Our people, our power.

Meet the people who make Cascadia awesome.

Cascadia’s mission is to inspire and empower communities everywhere to protect and restore our world.
We take this to heart. Cascadians are not only researchers, planners, and program implementers and evaluators… we’re also singers and cyclists, gamers, climbers, writers, musicians, in-line skaters, pastry chefs, travel bloggers, practical jokers, new and experienced parents, volunteers, board members, voters, and really good neighbors. In and out of work, we devote our intellect, creativity, and passion to improving the equity, sustainability, and resiliency of our communities. Meet our team members below.
Meet our people

Abigail Lambert

Project Coordinator

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Alejandro Paredes

Director

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Alexandra Brown-Law

Associate

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Alexandra Doty

Associate

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Alicia Fennell

Associate

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Alyssa Rodriguez

Associate

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Amanda Savagian

Project Coordinator

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Amity Lumper

Co-President, Co-Owner

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Amy Lin

Associate

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Andrea Martin

Director of Climate Action

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Angela Pan

Senior Associate

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Barbara Mendez

Project Coordinator

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Ben Packard

Board Member

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Bethany Drahota

Associate

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Brandy Do

Project Coordinator

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Brent Edgar

IT Manager

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Brian Afeltra

Business Development Associate

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Carole Branom

Accountant

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Carolina Paez Jimenez

Project Coordinator

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Celine Fujikawa

Associate

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Christy Chow

Associate

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Christy Lee

Accounting Associate

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Christy Shelton

Principal, Co-Owner, Director of Quality

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Claire Henderson

Office Manager

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Clark Mosher

Office Manager

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Danica Yeh

Project Coordinator

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Dieter Eckels

Director

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Dominique Gómez

Board Member

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Emily Jackson

Senior Associate

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Emily Jennings

Associate

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Emily Rhoades

Senior Associate

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Eric Franzen

Business Development Director

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Eric Prestbo

Director of Finance

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Gretchen Muller

Director

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Hailey Weinberg

Associate

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Hannah Swee

Director

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Hannah Wheeler

Business Development Coordinator

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Heather Levy

Director of Consulting Operations

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Jasmine Beverly

Senior Associate

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Jay Carhart

Project Coordinator

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Jenna Decker

Associate

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Jenny Ugolino

Senior Associate

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Jessica Branom-Zwick

Senior Associate

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Julie Stein

Director

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Karla Christensen

HR Coordinator

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Keiko Betcher

Associate

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Keith Sibal

Project Coordinator

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Kennidy Stood

Associate

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Kenzo Yoshitomi

Project Coordinator

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Khori Bjork

Field Team

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Kirstin Hervin

Associate

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Kristina Zeynalova

Senior Associate

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Laura Baetcher

Associate

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Liam Heng

Project Coordinator

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Lynn Knapp

Director

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Maarika Rickansrud

Administrative Coordinator

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Maddie Seibert

Senior Associate

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Marie Horan

Field Team

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Marie Novak

Consulting Operations Manager

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Mary Ann Rozance

Senior Associate

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May Xie

Associate

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Megan Lee

Associate

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Michael Acode

Senior Associate

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Miguel Nigenda

Associate

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Mike Chang

Director of Equity

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Nate Jensen

Field Team

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Nicole Gutierrez

Associate

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Nicole Saho Okimoto Wentworth

Project Coordinator

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Nikki Ardalan

Project Coordinator

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Omkar Aphale

Associate

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P.J. Tillmann

Senior Associate

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Rachel Ropp

Senior Contracts Manager

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Ruth Bell

Principal, Co-Owner

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Sarah Price-Mitchell

Human Resources Manager

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Sarah Schu

Associate

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Sebastian Espinosa

Project Coordinator

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Shannon Saam

Director

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Shirley Ng

Associate

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Sophia Swainson

Project Coordinator

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Stephanie Thomas

Co-President, Co-Owner

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Susan Boyer

Senior Accountant

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Susan Canady-Denham

Associate

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Sylvia Juarez

HR Manager

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Terry Ng

Associate

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Victoria Alvarez-Conn

Project Coordinator

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Emily Jennings

Associate

Emily is committed to working across groups to create healthy, equitable, and sustainable communities. Emily has done this by improving access to and the enjoyment of basic human needs like food, water, the natural environment, safety, and housing. With a background in Macro Social Work and experience in environmental justice, she has spent her professional and personal life at the intersection of earth work and people work. Emily is energized by complex and collaborative projects and by making things easier for people. After meeting as undergrads in Tacoma, Emily and her partner have spent the last 15 years moving and traveling around the country together. They happily returned to Washington last summer to put down some roots, be closer to both families, and enjoy the splendor of the Pacific Northwest. Emily finds balance and enjoyment in learning about and growing flowers, being in nature, birding, leisurely bike rides, good conversations, playing with their dog, refusing to move due to the cat on her lap, and spending time with her partner.
Seattle

Laura Baetcher

Associate

Bio coming soon.

Victoria Alvarez-Conn

Project Coordinator

Bio coming soon.

Susan Canady-Denham

Associate

Susan has over 15 years of experience in data analysis with a career path that contains a mixture of environmental science and business. She enjoys working with data of all kinds and loves figuring out how the pieces fit together. She recently received her MBA from Oregon State University with a focus in business analytics. In her previous roles, she worked with water chemistry data and more recently with energy efficiency data. During her down time, she can be found working on a variety of DIY home projects, hiking some local trails, or enjoying an adventure in the city.

Sophia Swainson

Project Coordinator

Bio coming soon.

Sarah Price-Mitchell

Human Resources Manager

Sarah loves supporting Cascadia’s passionate, talented staff as Human Resources Manager. She combines effective and equitable people operations with strategic HR consultation for employees and leadership. Sarah was excited to find a mission driven firm to make the transition from 8 years as an HR professional in the public sector. She is also a licensed attorney in WA state and has worked supporting high functioning neurodiverse young adults as they find their own pathways to success in academics and the business world. She uniquely combines compliance and operations expertise with human centered procedure and culture. As an off-and-on adult figure skater, Sarah loves both indoor and outdoor fall and winter activities. She enjoys commuting by ferry and making the most of island life with her family.

Nikki Ardalan

Project Coordinator

Nikki is a sustainability specialist with focused experience in the waste and recycling industry. Based in our Oakland office since April 2023, she is driven by a passion for green initiatives and environmental stewardship. With expertise in recycling education and community outreach, Nikki has been instrumental in supporting California municipalities in achieving recycling compliance. Her certification in Zero Waste Principles and Practices further enhances her ability to implement effective waste reduction strategies. Outside of work, Nikki enjoys hiking, trying new recipes, and reading.

Nicole Saho Okimoto Wentworth

Project Coordinator

Nicole Saho joined Cascadia in 2023 as a member of the Communications and Engagement team, as well as our Event Planning team after earning a B.A. from the University of Washington in Environmental Studies with a minor in Geography. She is deeply passionate about community development, urban planning, and the intersectionality of space, culture, and sustainability. Nicole Saho is particularly interested in understanding how personal values influence environmental behavior, and she firmly believes in the power of human connection to inspire environmental conscientiousness. With a wealth of experience in community engagement, Nicole Saho's background includes contributions to various projects, such as the King County Wastewater Treatment Division's Community Co-Design Project, Bilingual Recycling Outreach, and most recently, her work with Washington Sea Grant on the Stakeholder Analysis for Proposed Kelp Aquaculture Permits. In her free time, Nicole Saho enjoys cooking, running, reading, exploring her spirituality, engaging in arts and crafts, and grooving to music.
Seattle

Nate Jensen

Field Team

Nate is a multi-faceted go-getter with two years of work experience for Cascadia. He has developed strong waste management and net-zero waste analysis skills and has an aptitude for leadership and project management both in and out of the field. Nate also works on back-end data quality control and assurance. When Nate isn’t at work, he enjoys hiking, biking, skiing, and any other outdoorsy “ings” you can think of.
Seattle

Miguel Nigenda

Associate

Bio coming soon.

