Getting Ahead of the Storm: Building Capacity to Respond to Large-Scale Weather-Related Dam Impacts: Instructors
Jill C. Stewart, M.E.M., P.E.
SC Department of Environmental Services
Director, Dam Safety and Stormwater Permitting Division
Jill has worked for the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services in the Bureau of Water for 20 years, serving as permitting engineer, program manager, and now as the director of the Dam Safety & Stormwater Permitting Division.
A graduate of the University of South Carolina with a B.S. in civil engineering, Jill also earned a Master of Environmental Management degree from Duke University through the Nicholas School of the Environment’s Duke Environmental Leadership – Master of Environmental Management (DEL-MEM) Program. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of South Carolina, South Carolina Certified Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control Inspector (CEPSCI), and South Carolina Certified Stormwater Plan Reviewer (CSPR).
In November, Jill was appointed to serve as one of four state dam safety representatives on FEMA’s National Dam Safety Review Board to advise the agency in setting national dam safety priorities and consider the effects of national policy issues affecting dam safety across the country.
John M. McCain, P.E.
SC Department of Environmental Services
Manager, Dam Safety Section
Mr. John McCain, P.E., is the manager of the Dam Safety Section of the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES). He is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the state’s Dam Safety Section and management of section staff. The Dam Safety Section has the responsibility of implementing the state’s Dams and Reservoirs Safety Act and Regulations. The program’s responsibilities include permitting the construction, modification, and removal of state-jurisdiction dams; inspections; hazard class evaluations; compliance and enforcement activities; and emergency preparedness and response duties. He works closely with counterparts in the South Carolina Emergency Management Division and 46 county emergency management agencies. Mr. McCain has been an employee of the SCDES for 20 years. During his tenure, he worked as an engineer in the Solid Waste Division for 6 years, as an engineer in the State Revolving Fund program for 6 years, and as section manager of the Dam Safety Section for 8 years. Mr. McCain holds a B.S. from Clemson University in chemical engineering and a master’s degree in environmental science from the University of South Carolina. He attained his Professional Engineer license in 2011.
Sam Johnson
SC Department of Environmental Services
Environmental Health Manager III
Sam Johnson has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences and a Masters of Earth and Environmental Resource Management, both from the University of South Carolina-Columbia. He has been with the SC Department of Environmental Services (formerly SC Department of Health and Environmental Control) dam safety program since 2014. His work with the program involves data and records management and investigations of dam ownership, assisting dam owners in developing Emergency Action Plans (EAPs), and dam failure inundation modeling.
Thomas Evans
CDM Smith, Inc.
Geotechnical Engineer
Mr. Evans is a civil engineer with CDM Smith, Inc., with a geotechnical background and more than 17 years of experience. He is registered as a professional engineer in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Mr. Evans works with dams as a part of the South Carolina Dam Safety Program, as well as with roadways and bridges for SCDOT, NCDOT, and GDOT. Thomas conducts training for SC dam safety, assists in emergency dam activities, and assists SC Dam Safety with permit application technical reviews. He has also led and conducted half a dozen Semi-Quantitative Risk Analysis workshops with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for dams in South Carolina, with the Dam Safety Program for risk analyses.
