Our Scouts Give Thanks – Meet the Team!

In this special edition of our blog, we wanted to thank all our partners, clients, and team members for trusting Scout. We value our partnerships and look forward to continued collaboration and mutual success. On behalf of the entire Scout team, thank you! Meet some of the 20 members of our Scout team below and learn some fun facts about each one.

Mr. Ryan Pingree, AICP, CEP, President, Co-Founder,
NEPA Project Manager/Lead Analyst

Ryan has more than 22 years’ environmental planning experience with an emphasis on effectively managing complex environmental and NEPA projects for the Department of Defense (DOD), Veterans Affairs, and U.S. Coast Guard clients throughout the U.S.

Ryan survived an unprovoked sea lion attack while surfing. But he still helps Scout’s clients comply with the Marine Mammal Protection Act!

 

Mr. Jason Strayer, CPEA, Vice-President, Co-Founder,
Environmental Compliance Manager

Jason is a senior compliance analyst with nearly 30 years’ consulting experience in leading environmental compliance-related projects nationwide.

Jason likes to do a little homebrewing . . . currently on tap is a bourbon-barrel aged barley wine (aka COVID relief in a glass).

 

Ms. Melanie Hernandez, JD, CEP, Vice-President, Co-Founder,
NEPA Project Manager/Environmental Attorney

Melanie is an environmental attorney with more than 22 years’ environmental planning (NEPA) and nationwide regulatory experience with all DOD components, U.S. Coast Guard, Veterans Affairs, General Services Administration and California agencies.

Melanie has been skydiving twice. Most recently with her son to celebrate his 18th birthday.

 

Mr. Paul W. Sage, Senior Advisor

Paul has over 55 years of experience in government and industry throughout the world. He has extensive environmental planning and management of projects in the U.S., Europe and the Pacific. Paul is one of Scout’s Senior Advisors specializing in socioeconomics.

Paul, his wife Caren and son Cody, lived for two years in New Zealand where his son was almost screen tested for an elf in the Lord of the Rings movie and his wife got a job in the Wellington Botanical Garden where her office was in a tree.

 

Mr. Richard M. Cornelius, JD, Environmental Attorney/Senior Advisor

Rick was the U.S. Navy’s first civilian Environmental Attorney, working for the Office of the General Counsel, as an Assistant General Counsel for Environmental Law. Rick has extensive NEPA experience, has written dozens of EAs and managed the preparation of numerous EIS’s for various U.S. Federal agencies. Rick is one of Scout’s Senior Advisors.

Rick and his wife, Kathy, started a bed and breakfast, The Meander Inn. They had 5 guest rooms and boarded 5-10 horses on their farm.

 

Ms. Julie Werner, PE, Air Quality Analyst/Environmental Engineer

Julie is an environmental engineer with over 12 years of experience. She provides environmental compliance and planning services for Federal and private clients. As a licensed professional engineer (PE), Julie leads Scout’s environmental engineering practice.

Julie competes on a Roller Derby team.

 

Ms. Roxanne Beasley, Administrative Manager/Technical Editor

Roxanne Beasley brings over 12 years of business administration, sales, and leadership experience. She is Scout’s lead technical editor and administrative manager.

Roxanne’s graduating class in high school was 15 people and she can still remember every single classmate’s name!

 

Ms. Jennifer Sarosi, Controller

Jen Sarosi is a seasoned financial executive with over 37 years of experience working in the environmental consulting field. Jen leads Scout’s accounting and financial reporting.

 

Jen has held the Stanley cup trophy and has written a book on horseback riding. Her new fur baby is a mini-Dachshund named Pearl.

 

Dr. Tom Lillie, Ph.D., Senior NEPA Reviewer/Natural Resources Lead

Tom has over 35 years of service as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, Professional Staff Member for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Chief of Staff for the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Department of the Interior and Program Manager for Natural and Cultural Resources at Headquarters Air Force. Tom is leading Scout’s NEPA training development for the U.S. Coast Guard.

Tom spent 26 years in the Air Force and was never stationed at a base with aircraft. His assignments were Brooks Air Force Base (AFB), Texas, University of Florida, Los Angeles AFB, California, and the Pentagon.

 

Mr. Jim Campe, PE, Senior Noise/NEPA Analyst

Jim has nearly 30 years of service to DOD as an environmental planner, project manager, and noise analyst, serving 10 of those years as an Air Force civilian NEPA Program Manager. As a NEPA resource analyst for Scout, he serves as a subject matter noise analyst and related stand-alone noise analyses and modeling. Jim is leading Scout’s noise/NEPA support for the Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC).