Marie Horan

Field Team

Marie loves to get her hands dirty and analyze the facts. She spent 10 years either designing, constructing, or consulting in the field of structural engineering before realizing her true passion was for conservation of our material resources. Marie is quickly becoming a jack-of-all trades in fieldwork, having mastered waste sorting, participated in several modes of outreach, and can bring attention to detail and organization to any project. As a volunteer, she recently established a weekly Fix-it Night at Tacoma Tool Library where free repairs are offered to the community by skilled fixers, diverting hundreds of pounds from the landfill. Marie loves dancing, hates being cold, and will laugh at any joke you tell her (as long as there aren’t any swear words).

Maarika Rickansrud

Administrative Coordinator

Maarika is a versatile professional whose journey has intertwined her passion for literature with her commitment to environmental advocacy. Leveraging her strong research, communication, and organizational skills developed during her academic pursuits, Maarika found her niche in office administration here at Cascadia. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Japanese Language and Culture and Asian Studies from UC Berkeley and completed a masters at Harvard University before embarking on a PhD in Korean Literature at UCLA and transitioning into a social media role for an environmental start up. She approaches complex challenges with the same analytical mindset she honed while dissecting literary narratives, devising creative solutions to streamline processes and improve efficiency within Cascadia Consulting Group. Outside of work, you can find her snuggling with her cat Taro or browsing a local library or bookstore for her next read.

Liam Heng

Project Coordinator

Before joining Cascadia, Liam earned a B.A. from the University of Washington studying Political Science and Urban Development & Planning. He is especially interested in supporting sustainable urban practices and the social dynamics of climate change. Liam brings his expertise in equity, communities, and research skills to the Communications and Engagement team as well as the Social Media team. Recently, Liam has worked on projects focused on circular economy, public transportation, and green business practices. For fun or for work, Liam loves any activity where he gets to look at maps. He prioritizes spending time with friends, family, and his dog, Johnny. Liam is very passionate about history and tries to travel and visit historical sites whenever possible - most recently, he traveled to Normandy to see medieval castles and the D-Day sites!
Seattle

Karla Christensen

HR Coordinator

Bio coming soon.

Jenny Ugolino

Senior Associate

Jenny joined Cascadia in 2022 to provide project management and business development support for the Communications and Engagement line of business. Prior to Cascadia, she spent over a decade working for environmental nonprofits, managing public-private partnerships, leading behavior change campaigns, and creating opportunities for accessible, meaningful community projects. Jenny most enjoys starting a new project, building relationships, and being an unapologetic New Yorker. When not at work, you can find Jenny dancing salsa and bachata with friends, learning new PNW hobbies, and bragging about her niece and nephews.

Danica Yeh

Project Coordinator

Danica holds sustainability, empathy, and collaboration as essential elements to her work ethic. With a B.A. in Environmental Studies (Magna Cum Laude) and double-minor in Business Administration and Climate Science from the University of Washington, she brings experience in environmental leadership, research, and communication. Prior to joining Cascadia, she helped create a community co-design plan for a South Park stormwater treatment plant. Utilizing these strengths in communication and engagement, Danica’s work currently focuses on business and community outreach involving reuse systems and the green business program. As a “Seattle transplant” from Los Angeles, she also takes any chance the city gives her to enjoy some sunshine (but has also begrudgingly learned how to survive during the winter). When she is not working on projects, Danica enjoys staying active, painting, playing the piano, and listening to music.

Christy Lee

Accounting Associate

Bio coming soon.

Brady Kerr

Bio coming soon.

Barbara Mendez

Project Coordinator

Bio coming soon.

Amanda Savagian

Project Coordinator

Amanda joined Cascadia in 2023 as a data analyst, researcher, and writer who loves tackling complicated waste and sustainability problems in any form. At Cascadia, she primarily applies her quantitative skills to municipal and corporate waste characterization studies. In her previous career, Amanda worked as a research scientist studying primates, birds, and wolves in the field. She holds a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University and currently lives in San Francisco with her husband and beloved indoor plants. She is an aspiring naturalist.

Alexandra Doty

Associate

Alexandra joined Cascadia in the spring of 2023, bringing eight years of experience in strategic planning, facilitation, equitable engagement, and communication. Alexandra brings her values of curiosity, responsibility, and growth to each project she supports as a member of the planning and facilitation team. Prior to joining Cascadia, Alexandra worked in the public sector advancing Puget Sound ecosystem and salmon recovery efforts through collaborative planning processes. Alexandra holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from the University of Washington. When not working, Alexandra is enjoying time with friends and family, baking sourdough bread, or playing outside on foot, on a bike, or on skis.

Abigail Lambert

Project Coordinator

Abigail supports climate action planning and climate policy research projects across Cascadia’s portfolio. She currently works on climate action planning and comprehensive plan development for jurisdictions throughout WA, CA, and AZ. She also works with regional and international organizations to develop cutting-edge sustainability strategies through qualitative research and stakeholder engagement. Prior to joining Cascadia, Abigail completed a research fellowship through Dartmouth College exploring community climate resilience in Nordic cities and worked on Arctic paleoclimate research for three years. She also completed a policy report on co-productive partnerships between Arctic Indigenous knowledge holders and climate scientists through the Institute of Arctic Studies. She holds a BA in Environmental Earth Sciences and Science Communication from Dartmouth College. When not researching and writing, Abigail loves backcountry skiing, dancing at concerts, and drinking coffee!

Hannah Swee

Director

Bio coming soon.
Seattle

Jenna Decker

Associate

Jenna joined Cascadia in 2022 with a passion for collaborating with communities and organizations to lead climate action. She came to Cascadia with experience in greenhouse gas accounting, climate equity, and materials management from previous job experience and education. Jenna has obtained a M.S. in Climate Science and Solutions and a P.C.P. in Greenhouse Gas Accounting from Northern Arizona University. Jenna leads and supports a variety of project work including greenhouse gas analysis, community engagement, and climate mitigation and adaptation planning. She uses her expertise in greenhouse gas analysis to collaborate with communities and organizations on unique plans to drive down emissions for a low-carbon future. Outside of work, Jenna enjoys hiking the many trails her home state of Colorado has to offer with her two adventure dogs, curling up with a good book beside her two sleepy cats, or popping some popcorn to watch a scary movie.

Kenzo Yoshitomi

Project Coordinator

Kenzo is currently managing several sustainability efforts and projects throughout the Seattle area. He mainly focuses on community engagement, green business outreach, waste reduction, and a variety of water-related projects. Kenzo’s recent work recognizes Washington businesses that demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and promotes green practices by providing free resources. Prior to joining Cascadia, Kenzo was the Stormwater and Wastewater community engagement intern at Seattle Public Utilities. He worked with a variety of people to promote best management practices both at home and at work. Kenzo earned a B.A. in Landscape Architecture from the University of Washington and focused his studies on how people engage with their surrounding environment. When he is not working, he can be found spending time longboarding, playing ultimate frisbee, exploring the city, or spending time with family, friends, and his favorite furry friend, Hutna. If you look really closely you can find him in the Ed Sheeran Music video – The Shape of You.

