About Steve
Steve Swisdak provides historical and technical expertise in numerous environmental areas for FTI Consulting Inc.’s Environmental Solutions Practice. With 20 years of experience as a consulting forensic historian, Mr. Swisdak assists clients by using primary source historical research and analysis to understand present-day environmental contamination and product liability issues.
Over the course of Mr. Swisdak's career, he has managed the execution of hundreds of environmental, product liability, and litigation support matters involving a wide variety of topics, including site history reconstruction; sources of contamination to groundwater contaminant plumes and urban waterway sites; potentially responsible party (PRP) investigations; the use and regulation of chlorinated solvents; product- and chemical-specific histories; state-of-knowledge and standard-of care studies; and federal government involvement studies (especially related to the government’s wartime activities at private industrial facilities).
Mr. Swisdak has industry-specific experience in several sectors, including oil and gas, chemicals, aviation and aerospace, and shipbuilding and repair. Through his work, he has developed particular knowledge in the history of various chemicals (e.g., PCBs, PFAS, and chlorinated solvents such as TCE, TCA, and 1,4-dioxane); petroleum refining and distribution processes; manufactured gas production and by-products; and municipal and industrial waste management practices. He also has expertise in researching historical activities at World War I-, World War II-, and Cold War-era military and private industrial facilities in support of federal government involvement studies. Clients particularly value his ability to develop and implement work plans to conduct research at the National Archives and at federal-, state-, and local-level records repositories across the country.
Mr. Swisdak has worked on matters domestically and internationally for a diverse group of private and public companies, law firms, and joint defense groups. He has testifying experience and has produced expert reports, sworn depositions, and affidavits for several matters. He has also written several articles and given presentations on the use of historical research in support of environmental litigation and product liability matters.
Education
B.A., History, St. Mary’s College of Maryland
M.A., History, Johns Hopkins University
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Contact
T: +1 301 591 8028
steve.swisdak@fticonsulting.com -
Office
6903 Rockledge Drive
Suite 1000 (10th floor)
Bethesda, MD 20817
United States