Though small, Pancopia boasts an excellent staff with decades of experience, each bringing something special and unique to the company. Our dedicated employees are constantly looking for new ways to make current technology and processes more efficient, more affordable, and more environmentally friendly.
Bill Cumbie, PE
Pancopia‘s founder is both a Professional Engineer and a licensed Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Operator with a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from Virginia Tech. Bill has more than 35 years of environmental engineering experience, including several years as a plant manager for Hampton Roads Sanitation District, and almost 30 years with CH2M. He was also named the 2010 Hampton Road Technology Council’s Entrepreneur of the Year. His passion for innovation and stewardship led him to start Pancopia, Inc. in 2014. Bill enjoys working at Pancopia because it provides an opportunity to make a significant difference helping people and improving the environment.
John Whitelaw
A PhD candidate at Old Dominion University, John has been working in the environmental engineering field for five years. Prior to joining Pancopia, John worked for Parsons Brinckerhoff, as well holding a teaching and research assistant position at ODU. While there, he was awarded the Outstanding Teaching Assistant for Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering for 2015. At Pancopia, John handles data analytics, and is deeply involved in experimental design, reactor fabrication and operation, and project management. John is excited to be working at Pancopia because it is a research-oriented company with a strong focus on sustainability.
Fei Dai, PhD
Fei earned her PhD from Clarkson University, and has been working with plasma-based water treatment for the past four years. She also has three years of experience in bioassay and nine years in chemical analysis. As lab manager at Pancopia, she handles reactor operations, sampling and testing, and organism culturing. In addition, she also plays a large role in and proposal preparation, and has been stepping into the Principal Investigator role in several proposals. Fei is excited to work for Pancopia since it offers her the platform to utilize her skills and explore her potential while working with talented people.
Rachel Willinger
Working on the business side, Rachel has a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing, and focus in environmental studies from Christopher Newport University. She is responsible for the company’s marketing strategy, including online corporate presence and website management, community outreach and public relations. In addition to marketing,she handles internal corporate matters, proposal management, and human resources. She is also involved in Pancopia’s strategic growth plan, with roles in establishing and maintaining partnerships and alliances.. She appreciates working with Pancopia’s talented group of engineers, and loves being able to work for a company that is so passionate about helping the environment.
Holly Anne Matel
Since earning her Master of Science in Environmental Enigneering at Old Dominion University with masters research at Hampton Roads Sanitation District, Holly Anne has gained experience in the consulting field at Hazen and Sawyer. At Pancopia, she heads the running of pilot plants as well as being deeply involved in reactor fabrication, operation, troubleshooting, and analysis. Holly Anne enjoys working with Pancopia, and helping develop new and novel wastewater treatment technologies and processes.
Suzanne Zaremski
Suzanne earned her degree from Old Dominion University, and has been working in Chemistry and Industrial Hygiene for 32 years. In addition to being a member of the Pancopia team part-time, she also works for the National Institute of Aerospace, where Pancopia is located. She enjoys working at Pancopia because she finds the projects interesting, and the people fun to work with.