Keith Sibal

Project Coordinator

Keith joined Cascadia as an on-call fieldworker at the beginning of 2022, and since then has provided outreach to over 200 businesses. Harnessing a deep passion for sustainability, Keith employs his patience and understanding to communicate environmental best practices to business representatives and members of the public. Now working with Cascadia full-time, Keith provides support for a variety of projects focused on waste and recycling and community-based social marketing. Keith graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Studies as well as a minor in Applied Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. In his free time, he enjoys playing instruments, caring for plants, and juggling.
Seattle

Nicole Gutierrez

Associate

Nicole joined Cascadia in 2022 to aid in strategic planning efforts related to natural resource management initiatives and provide facilitation expertise. Nicole is passionate about capacity building with organizations and communities by developing and strengthening the processes they need to be successful and achieve their goals. She brings experience managing diverse and complex water resource projects in which she engaged with stakeholders to come to solutions related to water quantity issues in Washington state. When she not in front of the computer drafting a well-crafted agenda, Nicole is hitting the trail with her beloved pup and taking on the next home improvement task on the list.

Emily Jackson

Senior Associate

Emily provides project management and conducts research and analysis to characterize and reduce waste and GHG emissions. Prior to transitioning into the waste and sustainability world, Emily worked as an environmental engineer developing and implementing environmental cleanup and ecological restoration strategies. She is a full picture thinker with over 15 years of experience leading and collaborating across disciplines to deliver practical solutions to complex environmental challenges. Emily holds a BS in Environmental Resource Management from Penn State and MS in Environmental Engineering from Drexel University. Emily finds joy in reuse and is an expert thrifter, with the majority of her wardrobe and household items acquired second hand. She’s also an avid outdoors person and relishes her time spent in the mountains or on the water.

Celine Fujikawa

Associate

Celine joined Cascadia in the fall of 2022, with four years of experience in sustainability and racial equity to support Cascadia’s climate and equity projects. Celine provides strategies on incorporating or improving diversity, equity, and inclusion within climate, waste reduction, and sustainability strategic planning processes and leads equitable stakeholder and public engagement to further inform plans and programs. Prior to joining Cascadia, Celine was a Sustainability Analyst for the Seattle Housing Authority, where she facilitated the development of equitable, community-supported conservation and environmental stewardship projects. Celine holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies with a Minor in Environmental Health from the University of Washington. On her free time, she enjoys spending time with her sassy corgi pup and hunting for the best French fries in the Bay Area.
Oakland

Ben Packard

Board Member

Cascadia Board Member Ben Packard is currently the Executive Director of EarthLab at the University of Washington, where he works to connect environmental policy decision-makers with the incredible resources—faculty, researchers and students—on UW campuses. The EarthLab initiative addresses large-scale environmental challenges by accelerating and focusing UW expertise on the most important environmental issues we face. In this role, Ben focuses on building relationships between UW and public, private, nonprofit and other sectors that deliver impact. Prior to becoming the inaugural Executive Director of EarthLab, Ben served as Global Managing Director of Corporate Engagement at The Nature Conservancy, and as Vice President of Global Responsibility and Director of Environmental Affairs at Starbucks.

Dominique Gómez

Board Member

Cascadia Board member Dominique Gómez is currently the Deputy Director of the Colorado Energy Office, a non-regulatory department within the office of Governor Jared Polis which leads climate programs and policy for the State of Colorado. Dominique has been passionate about environmental and social justice from an early age. In college she led a student group focused on pro environmental behavior, and has spent her entire career touching on different elements of the climate crisis. She recently served on the Denver Climate Action Task Force whose recommendations led to a voter approved sales tax which will generate $40 million a year to combat climate change and economic disparity. In addition to her work with Cascadia, she is a Commissioner for Denver Water and on the Board of Communities Unlimited, which focuses on sustainable economic development in areas with persistent poverty. Dominique lives in Denver with her husband and young daughters.

Rachel Ropp

Senior Contracts Manager

Rachel drafts, negotiates, and reviews Cascadia's contractual agreements and supports Cascadia’s project managers throughout contract lifecycles. Her work involves the facilitation of a wide variety of contracts covering a range of transactions. Rachel draws upon her over ten years of experience as a practicing attorney and her collaborative skills in order to provide diplomatic guidance on all things contracts at Cascadia. She holds a Juris Doctorate with Distinction from the University of Oklahoma College of Law and a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma. Outside of work, you will find Rachel spending time with her family, usually exploring the outdoors or having household dance parties.

Khori Bjork

Field Team

Khori joined Cascadia full time in 2021 to conduct in-field waste characterization research, after supporting this work for nearly a year in a temporary capacity. He is an experienced field team member who has supported waste characterization studies nationwide and aides in fieldwork preparation and quantitative analyses work. Khori has always been passionate about proper waste disposal and reduction, participating and leading studies on school campus and personal studies. Before joining Cascadia, Khori worked with a local environmental company supporting wetland delineation efforts in the Pacific Northwest. He earned a B.S. in Geography from Western Washington University. Khori spends his free time playing with his two dogs, participating in a multitude of outdoor activities, working on cars, and getting together with friends.
Seattle

Sylvia Juarez

HR Manager

Sylvia joined Cascadia as an HR Manager in 2022 with 15 years of experience. For the last four years, she worked for Seattle Colleges, where she advised and provided leadership to executive leadership and middle management regarding conflict resolution and navigating collective bargaining agreements; developed Inclusion Advocate Training materials and facilitated training to support diversity efforts in recruitment processes; managed full-cycle recruitments for District Office, and led changes and updates to performance management systems as well as developed training materials for employees and supervisors. Prior to working with Seattle Colleges, Sylvia worked for the City of Covina as a Senior Human Resources Analyst, for Alameda County as a Human Resources Analyst II, and for the City of Colton in a variety of HR roles. Sylvia is a graduate from California State University, San Bernardino with a B.A. in Business Administration and Management/HR Specialty, and a graduate from California State University, East Bay with a Master’s in Public Administration with an emphasis on Public Policy.

Sebastian Espinosa

Project Coordinator

As a climate and sustainability analyst, Sebastian assists in conducting Greenhouse Gas Inventories, GIS analysis and researching climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. Sebastian loves to utilize his passion for effective science communication and data visualization to help effectivity convey the importance of sustainability and climate change. Before Cascadia Sebastian was an ecological research assistant modeling the effects of climate and physical drivers on White bark pine populations at Mount Rainier National Park. Sebastian obtained his MS in Climate Science and Solutions at Northern Arizona University and his BS in Environmental Science at Seattle University. Outside working hours Sebastian enjoys playing frisbee golf, mountain biking, planning his next backpacking trip and eating Trader Joe’s snacks!

