CLRA National 2021 Dr. Edward M. Watkin Award Recipient: Marissa Reckmann
Over the past seven Years Marissa Reckmann has been heavily involved with the Alberta Chapter of the Canadian Land Reclamation Association. She started as a Director (2015) with the Alberta Chapter and moved to the role of President and served an additional two years as Past President (2019 to 2021).
Marissa embodies Reclamation Advancement. She was able to support the continued development of Reclamation in Alberta by ensuring members had access to resources and learning events. She was influential in the promotion of the profession. Guided the board of volunteers in a passionate and professional manner. In 2020, she represented the CLRA Board and its membership on the Environmental Service Association of Alberta’s Site Rehabilitation Program Advisory board and was a strong advocate for our members by advocating for funding for reclamation activities.
Marissa graduated from Lakehead University with a B.Sc. (Honours) degree in Chemistry. Marissa joined AGAT in 2006 and quickly gained experience within each of the company’s geographic and diversified operating divisions. Her positions within AGAT took on new and increasing responsibilities as AGAT transitioned from a local laboratory to the most scientifically diversified laboratory in Canada. During her tenure at AGAT, Marissa gained experience in each of AGAT’s operating divisions and as the company expanded nationally Marissa’s leadership was instrumental in helping AGAT gain a solid footprint for our services from coast to coast in 43 locations. In her varied roles, Marissa was responsible for ensuring overall national coordination of AGAT’s goals and objectives within each of the operating units across Canada. Marissa has proven herself to be a strongly dedicated leader, holding the best interests of her clients and colleagues, while serving to enhance communications and advance scientific services, quality, and best business practices.
AGAT Labs appointed Marissa Reckmann to the position of Chief Executive Officer in 2018. In her role, Marissa is focused on ensuring the preservation of AGAT’s culture and values, including the company philosophies, mission statement and loyalty to all staff and clients. As a Canadian-based business, AGAT Laboratories has concentrated, locally based ownership in which the interests of our company are directly related to the interests of Canada’s communities.
In March 2021, Marissa hosted and moderated a panel discussion for Women in Leadership – Creating and Open & Welcoming Workplace on behalf of the AGAT Foundation. During this discussion, she talked about being a woman in an industry that is predominately male and how she navigated and became successful leader. She is consistently promoting the importance of woman in science and in the boardroom.
Marissa was involved in two publications:
Oligothiophenes substituted with the thionitrile group: synthesis, characterization, and thin-film - J. Mater. Chem, 2009
Crystallization of Ligand vs. Complexation: the Nitrile-Silver(I) Interaction using Dicyanobithiophene as Ligand – Journal of Coordination Chemistry, 2008
Marissa is a well accomplished role model for everyone, she leads by example and is kind, a passionate advocate for our environmental industry, volunteers her time to ensure the CLRA’s continued success, and promotes the CLRA in all her other endeavors in business.
About the Dr. Edward M. Watkin Award
The Dr. Edward M. Watkin Award is one of three prestigious awards and is named after a founding member of the Canadian Land Reclamation Association / Association Canadienne de Réhabilitation des Sites Dégradés (CLRA/ACRSD) in recognition of his significant service to furthering land reclamation in Canada.
The award is presented in recognition of major contributions of the nominee to land reclamation, especially through service to foster advances in regulation, reclamation success or development of personnel or students. The efforts for which the individual is nominated do not need to span a major portion of the recipient’s career and may be project focused. A recipient may have made major contributions to CLRA/ACRSD, which has led to the advancement of the association. The recipient may be an individual or agency, institution or company.
For the purpose of this award, the word reclamation will include facets of research, planning, developing, implementing, executing and teaching programs to establish conditions on disturbed or stressed land that will make the land useful.