Iain Kinsella Promoted to Environmental Affairs Manager

February 23, 2023

Iain Kinsella has been promoted to Yale Environmental Health and Safety’s Environmental Affairs manager after serving in an interim role in the position for about two years.

As Environmental Affairs manager, Kinsella is responsible for the Environmental Affairs Section (EAS) within Yale Environmental Health and Safety (EHS). The position handles all matters involving state, federal, and local environmental regulations subject to the university in all mediums of air, waste, water, and ground. He will manage waste contractors, vendors, and consulting firms as well as operate and maintain multiple waste storage and process facilities and a fleet of 11 vehicles. Kinsella will monitor and advise Yale’s Office of General Counsel on regulatory changes and their impacts to university operations and collaborate with other university business units to provide guidance and solve common problems that arise.

Kinsella succeeds Brenda Armstrong as Environmental Affairs manager, who held the position for nearly 12 years, and worked at Yale since February 1994.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to follow in the footsteps of my mentor Brenda,” Kinsella said. “I am excited to continue working in EAS here at Yale, and under our new Executive Director Kevin Charbonneau. I have big shoes to fill but was prepared very well by my predecessor.”

“Iain has been an integral member of the Environmental Health and Safety team for many years,” said Kevin Charbonneau, EHS executive director. “His self-motivation to learn and improve some of the most highly regulated programs here at Yale has been quite impressive. Iain has also benefited from the mentorship of Brenda Armstrong, who was one of the best environmental affairs managers I have seen in my 32 years at Yale. He has big shoes to fill, but I know Iain is more than up to the challenge. Please join me in congratulating Iain in his new role within EHS.”

Kinsella began his career with Yale EHS in 2004 as an environmental affairs technician. After leaving Yale for a few years, he returned in 2007 to the same role and spent the next five years assisting EHS officers with special projects and compliance matters, providing technical support for the Safety Advisor program, and specializing in assisting and supporting Environmental Affairs and Yale Utilities in all environmental compliance and programmatic detail.

From 2012-2018, Kinsella served as the assistant Environmental Affairs officer where he assisted the Environmental Affairs officer and the EHS powerhouse manager with all state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and United States Environmental Protection Agency compliance program and training. He also assisted the Environmental Affairs manager with business operations, budgeting, facility design/project management, waste issues, and vendor management. Kinsella also served as a special member of the EHS research materials shipping team and was on the 24-hour emergency response team.

He was promoted to assistant Environmental Affairs manager in 2018, which continued his previous responsibilities and added the direct supervision of four Environmental Affairs staff members.

Kinsella earned his undergraduate degree from Unity College in environmental sciences in 1999 and is vice chair of the Connecticut Chapter of the Air and Waste Management Association.