Shirley Ng

Associate

Shirley brings four years of professional experience to Cascadia's Communications and Engagement team, particularly to work with businesses and multifamily properties to implement sustainable practices and programs. She enjoys engaging with the public as she conducts outreach whether it is through recycling and composting trainings or in proposing food waste reduction programs. Prior to joining Cascadia, Shirley worked at several municipalities in the Bay Area managing waste reduction programs and efforts such as reusable takeout programs and increasing recycling and composting in public spaces. Additionally, she has experience developing outreach collateral in the form of pamphlets, fliers, newsletters, and social media content. Shirley has a Bachelor of Arts from UC Santa Barbara, having double majored in Environmental Studies and Geography with GIS emphasis. In her spare time Shirley enjoys playing volleyball, volunteering for the foster care system, and attending concerts.

Sarah Schu

Associate

Sarah joined Cascadia in 2021 to support community engagement with strategic communications planning, visual design, journalistic storytelling, and field photography. Her roll at Cascadia focuses on working across government and community systems to develop and implement sustainable, equitable food waste prevention and hunger relief solutions. Before joining Cascadia, Sarah worked as a Marketing and Development Director for Neighborhood Farmers Markets Alliance in Seattle. For nearly a decade, Sarah has also worked as founder and principal photographer for Schuter Photography, leading photography projects on five continents with clientele ranging from small businesses to the world's top architectural firms. Sarah is a graduate from Temple University, with a B.A. in Photojournalism from the Klein College of Media and Communications.

Megan Lee

Associate

Megan joined Cascadia in 2021 to support projects in the firm’s Planning and Facilitation line of business. She primarily works on Climate Action Plans, providing writing, facilitation and engagement support while also supporting a variety of other projects. Deeply committed to equity, Megan additionally supports Cascadia's Racial Equity Task Force as a member of the BIPOC Relationships Subcommittee. Prior to Cascadia, Megan served as an Environmental Intern with the King County Solid Waste Division, where she worked closely with community-based organizations and pioneered an equity and social justice initative for a Green Building capital project. Megan graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and double minor in French and International Studies. During her time at UW, she studied ecofarming and agriculture in Kenya (and summited Mount Kenya) and French language and literature in France (and solo hiked around Montblanc - oh la la!). Outside of work you can catch Megan biking, hiking, running and skateboarding in and around Seattle.

May Xie

Associate

May joined Cascadia in 2021 to support community engagement projects with event planning expertise. She splits her time between event logistical planning, translation coordinating, and doing outreach. Thanks to too much coffee and too little sleep, she graduated University of Washington with a degree in Environmental Studies and Entrepreneurship, utilizing her logistical planning skills, and general knowledge on environmental sustainability in her role at Cascadia. In her free time, you will find May picking up a new hobby or spoiling her dog.

Mary Ann Rozance

Senior Associate

Mary Ann is passionate working with communities to support their climate action and resilience planning goals. At Cascadia, she brings her qualitative research, planning and facilitation skills to advance stakeholder engagement and collaborative planning efforts. Prior to joining Cascadia, Mary Ann was the Actionable Science Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Washington’s Climate Impacts Group and the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC). She led training efforts for three cohorts of scientists to help them learn how to conduct community-centered research through the NW CASC Research Fellows Program. She also worked collaboratively with scientists, managers, and community members from university, federal, state, tribal and other organizations to co-identify regional climate science and capacity needs to address emerging climate risks. Mary Ann received her doctorate in 2019 from Portland State University (PSU), where she was a Fellow through the National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program (NSF-IGERT). Her doctoral research examined sea level rise adaptation planning in Miami-Dade County, Florida, focusing on knowledge systems and planning processes that determine how risks from climate change are understood, assessed, and managed by different stakeholders across the landscape. Through the NSF-IGERT she also researched social implications and policy barriers in other climate and sustainability contexts, including racial and equity impacts of carbon markets on forest communities in Nepal, identifying solutions to policy barriers to address environmental toxins in the U.S., and policy barriers to collaborative habitat restoration planning in Oregon. Mary Ann holds a PhD in Urban Studies from Portland State University, M.S. in Forest Resources from the University of Washington & a B.S. in Natural Resources Conservation from the University of British Columbia. When not working, she loves hiking and camping with her husband and daughter, finding big trees, soaking in hot springs, playing boardgames, and rooting for all the Seattle sports teams (and the Sacramento Kings).

Keiko Betcher

Associate

Keiko brings four years of professional experience in communications and design, and enjoys portraying technical or complex content in a way that is visual, simple, and accessible to a diversity of audiences. At Cascadia, she creates visual communications deliverables including graphics, outreach collateral, reports, presentations, and other engagement tools to support a variety of projects in the Communications and Engagement line of business. Prior to joining Cascadia in 2021, Keiko was the Communications and Outreach Associate at Conservation Northwest, after receiving a Geography degree and GIS certificate from Western Washington University, where she was also Editor-in-Chief of The Planet magazine. In her spare time, Keiko likes to doodle, beachcomb along Puget Sound, or search for the best pickle plate in Seattle.

Jay Carhart

Project Coordinator

Jay joined Cascadia in 2022 to provide research and analysis in support of materials management and recycling studies. For the last two months, Jay has interned for the South Street Advisors. There, he conducted company research into emerging markets and sustainable business, and wrote quarterly statements for clients. Prior to that role, Jay worked for Hamilton Sustainability Coordinators as the Co-Chair. There, he improved campus sustainability by implementing sustainable environmental practices, coordinated four different committees on sustainability including education, grounds, food and waste and communications, and managed meetings, hiring, and communication between different sustainability committees and college administration offices. Jay has also been a Committee Member for the Hamilton College Sustainability Working Group where he drafted a sustainability master plan for Hamilton College, plotting a path to net-zero emissions, and contributed to an open lands management plan for Hamilton College, rewriting best practices for mowing and fertilizer usage. Jay is a graduate from Hamilton College with a B.A., majoring in History.

Hailey Weinberg

Associate

Hailey joined Cascadia in 2021 at the end of a 9-month internship with the team. She provides research, analysis, and community engagement across a variety of Cascadia’s climate and sustainability projects for clients including the City of Renton, the City of Shoreline, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Hailey is a graduate from San Diego State University, with a B.S. in Environmental Science, and a graduate from Northern Arizona University, with a Masters in Science, Climate Science & Solutions. While at Northern Arizona University, Hailey served on student team to draft a proposal to implement the use of Social Cost of Carbon in the University's purchasing decision. She has also supported a variety of climate work including research and action advocacy projects across the United States including corporatate responsibility research for the US Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development. Outside of the office, Hailey can be found hiking her way through the state highpoints, baking new flavors of focaccia to share with friends, or spending quality time with her cats, Whiskey and Eggnog.

Hannah Wheeler

Business Development Coordinator

Hannah joined Cascadia’s business development team in 2021 after receiving her Master’s in Communications from the University of Washington. Previously, Hannah worked on a variety of communications and marketing projects for mission-driven organizations including most recently for the Issaquah Alps Trails Club where she served as a Board Member, Communications and Engagement Manager, and Interim Executive Director. While there, she developed and coordinated the organization's media, government, marketing, communications, and PR programs, wrote a broad range of content including marketing and reporting pieces, and maintained relationships with key partners. Hannah received a B.A. in Biology from Boston University and continues to foster her love of the outdoors through hiking, plant identification, and going for long walks around Seattle.

