top Industrial Sales Representative. At Clean Earth, James has been an integral part of adding six more Clean Earth locations and multiple new lines of service. James graduated from West Virginia University.

Sarah Papineau Kowalczyk serves as Vice President, Division Counsel for Clean Earth. She joined Clean Earth in 2020 and is responsible for supporting all Clean Earth business lines. Throughout her career, both in private practice and within this industry, Sarah has counseled clients on air, water and waste permitting, site remediation, transactional and regulatory compliance issues arising under RCRA, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, FIFRA, CERCLA and related state laws, as well as in connection with contracting, litigation matters and insurance coverage. Sarah graduated from Marist College with Bachelor of Science in both environmental science (policy emphasis) and political science and went on to receive her law degree from Hofstra University School of Law.

Jennifer Kozak joined Clean Earth as Vice President, Human Resources in February 2022. In this role, Jennifer is responsible for leading the overall human resources strategy for Clean Earth. Jennifer joined Harsco from a private equity organization where she served as Chief Human Resources Officer. Previously, Jennifer served in roles of increasing responsibility over the last 15 years with General Electric and subsequently SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions. Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Temple University in Philadelphia and Master of Business Administration at Penn State Great Valley in Malvern, PA.

Dan Morrow is Vice President, Business Transformation for Clean Earth. Dan and his team are responsible for all aspects of sales support including pricing management, proposal and bid support, contract review and management and CRM platform experience. The Sales Operations team also provides data analytics support internally across the entire business and for Clean Earth’s customers and is responsible for Clean Earth’s customer portal experience. Dan has over 25 years of experience as a leader in the environmental consulting, waste management and environmental recycling industries. Since joining Clean Earth, Dan has held leadership roles in multiple business units (Consulting, Dredging, Customer Service, Transportation, Field Services, and Process Improvement). His contributions include creating a technical support department, development and launch of Clean Earth’s first customer portal and leading all aspects of new operating system integrations. Dan graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Science in Geology and has received continuing education certifications from Columbia University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Michael S. Polcovich serves as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Clean Earth. In this role, he is responsible for leading the evaluation and execution of Clean Earth's strategy, providing leadership to the financial, procurement, IT, business development, and commercial pricing organizations, as well as leading major growth initiatives. Michael joined Harsco in 2007 from public accounting and has served the Company in various progressive leadership positions, most recently as Vice President of Business Development and Corporate Strategy. Michael holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Susquehanna University and a Master’s degree in Taxation from Villanova University. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

Averil Rance is responsible for the environmental compliance, health, and safety for all Clean Earth locations and employees.  Averil has more than 25 years of experience in environmental health and safety, specifically within the waste industry. His previous experience includes Philips Services Corp. (PSC); Phoenix Safety; ABB Environmental Services; Stout Environmental and Enviropact.  Since joining Clean Earth, Inc. in 2007 Averil has lead the EH&S efforts for six more Clean Earth facilities and multiple new lines of service.  Averil’s in-depth knowledge and experience in environmental compliance, operations, and regulatory affairs help make Clean Earth a premier provider of environmental services. Averil graduated from Southern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Safety and Engineering.

Melinda Rath (Mindy) has over 30 years of experience in the Hazardous Waste industry. She has worked in OperaVons, Customer Service and Sales leadership roles and specializes in a supportive management style that promotes strong teamwork and collaboraton. She believes in proactive customer service, and due to her industry experience and team building, is able to create solutions for complex client challenges. Currently, Mindy is Clean Earth’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Customer Service. In addition, she is Clean Earth’s Executive Sponsor for their first Employee Resource Group – Women at Harsco. This ERG’s mission is to promote the advancement of women through personal & professional development, mentorship and empowerment. Mindy has a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Biological Science and Chemistry from California State University, Sacramento. Currently, she lives in the Northwest and has been happily married for 28 years, with three handsome sons.

Steven Sands is Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Development for Clean Earth. Steven has over 25 years of experience as a business leader in the waste management and environmental recycling industries. As a co-founder of Clean Earth Dredging Technologies, Steven has developed proven technologies and methods for stabilization and beneficial reuse of dredged materials and coal combustion products. 

Steven’s expertise includes waste disposal and recycling program management; process creation and implementation for the recycling of industrial byproducts; resource recovery technology; physical and chemical treatment and stabilization of contaminated media; navigational and environmental dredging; treatment and beneficial use of contaminated dredged materials; brownfield redevelopment; and waste management regulation. Steven graduated from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering.