About Us

Executive Board President, Kevin Shropshire president@fipaonline.com Before becoming President in 2023, Mr. Shropshire served on the Board as Vice President (2022-2023), Central Region Coordinator (2021-2022), and has been an active FIPA member since 2004. He is currently the Pretreatment Coordinator for the City of Rockledge and has spent the last 19 years as an Environmental Regulatory Professional at the municipal level for several cities within the State of Florida. He specializes in industrial pretreatment, stormwater, wastewater; the enforcement, regulations, and public education that accompanies. Vice President, Sharon Piltz vicepresident@fipaonline.com Before becoming Vice President, Ms. Piltz had served as Educational Chair and North Region Coordinator since October 2022. She is currently the Industrial Pretreatment Program Coordinator for JEA, where she has worked since 2015. During her time at JEA, she has worked as an Industrial Pretreatment Compliance Officer and Coordinator for the Fats, Oils & Grease Program. Ms. Piltz previously worked for the FL Dept of Environmental Protection conducting surface water assessments and sampling, where she worked with many wastewater facilities throughout the northeastern portion of the state. North Region Coordinator, Bennis Branch north@fipaonline.com Bennis Branch is currently an Environmental Technician for JEA in the Fats, Oils & Grease and Industrial Pretreatment Programs where he has worked since 2024. Mr. Branch previously worked as an Environmental Specialist at the City of Jacksonville’s Environmental Quality Division, specializing in Underground/Aboveground Fuel Storage Tanks starting in 2021. He received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Florida State University Central Region Coordinator, Kevin King central@fipaonline.com Mr. King has served as Central Region Coordinator since October 2022. He is currently a Project Coordinator with Pinellas County Utilities, where he has worked for the past 7 years. He oversees the Industrial Pretreatment and Grease Management Programs, sanitary sewer overflow reporting and sampling, and wastewater regulatory compliance for two wastewater treatment facilities. South Region Coordinator, Sam Jinkins south@fipaonline.com The South Coordinator, Sam Jinkins, is an Environmental Specialist III (pretreatment coordinator) for Collier County in Naples, FL. He has over 25 years of pretreatment experience including local level experience in both GA and FL. Mr. Jinkins previously worked with the FL. Dept. of Env. Protection conducting inspections and audits of FDEP approved pretreatment programs. He currently oversees the Pretreatment Program and the Fats, Oil and Grease Program for Collier County. Treasurer, David Pouso treasurer@fipaonline.com David Pouso has served as Treasurer since October of 2023. He is Currently the Compliance Enforcement Manager with Sarasota County Public Utilities where he has worked for the past 16 years. He is responsible for overseeing the County’s FOG Program, Cross-Connection Control Program, Mandatory Sewer Connection Program, and the Inflow and Infiltration Control Program. Mr. Pouso previously worked for the FL Dept. of Health in Sarasota County where he was the Healthy Beaches Program Coordinator. Education Chair, Amber Soto education@fipaonline.com Before becoming Educational Chair, Amber Soto served as the North Coordinator since May 2024. She is currently the Fats, Oils, and Grease Coordinator for JEA in Jacksonville, FL where she has worked since 2021. C.O.R.E. Chair, Shawn Yang core@fipaonline.com Mr. Yang has served as the Cooking Oil Recycling Effort (C.O.R.E.) Chair since 2024. Shawn currently serves as an Outreach Coordinator at Hillsborough County's Environmental Services Division, where he manages the Grease Hauler program and leads outreach efforts for both the C.O.R.E. (Cooking Oil Recycling Effort) and flushable wipes initiatives. He began his career with the division in 2014 as a FOG (Fats, Oils, and Grease) Inspector, leveraging his expertise in public speaking, live presentations, and customer service. Shawn plays an active role within the Public Utilities Department and in community education, participating in events such as the Great American Teach-In, and engaging with schools, senior centers, local festivals, and other community events. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Metropolitan State University in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, and is certified in FOG I, FOG II, Industrial Pretreatment C, and Wastewater Sampling through FIPA.. Sponsor Coordinator, Brock Askew sponsorcoordinator@fipaonline.com Brock Askew is a graduate of East Carolina University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Hospitality Management. He comes to us with an extensive background in Marketing & Sales from Intercontinental Hotel Group, Bristol Hotels & Resorts and multiple Tech Organizations. He has resided in the Jacksonville Beaches Market for the last 16 years with over 6 years of that in the WasteWater Treatment Environment. He currently works for the City of Jacksonville Beach with an A license in WasteWater and heads up the Pre-Treatment Initiative as the Fog Program Coordinator. Immediate Past President, President, Glabra Skipp Ms. Skipp has served as President since May 2016. She has been on the Board since 2011, previously serving as North Region Coordinator (2011-2015) and Vice President (2015-2016). She is currently the Environmental Program Supervisor for the City of St. Augustine, where she has worked for over 13 years. She manages the City’s Industrial Pretreatment Program, Fats, Oils & Grease Program, Water Pollution Control Laboratory, Cross- Connection Control Program, Stormwater Illicit Discharge Program, as well as regulatory compliance for the water and wastewater treatment facilities. Secretary, Monica Swearingen secretary@fipaonline.com The Secretary is an appointed position and is not a voting officer of the Executive Board. Ms. Swearingen has been the FIPA secretary for 15 years and is responsible for the record keeping of the association. Board Elections Elections for President, Vice President, Treasurer and Regional Coordinators are held during the Fall annual meeting of odd-numbered years (i.e, 2023, 2025, 2027). Elections for Sponsor Coordinator, Education Chair and Cooking Oil Recycling Effort (C.O.R.E.) Chair are held during the Fall annual meeting of even-numbered years (i.e., 2024, 2026, 2028).