Kennidy Stood

Associate

Kennidy has been supporting communications and engagement at Cascadia since 2021. She helps to inform, connect, and inspire individuals and community organizations about local sustainability and transportation issues. Prior to joining Cascadia, she spent five years in various community building and leadership roles. From 2017 to 2020, she led school wellness programs and taught meditation to middle and high school students and educators in Los Angeles. She loves details and purpose-driven data and is passionate about the bigger-picture intersections among individual and community wellness and the natural and built environment. Kennidy holds a BA in Consciousness-Based Community Development from Maharishi International University and an MA in Sustainable Development from the School for International Training. She speaks English and Spanish. When she’s not working on community building, Kennidy enjoys gardening and permaculture design, spoon carving to the sound of her latest audiobook or podcast obsession, and hanging out with the beavers that reside in Seattle’s parks and waterways.

Christy Chow

Associate

Christy loves seeing others get excited about sustainability. She feels extremely fortunate to be able to experience this kind of environmental enthusiasm every single day at Cascadia. She currently works on multiple projects that deal with recycling and waste prevention, reuse systems, green business program management, and all things engagement. She is a graduate of Santa Clara University (BA/BS) and the University of Denver (MS). She is a proud member of Cascadia's Racial Equity Task Force and BIPOC Affinity Group. When Christy is not helping folx figure out into which bins their favorite almond milk cartons should go, speaking with owners of green businesses, or spending quality time in databases, you can find her hiking, backpacking, and doing her best to make her colleagues laugh.

Carolina Paez Jimenez

Project Coordinator

Carolina joined Cascadia in 2021 to support materials management and zero waste research, analysis, and planning. Prior to joining Cascadia, Carolina worked for the Infrastructural Corrosion Research Laboratory at USF, where they led a multi-disciplinary research project on novel sustainable concrete construction materials to reduce energy consumption and gas emissions and enhance green building development. They are as passionate about diving into complex data analysis as they are about creating beautiful, accessible, and innovative sustainability infographics in both English and Español. They graduated from the University of South Florida and Universidad del Norte with a B.S. and a M.S. in Civil Engineering. Carolina enjoys living a slow, compassionate, and authentic lifestyle while playing tennis, creating art, defying social constructs (such as the concept of waste or gender), and finding the best arepa wherever she goes.

Brandy Do

Project Coordinator

Brandy supports the Research & Analysis team in recycling, organics, and waste reduction programs by performing waste characterization studies throughout North America. She plays a role in project preparation tasks, quantitative analyses, and waste characterization fieldwork. With endless energy and a knack for getting dirty, Brandy has a passion for jumping into the action and discovering the truth behind society’s consumption habits. In her after hours, Brandy will indulge in video games, hone her classical guitar skills, or practice Hung gar kung fu.

Bethany Drahota

Associate

Bethany works as an associate at Cascadia, leading research and analysis projects focused largely on sustainable materials management. With her creative thinking and strong organizational skills, Bethany manages challenging and diverse projects with considerable aplomb. She is strategic, goal-oriented, and fueled by copious amounts of coffee to support meaningful projects and deliver high-quality work products. When Bethany isn’t managing projects, she can be found reading, exploring, or spending time with her two pets, Moshi and Stella.
Seattle

Angela Pan

Senior Associate

Angela joined Cascadia in 2020 to manage large-scale community programs in Oakland, Alameda County, and San Francisco. Angela currently oversees StopWaste's business and multifamily recycling outreach program, delivering personalized outreach and technical assistance to thousands of businesses per year across 17 member jurisdictions. Angela also managed community engagement for San Francisco's most recent Climate Action Planning effort, coordinating digital and remote engagement services to ensure that community members could be meaningfully involved in the City's climate planning despite pandemic protocols and shelter-in-place requirements. Prior to her time at Cascadia, Angela prepared complex environmental compliance documents at Impact Sciences, Inc. She excels at coordinating effectively with a diverse team of project stakeholders to maximize efficiency while balancing a variety of needs. Angela currently manages the Oakland office’s largest revenue project—Zero Waste Technical Assistance & Outreach for StopWaste—while seamlessly assisting with projects throughout the firm’s different practice areas. Her curiosity for innovative solutions and attention to detail helps drive projects forward and above the curve.

Amy Lin

Associate

Amy assists with community engagement, green business outreach, and a variety of waste-related projects. As a Green Business Support Specialist, Amy actively works with small businesses to connect them with free resources and green solutions that help cut costs and reduce waste. Before joining Cascadia, she worked with Seattle Public Utilities to examine the best practices of textile waste prevention and conduct interviews with industry experts. Prior to that, Amy worked for Barn2Door, where she conducted detailed market research on farmers across the United States and ran multiple A/B testing campaigns. Amy attended the University of Washington and graduated with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and a minor in Entrepreneurship. She is fluent in English, Chinese, and Taiwanese. When not working, Amy loves to dog-watch, spend time with friends and family, and soak up the sunshine wherever possible.

Alyssa Rodriguez

Associate

Alyssa develops and coordinates community engagement, outreach, and communication projects. She brings valuable, cross-cutting skills in community organizing, outreach, communications, marketing, graphic design, and stakeholder engagement. During her time at Cascadia, Alyssa has worked on a wide variety of projects from transportation capital improvements to labor standards. A common thread across all of Alyssa’s projects is her dedication to community, and to bringing an intersectionality lens to all of her work. Before joining Cascadia, Alyssa worked with non-profits and environmental consultants in Bellingham, WA where she promoted local food systems and provided recycling contamination education and outreach. Alyssa attended Western Washington University and graduated with a B.A. in Business and Sustainability and a minor in Economics. When not at work, you can find Alyssa enjoying a meal in the sun, volunteering, hanging out with friends or perusing the aisles of her favorite grocery stores.
Seattle

Alicia Fennell

Associate

Alicia joined Cascadia in the fall of 2021 to support climate projects through facilitation, writing, research, and technical analysis. She works with jurisdictions throughout Washington and California to support various aspects of the climate action planning process, from facilitating community and stakeholder workshops to conducting greenhouse gas inventories and analyses. Before joining Cascadia, Alicia spent five years in the environmental education field, leading and facilitating programs for children and young adults in the outdoors. She holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from UC Santa Cruz and a master’s degree in environmental science and management from the Bren School at UC Santa Barbara, where she focused on climate change and strategic communication. When she’s not at Cascadia, you can find Alicia baking cookies, playing board games, hiking, and seeking out the sun.

Alexandra Brown-Law

Associate

Alexandra joined Cascadia in 2021 to support equitable and creative community engagement for a diverse array of Cascadia’s clients, including the Seattle Department of Transportation, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, and the Puget Sound Partnership. Whether it’s for a climate action plan or a transportation capital improvement project, Alexandra spends her time researching, planning, and implementing inclusive public outreach. She is particularly passionate about compelling and accessible communications. Prior to Cascadia, Alexandra worked for Carleton College’s Center for Community and Civic Engagement on environmental and climate justice programs and developed her love for the ocean by researching marine renewable energy and ocean acidification’s impact on coral reefs in internships with the Consensus Building Institute and Mote Marine Laboratory. Alexandra holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Carleton College. Outside of work, Alexandra loves reading fiction, taking meandering walks, dancing to highly specific playlists, sending handwritten letters to friends, and doing yoga.

