Sharon Hartzell, M.S.

Sharon Hartzell
Environmental Protection Specialist, US Environmental Protection Agency
M.S. Ecosystem Health and Natural Resource Management, University of Maryland
B.S. Chemistry, Environmental Science, William & Mary
Sharon Hartzell is in it for the long haul. When she started her first job managing cleanups on Superfund sites, which are areas of land contaminated by hazardous waste that has been dumped or improperly managed, she quickly learned that full remediation can take decades, even stretching beyond her lifetime. But the progress along the way makes all the difference for the communities she serves.
Hartzell majored in chemistry and environmental science at William & Mary before completing a master’s in Ecosystem Health and Natural Resource Management at the University of Maryland. Her passion for applied science led her to a career as an EPA Superfund project manager in the greater New York City region where she took on landscapes with some of the most challenging pollutants—from radioactivity to unexploded ordnance. After doing this work for more than 5 years, she moved to Washington, DC, hoping to tackle complex environmental health issues through policy change.
Most recently, Hartzell has worked as an Environmental Protection Specialist with the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, supporting policy and program development efforts in environmental health and justice.
When you can interrupt a pollutant exposure pathway that you've discovered, that’s a major source of satisfaction.
What inspired you to major in chemistry?
In high school, my first love was biology, and then geology, environmental science, and human health. When I was applying to colleges, I didn’t know how to pick a lane! But I also loved chemistry. And I realized that chemistry was the field that connects all of these other disciplines. Whether you’re investigating what's happening in the world or what's happening in people's bodies, chemistry gives you the tools.
How did your early research experiences impact your career choices?
In college I became interested in analytical chemistry, biochemistry, and environmental chemistry. I wanted to do more applied fieldwork so I worked with a geochemistry professor to develop laboratory methods for measuring pollutants in pine needles, and then looking at how these concentrations mapped onto land use. That experience led to my master’s degree, which also focused on merging analytical chemistry tools with ecotoxicology methods to map pollution at an industrial site in Baltimore Harbor.
You then went directly into managing Superfund sites in the greater New York City area. What were your responsibilities in that role?
As a project manager, I was the nexus point for an interdisciplinary team of scientists and other experts who needed to work together to get a site from listed as a national priority to shepherded through the cleanup process. You start with a feasibility study for exploring what different remediation options might be on the table. Then you develop a proposed plan and bring in the community to get people’s reactions. Once we establish our plan, we move into the cleanup phase, which can be a long process.
How do you find a sense of accomplishment when your end goal is so far off?
Each site is divided into operable units, so either smaller plots or different components of the landscape like groundwater versus soil. It’s exciting to reach milestones for any one of them, like agreeing on a remediation plan and then watching as the equipment begins digging out contaminated soil.
Seeing policy change can also be satisfying and full circle. For example, I managed a few sites with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and last year two of the major PFAS compounds were designated as hazardous substances under the Superfund law, which will make future cleanups easier. When you can interrupt a pollutant exposure pathway that you've discovered, that’s a major source of satisfaction.
What motivated you to switch to science policy work?
I was interested in learning how to address systemic issues that impact many areas of environmental protection work. One major concern during a Superfund cleanup, or any environmental work, is environmental justice. We know that there are persistent inequities in where contaminated sites and polluting facilities are located, with a disproportionate burden of pollution falling on low income communities and communities of color. I'm also concerned about emerging climate threats. How can we address the vulnerability of some of these sites to floods and wildfires that might rapidly and unpredictably change exposure pathways?
Policy and implementation are two critical parts of addressing cross-cutting issues like these. So I moved to Washington to explore how to address these issues from the policy level, in addition to the on-the-ground work I had been doing.
Do you have advice for scientists who want to pivot to policy work?
Hone your writing and communication skills. And whenever possible, try to take continuing education courses in other fields like the social sciences or economics or law. Being able to speak languages across disciplines is so important. When you get experts with different research approaches in a room together, that's where that transformational problem-solving happens.
This Career Profile interview was given by Sharon Hartzell in her private capacity. No official support or endorsement by the Environmental Protection Agency is intended or should be inferred.
This profile has been edited for length and clarity. The opinions expressed in this interview are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the view of their employer or the American Chemical Society.