Alan Hurt
As Vice President of Sustainable Energy Innovations for Bioengineering Group, Al Hurt draws upon over 30 years of consensus building among Navy, Air Force, and Army personnel and key external stakeholders to define and solve problems related to energy conservation and renewable generation within a context of systematic environmental management. With a broad and deep understanding of the evolving policies, practices, and technical innovations that drive current federal and non-federal efforts to address energy security and efficiency, Al works closely with senior leaders within the Department of Defense (DoD) and other agencies to shape and execute energy programs during the current period of explosive change and growth fueled by recent mandates combined with historic construction spending peaks. “I have worked closely for, and with, the major agencies that are poised to take the next big steps that will define our nation’s energy practices through this century, and I understand what they need to address in order to succeed.” Al shares, “I am so happy to have a trusting rapport with many of the people whose careers will be remembered by these outcomes.” His firm grasp of the history, intent, and lessons learned by multiple agencies, combined with his palpable leadership skills and warm personality make him a successful champion of ambitious and novel projects emphasizing sustainability.
A native Californian, Al grew up spending time hiking, surfing, and becoming intimately familiar with his natural surroundings near San Diego, and it was no surprise that he eventually chose to study geology. Additionally his knack for relating to people, and his concern for civic issues propelled him to pursue a dual degree in Political Science. As a young student, Al further developed his deep seated interest in how the earth works, and how human systems interface with geologic systems. “Nowadays I find myself talking with fellow geologists about how earth science provides a solid foundation for the practice of sustainable resource stewardship within society, and I feel fortunate to have that grounding in what often seems like a vague or theoretical topic—after all the planet is a finite system and geologists have deep training in how it operates.” Soon after he graduated with his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Bachelor of Science in Earth Science/Geology from California State University in 1974, he set off to work for the private sector.
Al’s first job was for a geotechnical engineering firm involved with foundation design and other services tied to the rapidly expanding development of southern California. His site assessment assignments encompassed solving slope instability problems, avoiding fault zones, and understanding drainage, flooding, and other issues. He watched farmland convert to high density residential and commercial development at a blazing pace. “One afternoon I had been conducting my fieldwork on a vacant agricultural field in Orange County when a dust devil headed towards my pickup truck—I barely got inside the truck and I watched my paperwork and equipment spin 50 feet in the air. That took some explaining to my boss, as all my documents were lost! Along the way I gained the insight to think about the bigger picture and the longer term as we approach land use decisions.” After transitioning to the preparation of Environmental Impact Statements for projects, he realized he wanted more training to add to his abilities. Al returned to grad school, focusing his thesis work on infrastructure problems related to expansive clay instability challenges, and how landslides in the Palos Verdes area affected flora, fauna, and society. He completed his MS in Environmental Science from California State University in 1977.
Al’s first job for the public sector put him in a position he discovered he was well suited for - addressing environmental compliance for the Air Force. He realized that newly exposed environmental issues such as water pollution and soil contamination were directly related to how the earth functions and solutions could be derived from properly managing the earth and its ecological systems. He felt it was the perfect fit with his personal sense of calling as a geologist, with a strong focus on environmental management. “I began by exploring solutions which were rooted in pollution prevention, which in my opinion, was and is at the forefront of sustainability best practices.” Al soon was tasked to run an office at Norton Air Force Base with over 10 engineers, agronomists, economists, and other professionals, and his training and views about interdisciplinary work helped lead his team to success. Their responsibilities focused on a range of historic and current issues, such as remediation of various contaminants left over from WW2 operations. Over time, Al transitioned to the Air Force Regional Civil Engineers and supported the siting of the MX Missile and Rail Garrison as a key focus area. Years later, many of Al’s colleagues were relocated to San Antonio, TX to form what became an important program- the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE), and Al chose to stay local.
Eventually Norton Air Force Base was slated for closure during the first round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). Al became responsible for building relationships and fostering effective communication between Air Force leadership, the Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA) members, water purveyors, and others. Al observes, “Partnering was unknown at that time—but we learned it was indispensable to create trust between the Department of Defense (DOD) and local community members.” The closure of Norton AFB was one of Al’s first successes in rallying together a group of people with conflicting concerns and the potential for antagonism. The project broke new organizational ground and has since been held up as an example to follow, as it set the tone for partnering in the future. Some of the unique features of the Norton closure program included generating the template for establishing Restoration Advisory Boards (RAB), negotiating remediation strategies including short and long term remedies, and setting procedures for documenting agreements between stage agencies, US EPA, and the DOD. When the project culminated with the transfer of the property in the early 90’s to the LRA, Al worked for the Secretary of the Air Force to document lessons learned in order to define best practices for future base closures. After completing this assignment, Al chose to find a suitable new position that would allow him to remain close to his family and professional community.
