New York

(845) 332-0257 • cbalmer@rcapsolutions.org

Candace Balmer has been with RCAP Solutions since 1997, assisting small, rural communities to plan, fund, implement and maintain community water and wastewater projects. She is a skilled technical educator and trainer. Previously, she held the position of Associate Director, Pollution Abatement Technology Program, Westchester Community College, Valhalla, New York, and of Project Engineer, Environmental Resources Management, Inc., Exton, Pennsylvania. Education: A.A.S. in Water Quality Monitoring; B.A. in Anthropology; M.S. in Environmental Engineering.

(607) 233-3824 • bsims@rcapsolutions.org

Becky Sims joined RCAP Solutions in 2023 as a Community Specialist and was promoted to New York State Manager roughly one year later. Her experience includes working for New York municipalities as a Public Health Sanitarian and as an elected Councilperson. She has extensive experience ensuring regulatory compliance for water and wastewater systems, including onsite septic systems. Becky has also had success leveraging funds in the form of grants for environmental improvement projects. She has worked in the field training volunteers and sampling groundwater to develop a database of “pre-fracking” data and is the co-author of a peer-reviewed publication in the Journal “New Solutions”. Education: Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Anna Maria College and Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies from Ithaca College.

(508) 688-7918 • abourque@rcapsolutions.org

Adam Bourque joined RCAP Solutions in 2022 after spending over 3 years as a GIS Community Specialist for RCAP in Kentucky. Adam brings a unique skillset that specializes in creating customized GIS solutions and training focused on rural water and wastewater operations. While at RCAP in Kentucky, Adam’s GIS technical assistance focused on water, wastewater, recycling, and opioid and substance abuse mapping. Adam is also involved in grant writing, graphic design, and photography. Education: B.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Science with a minor in GIS from the University of Kentucky.

(716) 336-9312 • cflannery@rcapsolutions.org

Conor joined RCAP Solutions in February 2026 as a Community Specialist. He brings more than a decade of experience across municipal engineering, wastewater operations, and infrastructure construction. His background includes providing technical assistance, conducting assessments, and coordinating with community stakeholders to address water and wastewater needs. Before joining RCAP Solutions, Conor worked with the City of Buffalo’s Department of Public Works, Howden, and the Buffalo Sewer Authority in roles involving engineering design, field supervision, system operations, and project management.

Earlier in his career, Conor served as a Sewer Construction Supervisor for the City of Buffalo and spent seven years in the United States Army, where he managed operations, supply, human resources, and signal support systems. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering with a concentration in Quality Management from SUNY Buffalo State University. His combination of technical expertise and public‑service experience supports his work helping communities improve the sustainability and effectiveness of their water and wastewater infrastructure.

(518) 971-1583 • jlavigne@rcapsolutions.org

Jesse LaVigne joined RCAP Solutions in April 2024 after working as a water plant operator and technical lead for a public water system near Philadelphia. His focus was GIS systems integration and workflow development. He has also worked extensively in data logging automation and spearheaded the lead service line identification team. Before working in public water, Jesse served as an adjunct professor teaching video game design and development for Wilmington University in Delaware. He also designed custom software and games for Heavy Key Studios. Education: B.A. in Sociology from Wheaton College and B.S. in Video Game Design & Development Wilmington University.

(585) 737-5864 • crees@rcapsolutions.org

Catherine Rees re-joined RCAP Solutions in 2018 after more than ten years as Senior Sanitarian at the district office of the NYS Department of Health. Prior to that, she worked with RCAP for an additional twelve years. She has extensive experience providing training, technical assistance, resources, and capacity building to small water and wastewater systems. Education: M.S. in Environmental Health, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh; B.S. in Environmental Sciences, University of Pittsburgh.