Name: Helen Mary Wessel
Age: 41
Education: University of California-Santa Barbara
Occupation: Environmental consultant

But that's just what the state Health Department was looking for to help improve communication between the industry and community on environmental health matters at Campbell Industrial Park.

Wessel was recently hired as "compliance coordinator" for the park. Besides helping to monitor businesses' compliance with environmental regulations, she oversees a 24-hour telephone hotline, 674-3388, where residents and school officials can get quick information if toxic gas emissions occur at the park.

"Recent health problems attributed to problems at the Chevron and BHP refineries indicate a need to focus more attention on preventing releases of air pollutants from facilities at the park," said Bruce Anderson, state deputy director for environmental health. "Helen will be an extra set of eyes and ears as well as helping to assure timely communications with surrounding communities."

For Wessel, the job seems to be a perfect fit.

"I think just because I'm a very social animal," she said. "I need to interact with people. I couldn't be one of these people like a research scientist who goes off into a corner to do my own thing and come out with a thesis four years later."

The position was funded for two years through a $200,000 settlement of enforcement actions against BHP and Chevron.

Wessel, 41, is not new to environmental consulting. A New Jersey native, she graduated from the University of California-Santa Barbara before getting a job with the firm ENSR in California as a computer operator and database manager. She eventually moved into air-quality consulting and got a job with Ogden Environmental in Hawaii. Last year she began working for ENSR again as a consultant.

Her previous consulting work already made her a familiar face to many industry representatives at Campbell Industrial Park, a fact that has worked in her favor.

"They know I'm not an alarmist or an extremist, and I think they feel comfortable telling me some of the more technical things because they feel with my science background I know what's going on," Wessel said.