Alejandro Paredes

Director

Alejandro brings his passion for marketing, communications, sustainability, and communities to everything he does. As Cascadia's co-Director of Communications and Engagement services, he provides strategy and oversight to projects with an added equity and inclusion lens. Building from his strengths, background, and over 10 years of experience he juggles managing projects, providing strategic input, and supporting business development efforts. He is fluent in Spanish, English, and sometimes Spanglish. Alejandro’s three pillars are his thoughtful demeanor, listening skills, and hard work ethic. When he isn’t juggling multiple projects, he loves to explore the world, watch all the TV he can, sometimes read books, and enjoy his family to the fullest. But most importantly he would never miss a Roger Federer match.

Claire Henderson

Office Manager

Claire provides administrative and executive support to Cascadia’s team. Claire holds a B.A. in Communications with a minor in Business Administration from Seattle Pacific University. When Claire is not in the office you can find her with her husband and sons, watching the Mariners, and trying to find the best iced oat milk latte in Seattle.

Mike Chang

Director of Equity

Mike provides expertise in climate vulnerability assessments, climate adaptation and action planning, community engagement, and facilitation for a variety of local, state, and tribal governments. Mike also leads Cascadia’s racial equity, supporting other Cascadians and clients to lead with equity to create more inclusive and equitable outcomes. He has authored multiple climate reports, including the 4th National Climate Assessment, and is currently a co-chair of the Equity & Justice Workgroup for the National Adaptation Forum and the Rising Voices program for Indigenous and Earth Sciences. Mike is currently the lead author for the Northwest chapter of the 5th National Climate Assessment. Prior to Cascadia, Mike worked as the climate adaptation specialist for the Makah Tribe. Mike holds a M.M.A. from the University of Washington and a B.S. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from Yale University. When not working, he loves spending time with his dogs, swimming laps at the local pool, making homemade cider and limoncello, and learning how to sail.

Terry Ng

Associate

Since joining Cascadia in 2018, Terry has been providing zero waste outreach and education expertise to businesses and multifamily properties throughout the Bay Area. With Cantonese and Mandarin language capabilities, Terry enjoys working with local Chinese communities on waste diversion and sustainability efforts. If not conducting outreach, you may find Terry supporting field work efforts such as waste characterizations. His interest in the environmental field began in middle school and was refined as a student at UC Santa Barbara, where he graduated with a degree in Environmental Studies. Prior to working with Cascadia, Terry developed strong customer service skills while working in a variety of retail and outreach roles throughout California. Outside of the office, Terry enjoys maintaining his fish tanks and weight lifting.

Susan Boyer

Senior Accountant

Susan provides accounting support for Cascadia Consulting Group on a part-time basis. Her career has included a variety of accounting and finance roles, including work in the accounting groups for two Fortune 500 companies and most recently as the controller for a local architecture firm in Seattle. Susan spends her time away from work at a fitness club, where she swims, dances, weight-trains, and takes step and spinning classes. Her other free time is spent reading, traveling, and socializing with friends and family.

Stephanie Thomas

Co-President, Co-Owner

Stephanie is a Cascadia Principal and Co-President. She brings nearly 17 years of experience with all aspects of sustainability outreach, engagement, and behavior change programs—from research, planning, and design to implementation, marketing, management, and evaluation. Stephanie has assembled, trained, and managed teams that have engaged thousands of businesses in communities all over the west coast to co-design strategies and take environmental action to save water and energy, reduce waste, prevent pollution, enhance mobility, and mitigate climate change impacts. Stephanie holds a B.A. (with honors) in Environmental Studies, Environmental Science, and Resource Management from the University of Washington. Stephanie is a member of the Pacific Northwest Social Marketing Association Board of Directors. When she isn’t passionately delivering on Cascadia’s mission, you’ll likely find her biking around the beautiful Pacific Northwest or traveling the world in search of a good brewery.

Shannon Saam

Director

Shannon Donegan Saam leads Cascadia’s corporate recycling and materials management services, working to build sustainable policies, programs, and operations in the private sector. She is equally comfortable diving into dumpsters to discover their contents, analyzing spreadsheets to create compelling data visualizations, and presenting effective sustainability strategies and zero waste plans to corporate management teams. Since joining Cascadia in 2008, her clients have included multinational corporations in the apparel, retail, manufacturing, and information technology sectors with facilities ranging from offices and corporate campuses to distribution centers and retail stores. The sustainable materials management plans that she has developed with her clients are currently in use across the United States and around the world. Shannon graduated from Middlebury College summa cum laude with a B.A. in Economics. When she’s not analyzing waste streams, you can find Shannon exploring the Pacific Northwest by foot, e-bike, sailboat, surfboard, or skis with her two young children.

Ruth Bell

Principal, Co-Owner

Ruth is a Cascadia Principal, bringing 34 years of experience designing and implementing resource conservation programs that deliver measurable sustainability outcomes for clients and communities. An expert in centering racial equity in strategic planning and program design, Ruth’s recent project experience includes stakeholder engagement for the Seattle Waterfront Clean Energy Plan, supporting the development of Seattle City Light’s Transportation Electrification Strategic Investment Plan, facilitating Puget Sound Partnership’s South Central Action Agenda Local Integrating Organization and the WRIA 9 Water Resource Enhancement Committee, and strategic planning with the Town of Manchester Connecticut’s Sustainability Commission. Ruth holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Biology from Macalester College.

P.J. Tillmann

Senior Associate

P.J.’s love of science, people, and planet drives everything they do. Give them a leading edge policy or technology to research, a project to apply it to, and a team to collaborate with, and they will be enthusiastic to say the least. As a core member of Cascadia’s Planning & Facilitation team, P.J. supports local governments, corporations, and international organizations with sustainability strategies and action plans that drive progress to net zero and beyond. With a knack for visioning and collaborative strategic planning, a keen eye for detail and synergy, and policy expertise ranging from energy decarbonization to implementation effectiveness, P.J. has the ability to meet clients and communities where they are and co-design a technically sound, contextually relevant, and immediately actionable pathway to reach emissions reduction and resilience goals. P.J. is also an experienced project manager with diverse past experiences in natural resource management strategic planning, climate adaptation, and multi-channel inclusive public engagement. They hold a M.P.P.A. from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, a B.S. in Chemistry from Western Washington University, and has authored several technical publications. When not working, P.J. finds joy playing rugby, love spending time with family, and peace in a cool breeze amid the trees.
Seattle

Omkar Aphale

Associate

Omkar, or “Om”, provides project management, research, statistical, analytical, and field support to Cascadia’s waste characterization, resource recovery, program evaluation, and contamination reduction studies. Omkar has conducted such studies across MSW, recycling, organics, and C&D streams for public, private, corporate, and institutional clients nationwide. Omkar offers a specialized skillset including data modeling and analysis, multivariate statistical analysis, GIS, and waste and resource flow analysis. Omkar has co-authored peer-reviewed publications on municipal solid waste management, groundwater simulation modeling, and alternative energy policy research. Raised in India, Omkar relocated to Seattle to join Cascadia after receiving his doctorate from Stony Brook University, New York in 2015.

Michael Acode

Senior Associate

Michael Acode specializes in managing and conducting waste reduction and diversion implementation for corporate, institutional, and public sector clients. Additionally, Michael brings more than a decade and 20,000 hours of experience in environmental fieldwork, ranging from waste, recycling, and organics categorization to qualitative analysis, facilitation support, and public engagement. His past and present clients include several Fortune 100 and 500 companies, higher-ed institutions such as Indiana University, University of Florida, Georgia Tech University, Georgia State University, and Morehouse College, and cities across the US. In his free time, Michael enjoys spending quality time with his family and friends, doing anything active, playing board games, and exploring what the culinary world has to offer.