Al came aboard with the Navy in San Diego and during the course of his civilian career there, he played key roles for their Regional Environmental Coordination Office, Navy Region SW, and Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC). He facilitated inter-agency partnering between DOD service components and state and federal agencies with a key emphasis upon team building, group process development, conflict resolution, and performance improvement methods and systems. “I can truly say I am proud to have led the creation of the Defense State Memorandum of Agreement (DSMOA)/ Cooperative Agreement (CA) six-step process which was an innovative way to resolve long-standing stalemates and confusions,” Al reports. He went on to represent the Department of the Navy as - NAVFAC’s Western Region manager on the design of the new Defense State Memorandum of Agreement (DSMOA)/ Cooperative Agreement (CA) Operations manual applied nationally. This initiative, approved by DOD Service Secretariat level and 48 states, is a joint partnering effort that established a uniform business practice, which provides for state accountability on funding and cleanup completion milestones, garnering Al and his team the prestigious Hammer Award presented by Vice President Gore. He also initiated the concept, development, and implementation of the Navy’s Environmental Managers Executive Committee (EMEC), an ongoing program also considered very successful in facilitating states’ and regulatory agencies’ efforts in AK, AZ, CA, WA, HI, and NV; U.S. EPA Regions IX and X; and Navy Chain of Command by establishing a unified west coast team focusing on common cleanup issues, including BRAC affected bases and congressional funding requirements.
During this tenure, Al introduced the word “sustainability” to usage within the Navy when he initiated facilitated dialogue between stakeholders and established the first sustainability charter adopted by the U.S. Navy. He was personally requested by the EPA Region IX Administrator to actively set up and lead what became known as the Federal Network for Sustainability (FNS), which he chaired. Beginning within Regions IX and X as a federal interagency panel to define and strategize on how to address this issue for supplies, energy sources, construction practices, operations and maintenance procedures, the FNS achieved success when it automatically sunset upon the nationwide adoption of agency-specific practices. In addition to DOD and EPA, this initiative spanned Department of Energy (DOE), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Parks Service (NPS). “When all of first sat together and started discussing how our agencies could shift actions to promote resource stewardship, many people first began to realize how pollution prevention from switching away from toxic paints and coatings, or adopting Low Impact Development (LID) measures for stormwater management all tied together. They were amazed to learn that often these changes cost less too! Especially over the life cycle of the project,” Al reflects. His work with the FNS was honored with national recognition as a recipient of the White House Closing the Circle Award, administered by the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE), and by inclusion in their Annual Report to the President on Federal Energy and Environmental Management, “Leading by Example” reflecting OFEE’s vision of how federal agencies should create and operate their environmental programs
As Al looks back on his career, he thinks fondly on his early DOD experience, including memories of his four-year experience working for the Corps of Engineers’ Europe District, in Frankfurt, Germany which created relationships that remain close to this day. These cross-agency ties allowed Al to work within the Navy to serve as Deputy Interagency Executive for NAVFAC SW to coordinate for all western states, AK to HI, in order to provide consistency and continuity and share best practices in the spirit of cooperation. Al’s work with the DOD Regional Environmental Coordination Office was highlighted by his efforts in Hawaii and Guam which led to establishing Hawaii’s first Annual Hawaii Environmental Forum, still active to this day. Just prior to joining Bioengineering Group, he served as vice president for a national consulting firm, promoting projects to implement recent policies and building teaming relations with compatible companies. During this time, he was contracted by the Navy’s Civil Engineering Corps Officer School to establish and present the Navy’s first Sustainability Awareness Training and LEED Training.
Al has been a featured speaker, facilitator, promoter, and participant at a number of high profile national and international forums related to environmental management and its relationship to best practices on “Greening the Government” initiatives. He has participated on key greening initiatives with the White House Office of the Federal Environmental Executive including direct support to the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive’s Western Symposiums. He also represented the DOD Regional Environmental Office in Hawaii and has successfully led the state and military services to a Pollution Prevention Partnership. Al represented the U.S. Navy as a partner with San Diego State University Business College to serve as role model for sustainable ports in the Gulf of Aqaba, and also has represented the Navy via presentations to the Egyptian Military Services on DOD’s best practices for facility operations and port management. He currently serves on the Sustainability Task Force of the Society of American Military Engineers with a focus on application of net-zero energy facilities within the US, and in oversees operations on Guam and elsewhere.
Believing that our next generation is crucial to promoting ecological resource stewardship and solving tomorrow’s environmental issues today, Al has kept involved in teaching at many levels. As Certified Adjunct Professor at his alma mater, he has taught and shaped curriculum for over 25 years in the subject matter areas of sustainability, environment, and earth sciences. Al also has a personal interest in staying active in local, regional, and national programs on sustainability best practices and initiatives with regulatory agencies, government and Industry in order to stay up-to-date on today’s issues. He is one of the founding members of the San Diego Regional Sustainability Partnership (SDRSP), a consortium of the region's businesses, organizations, governments, and academia, and as Executive Board member, he takes great pride in supporting collaborative efforts to reducing pollution, enacting energy savings, and to improve quality of life in the San Diego Region. “The intent of the Partnership is to lead and promote practices to support sustainable communities that are secure, economically prosperous, environmentally responsible and healthy places in which to live and work.” He was elected twice in positions governing water resource management and land planning, and participated as a water board member for several years in a mountain community in southern California, as well as an elected community planning board position in the San Diego region.
When Al is not working to share his professional passions for sustainability and geology, you will find him enjoying his favorite pastimes of playing tennis, hiking, and family activities. One of his favorite local hiking spots is San Diego’s Lake Hodges area, featuring habitats of unique flora and fauna. His interest in natural history and local culture has made him the official tour guide on every family trip and for all of his out-of-town visitors. Some of his fondest moments are spent backpacking and sharing his love of nature with others, especially through fishing. One of his favorite hiking spots is at June Mountain, located near Mammoth Mountain in the Sierra Nevadas, a pristine setting offering quiet scenery and an overwhelming sense of being away from the rush or urban life--including the very best trout fishing to be had anywhere.