Donald Ewert
EH&S Manager, Vice Chair – AIHA Nanotechnology Working Group
The year 2009’ marks Don’s 32nd year as a practicing Industrial Hygienist with a career start as Radiation Safety Officer for North Dakota’s largest radioisotope user. During his tenure with North Dakota State University, Don completed his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and worked towards a Masters degree in Business Administration along with a PhD in Biochemistry. In 1985, Don founded HTI Laboratories and Industrial Consultants, an environmental engineering and consulting firm. This start-up venture gained national recognition and in 1990, the company boasted more than 100 EHS professionals working from 5 offices nationwide. As a leading field & laboratory services organization, HTI served some of our country’s largest corporations as well as a Who’s Who of institutional, industrial, and governmental cliental. Through HTI, Don oversaw environmental sampling of the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers, remediation of medical facilities at Guantanamo Bay Cuba, creation of the first EPA-NIST Certified Mobile Laboratory, and development of three major environmental laws. Following years as an expert witness in the area of forensic toxicology, Don accepted a position as Research Scholar in the Center for Environmental Toxicology & Technology at Colorado State University and furthered his graduate work in Environmental Health and Toxicology. Upon leaving CSU, Don began work with the Fort Peck Tribes of Northeastern Montana. There, he led the tribal nation toward satisfaction of a major consent decree. At the conclusion of this work, Don returned to Colorado where he served as the Environmental, Health, & Safety Manager for NanoProducts Corporation, a venture capitalized metal oxide powders manufacturer. In this position, he provided guidance to an anxious health community concerned about the potentially toxic effects of nanoscale materials. More recently, Don joined Oso BioPharmaceuticals, formerly Catalent Pharma Solutions, in their New Mexico based corporate operations. With OsoBio, Don provides global EH&S oversight for FDA-cGMP Risk Management Programs and utilizes his vast industrial hygiene and environmental experience to create leading edge exposure control practices involving a wide range of potent pharmaceutical compounds. Don is also Vice-Chairman of the American Industrial Hygiene Association’s Nanotechnology Working Group where his leadership skills are being used to benefit the professionals and public served by this important organization.