Marie Novak

Consulting Operations Manager

Since joining Cascadia in 2015, the number of hats Marie has worn is only surpassed by the number of shoes she owns (74 pairs at last count). She has worked across all of Cascadia's lines of business on projects spanning a range of sustainability areas, from green stormwater infrastructure and Puget Sound recovery to transportation electrification and climate planning and adaptation. Currently, she provides zero waste policy and implementation expertise and project management to Cascadia’s corporate, institutional, and public sector clients. Marie is also a member of Cascadia’s graphic design team and serves as the Consulting Operations Manager, providing internal planning and project management support and training across the company.

Maddie Seibert

Senior Associate

Maddie engages communities and creates strategic plans for climate and waste management projects at Cascadia. She thoughtfully brings diverse communities to the table and facilitates conversations on issues ranging from building decarbonization to used motor oil recycling. Maddie is also a thorough researcher and problem-solver on a variety of projects across lines of business. She never misses a chance to analyze and propose solutions for food waste reduction and recovery systems for clients including state agencies, local governments, and individual organizations. Maddie has a B.A. in international affairs and a B.S. in environmental science from Northeastern University, and a Master of Global Affairs and Public Policy from Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University. Outside of work, Maddie is usually out cycling in the hills or planning her next road trip to a new corner of the USA.

Lynn Knapp

Director

Lynn joined Cascadia in 2015 to assist with education and outreach programs and event coordination. She currently manages business sustainability and behavior change projects for clients such as Seattle Public Utilities and event coordination for Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Green Seattle Partnership program and Stewardship Partners. Through her business sustainability outreach, so has assisted hundreds of businesses to take action regarding recycling and composting, water conservation, pollution prevention, and saving energy. Before coming to Cascadia, Lynn worked in administrative and event planning roles, as well as interning with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration executing fish genetics and behavior research. She has a BS in Environmental Science and minor in Sociology from Huxley College of the Environment at Western Washington University. In in her spare time, Lynn enjoys snowboarding, surfing, upcycling from her favorite thrift stores, and hanging out with her cat Phyllis and dog George.

Kristina Zeynalova

Senior Associate

Kristina leads and supports project work across a broad range of focus areas including climate planning and adaptation, stormwater management, and waste management and policy. She brings expertise in project management, research and writing, stakeholder and community engagement, and an ever-deepening passion for environmental justice to her diverse project work. A recent transplant from Oakland, CA to the greater Seattle area, Kristina supports Cascadia's project work in both California and Washington. Kristina holds an M.S. degree in Environmental Studies from San Jose State University and B.A. in Sociology from UC Santa Cruz. Having spent most of her life exploring the backcountry of the Sierras and California's majestic redwood forests, she is looking forward to new outdoor adventures in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Kirstin Hervin

Associate

Since 2013, Kirstin has been getting down and dirty with waste data collection and analyses to measure real world conditions and upcycles yesterday’s datasets into models and tools to forecast generation and diversion impacts. She excels at developing intuitive accessible tools and calculators for our clients. (Because playing with numbers should be fun!) Kirstin is also proud of her work over the years to move Cascadia’s waste studies and outreach efforts to online formats. (No one actually liked keeping track of all those papers.) When not planning her next study or building out a spreadsheet, Kirstin is reducing food waste cooking with her family and savoring the natural beauty of the Puget Sound Region.

Julie Stein

Director

Julie is Cascadia’s Director of Creative Services, overseeing the development and delivery of graphic design, creative, and multimedia support for projects spanning outreach and communications, research and analysis, and strategic planning. Julie specializes in working with project teams to communicate complex ideas accurately and clearly with “plain” language and engaging visuals. Julie’s prior work experience include technical writing, instructional design, and web development for Seattle University and Michigan State University. When not working hard on a deadline, Julie can be found reading a book, climbing a wall, or wandering through a local bouldering area.

Jessica Branom-Zwick

Senior Associate

Since joining Cascadia in 2006, Jessica has worked on a broad range of projects from quantitative data analysis and qualitative research to zero waste planning and program evaluation. Jessica develops data-driven plans to reduce waste that are informed by all the research reports she has squirreled away in her personal zero waste library. She takes pride in having modeled Oregon’s recycling collection system from curb to market to analyze the potential effects of major statewide changes. Jessica also spends a statistically significant portion of her time on surveys and evaluations to inform and measure behavior change programs. When not crunching numbers or writing clear and approachable reports, she creates data visualization solutions, reviews documents as part of our in-house Editorial Board, and obsesses over her worms and mason bees.

Jasmine Beverly

Senior Associate

Jasmine joined Cascadia in 2019 to lead transportation and sustainable infrastructure projects on the Communications and Engagement team. She brings a strong background of comprehensive public engagement and inclusive outreach experience, gathering community perspectives to build an understanding of - and excitement for - projects in their areas. Jasmine brings energy and passion to implementing thoughtful communication strategies and offers extensive experience in using creative approaches to engage with diverse audiences. Prior to joining Cascadia, Jasmine supported communications as a consultant for the Washington State Department of Transportation, where she led community and stakeholder engagement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement program. When she's not in the virtual office, Jasmine can be found taking her cat Stevie (yes, cat) for a neighborhood walk, exploring the latest and greatest coffee shops, and cheering on Seattle's soccer teams--rain or shine!

Heather Levy

Director of Consulting Operations

Heather is Cascadia’s Director of Consulting Operations, working across the company to staff new projects, balance employee workloads, support staff development goals, and maintain project management standards. Heather manages large strategic planning projects in climate action, sustainability, and waste for clients in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. In particular, she has worked across the food recovery hierarchy on research and stakeholder engagement projects related to food loss and waste measurement, food rescue process and technology innovations, compostable foodservice packaging as feedstocks, and compost contamination reduction initiatives. Before joining Cascadia, Heather worked as a management and technology consultant helping clients execute on strategic initiatives. With a passion for creating calm and order from chaos, Heather never met a white board, dashboard, or process flow diagram she didn’t like. Heather lives in Seattle with her husband, two daughters, two large shedding dogs, and is an avid skier and traveler.

Gretchen Muller

Director

Gretchen has 17 years of experience managing a broad range of stakeholder-driven sustainability projects. She has been involved at all stages of the process, from designing and facilitating strategic planning processes and creating public involvement and communications plans to implementing engagement programs and evaluating and reporting results. She is particularly adept at managing large, multi-stakeholder facilitation efforts that bring representatives of competing interests—such as conservation groups, developers, industry groups, and tribes—to the table to build common ground and reach compromises. Gretchen is deeply involved in participatory planning and co-design efforts focused on change management and action planning related to climate, sustainability, and natural resource protection. She loves working with clients to identify what success looks like at project outset and then co-design a roadmap and associated action steps to get the project there in a fun, productive, and impactful way. When she isn’t knee deep with clients working to advance sustainability, she can be found traversing the playground scene with her almost kindergartener, hanging out at home with her 16 lb. orange tabby named Thomas, or walking on the sunny side of the street in an attempt to tap into her desert roots.

Eric Prestbo

Director of Finance

Eric draws on more than a dozen years' of experience to lead the financial operations of Cascadia. He holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from the University of Washington, and was formerly a CPA. When he’s not crunching numbers or reviewing debits and credits, he loves spending time outdoors with his family (+dog) mountain biking, skiing, and trail running.

