Normandeau Associates
Environmental Consulting Leadership Team

Pam Hall is chair of the board of directors and former CEO. She has served on the board since 2000. She joined Normandeau Associates in 1971 soon after the firm was founded and was one of the “trail blazers” in the emerging environmental consulting business. She assumed leadership of the company in 1988. As CEO she was instrumental in leading the effort to develop Normandeau from a small regional NH firm to a highly regarded company doing business throughout the U.S. and internationally. In 2000, she led the effort to make the company 100% employee-owned (ESOP). Prior to becoming CEO she held several other positions in the company and is now an executive vice president. She has close to 50 years of experience in the environmental consulting business and is a recognized business leader.

Pam is passionate about corporate social responsibility including employee ownership and empowerment, civic and community engagement, volunteerism and support of charitable organizations. She has served on numerous non-profit boards, many times in leadership roles. Past boards include the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire (NHBIA) Executive Board; NHBIA Institute for Business, Community and NH’s Economy (chair); NH Chapter of The Nature Conservancy where she was a founding board member, vice chair and chair and served for 17 years; Seacoast Science Center (NH) where she was treasurer, vice chair and chair and served for six years; Society for the Protection of NH Forests; the NH Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership (Coastal America); and Vivamos Mejor/USA Advisory Board. In addition, Pam was a governor appointee to the NH Land and Community Heritage Commission which helped develop the NH land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP). She was an Incorporator of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and was also a member of advisory committees that helped establish both the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in NH and the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve in ME. Current board and council service includes UNH Manchester Advisory Board; Environmental Business Council of New England (EBC) where she has been a director since 1995 and treasurer from 1997 to 2019; the NH (EPSCoR) Research and Industry Council; and Southeast Land Trust (SELT) of NH. She is also Chair Emerita of Volunteer NH, the State Commission for volunteerism, where she was appointed by two subsequent governors, and served for nine years (4 as Vice Chair and 4 as Chair).

Pam has a B.A. in Zoology from the University of Connecticut; an M.S. in Zoology (marine science) from the University of New Hampshire (UNH), plus additional doctoral work; a B.S. (summa cum laude) in Business Administration from the Whittemore School at UNH; and considerable graduate level coursework in Urban and Environmental Policy from Tufts University. In graduate school she was elected to Sigma Xi, an honorary scientific society and Phi Sigma, an honorary biological society, and was awarded an NDEA Fellowship for her academic excellence. In 1998 she received the “Environmental Merit Award” from the Environmental Business Council of New England; in 2012, she was honored by the New Hampshire Business Review as one of “NH’s Outstanding Women in Business”; in 2014 she was honored with an “Above and Beyond” award by the Business and Industry Association of NH (NHBIA); and in 2017, she was bestowed with a “Lifetime Achievement Award” by the NHBIA. In addition she has been recognized by Volunteer NH for her commitment to civic engagement and volunteerism.

Considered one of the most experienced and respected environmental leaders in North America, Bob Varney is a former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) New England Regional Administrator, who currently is President of Normandeau Associates. He was the longest-serving regional administrator and top environmental official in New England and is credited with instituting many innovative approaches and policy initiatives that have served as national models. Mr. Varney also was one of the nation’s longest-serving state environmental commissioners, and he has been appointed by U.S. Presidents and Governors of both political parties.

Mr. Varney has chaired numerous national and regional groups such as the national organization of state environmental agency heads (Environmental Council of the States), State/EPA Superfund Policy Forum, Federal Ozone Transport Commission (OTC), Governmental Advisory Committee to the EPA Administrator on the NAFTA environmental side agreement, Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission and New England Governors’ Conference Environment Committee. He also was a member of EPA’s Environmental Justice Advisory Council and served on the NH Board of Trustees for The Nature Conservancy (TNC). He currently chairs the NH Chapter of the Environmental Business Council of New England and the CEC Joint Public Advisory Committee (US, Mexico, Canada), an independent tri-national body which oversees environmental aspects of the new USMCA trade agreement and provides independent advice to the top environmental officials of the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Bob is the recipient of numerous environmental awards such as the EPA Lifetime Achievement Award, NE Water Works Association’s John H. Chafee Award, Environmental Business Council of NE’s Paul Keough Award, the Charles River Watershed Association’s Anne Blackburn Award and the ECOS Founder’s Award.

Normandeau’s Chief Executive Officer Colonel (retired) Curt Thalken, PE has over 37 years of management, environmental consulting, engineering and permitting expertise. In his 11 years with Normandeau, COL Thalken has served in positions of increasing responsibility, including serving for the past several years as Chief Operating Officer.

Since joining Normandeau, Thalken has been responsible for overseeing company operations, including expansion of Normandeau’s Federal and State Government portfolio, an increased presence in renewable energy markets, and has championed innovative technologies to address emerging environmental issues for our clients.

His experience with Normandeau includes extensive oversight of: energy transmission (Gas and electric) and power (including: nuclear, fossil fuel, hydro and other renewables) projects nationwide; Federal, State and Municipal environmental service contracts; and environmental compliance assistance for many private sector entities nationwide.

Prior to joining Normandeau, COL Thalken served on active duty in the U.S. Army as an engineer officer for over 25 years. His experience included working in both austere and developed environments, teaching in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the United States Military Academy, West Point NY, and command of an Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) in Afghanistan. His military career culminated as Commander of the New England District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) responsible for all aspects of the Federal Government’s engineering efforts and regulatory programs within New England.

His education includes a BS, in Chemistry from the United States Military Academy and MS, in Engineering Sciences, from Dartmouth College’s Thayer School of Engineering. He is a licensed professional engineer in the states of: NH, CT, and FL.