Gail Mattson, P.E., F.SWE, is a senior environment, safety, and health specialist who recently retired as a consultant for Longenecker & Associates Inc. She provided her 40 years of experience and expertise in environmental engineering, safety, radiological control, project management, and operations management to federal and state agencies and industrial clients. Her experience encompasses environment, safety, and health operations and assessments; hazardous and radioactive waste characterization, remediation and restoration design; and management of permitted waste facilities.

Prior to retirement, Mattson served as director, strategic project deployment for the Environment, Safety & Health Directorate at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York. She was responsible for operations with 150 personnel and a multimillion-dollar annual budget.

Mattson earned a B.S. in chemistry and biology at Baker University and an M.S. in environmental engineering at the University of Washington. She is currently a licensed professional engineer in New Mexico, a certified hazardous materials manager emerita, and a project management professional.

Mattson has been active in the Society of Women Engineers since the 1980s, serving in various roles in six sections, at the regional level as director for Region D and at the Society level as chair of the membership and strategic planning committees, vice president of member services, and SWE president-elect and then fiscal year 2000 president.

Key accomplishments as president included documenting the national membership operation, initiating a new strategic planning process for SWE, establishing a conference programming board, creating a formal alliance with Girl Scouts of the USA, and outsourcing and moving SWE headquarters from New York to Chicago. She received both SWE’s Fellow Grade and the International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists (INWES) Distinguished Service Award in 2011.

Mattson has been involved with the growth and operations of INWES since its inception in 2002, serving as treasurer, conference chair for ICWES16 in conjunction with the WE14 conference, vice president of conferences, president, and past president. She represented SWE on the national board of directors for the Girls Scouts of the USA from 2005 to 2008, serving on the program committee to incorporate STEM activities and curricula into all levels of badge programs, and on the realignment committee that reduced the number of councils for better management, fund development, and programs.

Mattson is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Managers, and the American Association of Safety Professionals.

Until recently, she was an active member of her church and served on a church council. She supports local environmental organizations in New Mexico.

Mattson was married to another engineer for 25 years. She is a godmother to 14 and loves spoiling them all.