Jim raises alpacas and donkeys.

 

Mr. Scott Barker, PE, AICP, Transportation Engineer

Scott is a Senior Traffic Engineer and NEPA planner. He has extensive experience providing transportation planning, traffic engineering, and environmental planning services. His projects have included traffic impact analysis and NEPA review for in-water projects, land development proposals, and military projects, throughout the Nation.

Scott likes hiking and has done the 5-peak Mission Trails challenge in California with his family.

 

Ms. Katie Dumm, Cultural Resource Specialist

Katie has 15+ years’ cultural resources experience across the country. She earned history degrees from the University of Denver, University of Colorado Boulder, and a certificate in historic archaeology from the University of York. Katie serves as one of Scout’s cultural resources specialists.

Katie is a published historical fiction author: Jonathan Crowder’s Republic of Letters: Epistles on Diverse Subjects by A Young Gentleman, available now on Amazon! Katie also has a fur baby, a sweet hedgehog named “Popcorn Pricklepants” who has almost 6,000 followers on Instagram.

 

Ms. Sarah Novak, Cultural Resource Specialist

Sarah is currently completing her graduate work specializing in archaeology and geology at California State University Northridge. Sarah has surveyed and mapped archaeological sites in Los Angeles County, Ventura County, and Santa Barbara County. Sarah serves as a cultural resources specialist on Scout projects.

Sarah used to be a brewer before pursuing archaeology and is finishing her master’s thesis on Egyptian funerary culture.

 

Dr. Mark Allen, Ph.D., RPA, Cultural Resources Lead/Principal Investigator

Mark earned a PhD in anthropology and has nearly 36 years of experience as a professional archaeologist. He has substantial experience working as a principal investigator with different state and Federal agencies, including over two years serving as the archaeologist at Fort Irwin, California. At Scout, Mark serves as a principal investigator for cultural resource management projects.

Mark once spent the night in Luke Skywalker’s desert home in Tunisia.

 

Ms. Kathy Rose, Senior NEPA Project Manager/Environmental Analyst

Kathy has over 22 years NEPA program and project experience, developing public involvement strategies, providing training, and managing natural resource projects. She has led and/or was the resource area author for more than 15 Air Force EAs and led and written complex Air Force EISs such as the F‐25 Beddown at multiple AFBs. Kathy leads Scout’s AFCEC NEPA support.

Kathy enjoys cuddle time with her great grandniece Kaileen.

 

Ms. Kari McCollum, Junior Environmental Planner

Kari is a recent graduate from San Diego State University with a bachelor’s in environmental sustainability. She brings strong research and analytical experience and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and NEPA experience. She is also part of Scout’s environmental compliance audit team.

Kari is a competitive water-skier and is a current Guinness World Record Holder – 6.9 miles water skiing behind a blimp.

 

Dr. Paul C. Ticco, Ph.D., Senior Coastal and Ocean NEPA Analyst

Paul has more than 25 years of experience in coastal and ocean management, resource policy, socioeconomic analysis and environmental law. He has been the lead author of numerous EAs and EISs and is Scout’s lead NEPA scientist for in-water and maritime projects.

As a teenager, Paul once played piano with Dizzy Gillespie and was a nationally ranked tennis player.

 

Mr. Kevin Vogelsang, Facility Condition Assessor

Kevin is a retired Navy Civil Engineer Corps officer with a second career in the environmental consulting industry that has spanned 18+ years. Kevin is a registered Professional Engineer (Civil) in California, Florida, and Georgia and is a Fellow, Society of American Military Engineers. Kevin conducts facility condition assessments as part of a team performing BUILDER™ condition assessments for U.S. Marine Corps installations on the East Coast.

Scout met Kevin at a Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) event and hired him!

 

Mr. Jack Kerns, Environmental Attorney/Senior Regulatory Specialist and Clean Water Act Expert

Jack was the lead environmental attorney for the Clean Water Act section 404 permit program for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco Office advising Corps project managers on issues such as wetlands Federal jurisdiction and providing interpretation of 404 case law, regulations and guidance. Prior to that he was an attorney for the Department of the Navy for 10 years. Jack leads Scout’s Clean Water Act training for the U.S. Coast Guard.

Jack has been a drummer in a jazz band for several years and enjoys playing shows (outdoor in the time of COVID!) throughout the Bay Area.