Eric Franzen

Business Development Director

Eric leads business development at Cascadia, working with teams across the company to develop and deliver strategies that build our core business and support expansion into new markets. Drawing on seemingly limitless stores of energy and an uncanny calm under pressure, Eric tracks the company’s pipeline of new work and juggles deadlines to manage the creation of pitches, proposals, and targeted marketing materials. He is part field marshal, part counselor, and part cheerleader, translating high-level goals and abstract ideas into clear and cohesive proposals. When Eric isn’t coordinating with partners or writing cover letters, you’ll find him sailing, kayaking, or in pursuit of pizza.

Emily Rhoades

Senior Associate

From leading statewide waste characterization studies and developing best management practices for resource conservation to creating and driving community-based outreach campaigns, Emily supports multiple teams across Cascadia and effortlessly balances a diverse client portfolio. She brings expertise to just about every step of a project – from proposals, study design, and client and stakeholder engagement to data collection, analysis, and report writing. Emily is also bilingual in Spanish and a member of Cascadia’s Editorial Board. Emily has nearly a decade of experience in sustainable material management and water conservation up and down the West Coast. In her free time, you’ll find Emily enjoying the views from the top of a mountain, traveling in her camper, testing a new fermentation project, and reading by the fire.

Dieter Eckels

Director

Dieter ensures the Research and Analysis team has the tools, training, and experience to deliver on-time and on-budget projects for a wide variety of public- and private-sector clients across the US from New York City to Honolulu. Part data analyst, part problem solver, and part ringmaster, Dieter has been managing waste related projects at Cascadia since 2004 and now works closely with the other experts on the Research and Analysis team to promote Cascadia mission, values, and vision. Dieter led the development of Cascadia’s proprietary cloud-based waste analysis tool: OSCAR. Contrary to Cascadia’s flexible workplace reputation, Dieter is unable to touch his toes.

Clark Mosher

Office Manager

Clark provides office management for Cascadia’s Oakland office as well as administrative support to the entire Cascadia staff. In his free time Clark enjoys reading, practicing Qigong meditation, playing guitar, and taking walks in the Berkeley Hills. On sunny weekends Clark enjoys spending time working in the garden he shares with his girlfriend Jaime; they’ve both “gone native” and are planting lots California native plants, wildflowers, and milkweeds to create a habitat for pollinators and monarch butterflies around their home in Albany. If the weather is particularly beautiful you may find Clark relaxing on a beach at his favorite spot in Northern California, Point Reyes National Seashore.
Oakland

Christy Shelton

Principal, Co-Owner, Director of Quality

Christy draws on more than a dozen years’ experience to manage projects that help public agencies reduce waste, safeguard human health and the environment, and manage resources efficiently. Her work helps clients foster behavior change and produce measurable improvements in resource conservation, waste prevention, recycling, and sustainability. She has managed a diverse range of projects, including strategic planning, survey research, market analysis, indicator development, and evaluation. Christy is experienced in both quantitative and qualitative analysis, and has written dozens of reports and articles that accurately present complex issues in clear language for both policymakers and the public. Before joining Cascadia, Christy managed environmental, land use, and transportation projects at ECONorthwest in Seattle, and also performed research at Sightline Institute (then Northwest Environment Watch). During the Clinton Administration, Christy served as an environmental policy analyst in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, covering such issues as sustainable development, water quality, pollution prevention, climate change, hazardous waste, and environmental education. She holds a B.A. (with Honors) from Stanford University and an M.S. from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment. She previously served on the board of Sustainable Seattle.

Carole Branom

Accountant

Carole, Cascadia's Accounting Associate, provides support services in the accounting area, including creating invoices and entering payables. She holds a B.S. degree in Finance from the University of Arizona. Prior experience includes 25 years in commercial bank lending and 15 years in bookkeeping positions with small firms. She is an avid reader and a passionate cook.
Seattle

Brian Afeltra

Business Development Associate

Brian is part of Cascadia's small but mighty business development team where he finds and helps assess project opportunities for the firm to pursue, evaluating the competitive landscape and helping frame how Cascadia can provide value to clients. He shepherds proposals to completion primarily in the R&A and C&E lines of business, where he uses his wrangling skills to keep his colleagues on-track and motivated and his writing skills to craft compelling content. Brian enjoys providing a morale boost and radiating a calming presence in his deadline-driven role and relishes the opportunity to send the perfect GIF to his coworkers to celebrate proposal submittals. Outside of work, Brian enjoys running through the Washington Park Arboretum, looking up aspirational travel itineraries on Google Flights, and cooking Italian classics.
Seattle

Brent Edgar

IT Manager

Brent works as the IT Administrator in Cascadia’s corporate team. Joining Cascadia in 2015, he brings 20+ years of experience working with local Seattle Boys and Girls Clubs as a Tech Director and Education Director. Brent has a BA in Sociology from Seattle Pacific University. Having grown up in Ecuador, he was once fluent in Spanish, but now pretends that the word is on the tip of his tongue.
Seattle

Amity Lumper

Co-President, Co-Owner

Amity celebrated her 20th anniversary with Cascadia in 2020 and serves as the company’s co-president, leading strategic business development and project teams to deliver their best for the planet and community. Amity draws energy from making meaningful connections and facilitating collaboration among diverse groups to advance shared goals. She brings nearly 25 years of technical experience in solid waste management. Amity has worked alongside a variety of clients in the public, private, and NGO sectors to better understand waste and material quantities, flows, behaviors, and infrastructure. She has helped design, implement, and evaluate waste reduction and recycling programs and policies for cities, corporations, institutions, and waste service providers across North America. When she’s not strategizing in team meetings, reading industry news, or thinking of innovative solutions and partnerships to eliminate waste, she is gardening, jogging, biking, swimming, or sledding in the beautiful PacNW with her husband and son.
Seattle

Andrea Martin

Director of Climate Action

As a scientist-turned-practitioner, Andrea’s passion is to help translate and simplify complex environmental concepts into action-oriented plans and strategies. Since joining Cascadia in 2011, Andrea has led sustainability, climate mitigation, and climate resiliency analysis and planning projects for a range of local government clients. She is currently managing the development of Columbia, Missouri’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan—a multi-stakeholder, public-facing planning process that includes conducting a greenhouse gas analysis, climate vulnerability assessment, and multi-criteria strategy assessment. She also co-manages regional transit agency Sound Transit’s On-Call Sustainability Services contract—which has included development and implementation of the agency’s Climate Adaptation Strategy, Sustainability Plan, and greenhouse gas inventory. Andrea’s recent planning projects include crafting an Internal Operations Sustainability Strategy for Teton County (WY); Climate and Energy Plan for the City of Ashland (OR); and Climate Action and Adaptation Plan for Flagstaff (AZ). Other recent activities include conducting a land carbon sequestration potential analysis for the City of Fort Collins (CO); defining carbon neutrality for King County (WA); and developing tools to assess past and future greenhouse gas emissions for the City of Bellevue (WA). Prior to joining Cascadia, Andrea worked in a biogeochemistry laboratory at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, where she examined the adaptability of coastal wetlands to future climate conditions. Andrea holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Management with a focus in Environmental Economics and Policy from Duke University and a B.S. in Biology with Honors from the University of North Carolina. On the weekends, you can find Andrea walking along the beach with her daughter, Juniper, near her home in Charleston, South Carolina.
Charleston

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