Charles Natale
Master's 1982
Current Position:
President & CEO of ESS Group, Inc
VIMS Advisor(s):
Dr. John Zeigler
Profile
Natale, a 1982 graduate of the Master's program at VIMS, is President & CEO of ESS Group, Inc. ESS is the lead environmental and engineering firm for Cape Wind—the first offshore wind energy project in the continental U.S.
The scope and location of Cape Wind have made environmental assessment of the project a monumental task—and provide a "test case" that Natale hopes will facilitate and streamline future environmental assessment of offshore wind farms in places like Virginia.
Natale says he and his firm "are very proud that our studies and results for Cape Wind, particularly related to marine science, have not only withstood the rigorous review process but have held up as acceptable and technically sufficient for decision makers to issue positive project findings and approvals. We pioneered these regulatory processes and have put the science in play to make all this happen."