Sespe Consulting

CONSULTANTS

Meet the Team

Our staff includes land use planners who will help you navigate the CEQA, NEPA, and local permitting processes. Our engineers are experienced in air quality (local and Title V, including greenhouse gases), water quality (sewer, storm water, and NPDES), hazardous materials and hazardous wastes. We have a Certified Industrial Hygienist and other safety professionals on staff to help you keep your workforce safe.

 

We are experienced in a wide variety of industries including construction materials (sand and aggregate mining), manufacturing, oil and gas production, food production, real estate development, and precious metals extraction.

With offices in Ventura, San Diego, and Grants Pass we are well positioned to assist your operations in California and the U.S.

 Our key staff average of over two decades of experience in environmental engineering and land use planning. We’re committed, hardworking, and totally focused on delivering results.

John Hecht

John Hecht

PE

President

John Hecht, PE

President

With over 30 years in the petroleum and environmental consulting fields, John’s recent focus has been on land use planning and new facility development projects. He has extensive experience and knowledge of the mining industry, including community and public agency relations for planning and permitting of mining and industrial operations. John’s extensive knowledge of the technical and political aspects associated with the permitting of these industries makes him a key player in oversight of these complex projects.

Education:

Professional Degree, Geophysics, Colorado School of Mines
B.S. Electrical Engineering, Valparaiso University

Registrations:

Professional Mechanical Engineer

About John
Rob Dal-Farra

Rob Dal Farra

PE

Vice President

Rob Dal Farra, PE

Vice President

Rob has over 30 years of experience covering numerous areas in the environmental consulting field, most recently focused on air quality and GHG emissions, NPDES permitting, water quality issues and environmental compliance, management and auditing.

Education:

BASc Chemical Engineering, University of Windsor

Registrations:

Professional Chemical Engineer
SCAQMD Certified Permitting Professional

About Rob
Joe King

Joe King

PE, CPESC, QSD, IGP-ToR, QISP

Vice President

Joe King, PE, CPESC, QSD, IGP-ToR, QISP

Vice President

With over 26 years of environmental and safety compliance experience, Joe is well versed in these areas and applying them to a wide variety of industries. His specialties include air, water, hazardous materials, hazardous waste, and worker safety. In addition to extensive experience as a consultant, he has also worked on the industry side as the EH&S Manager for a high tech R&D and manufacturing firm.

Education:

Master of Business Administration (MBA), University of California, Los Angeles
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara

Registrations:

Professional Mechanical Engineer
Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control
Industrial General Permit Trainer of Record (IGP-ToR)
Qualified Industrial Storm Water Practitioner (QISP)
Qualified SWPPP Developer (QSD)
Qualified SWPPP Practitioner (QSP)

About Joe
Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith

Land Use Consultant

Sandy Smith

Land Use Consultant

In his role as Land Use Consultant, Sandy Smith is responsible for providing strategic analysis and counseling, comprehensive land use planning and project planning and entitlement, and public hearing strategy development and representation- at the local and state levels. In addition, Sandy has years of experience as a facilitator and mediator- specializing in collaborative community problem solving, neighborhood design and land use dispute resolution.

Education:

Masters in Public Policy and Administration, California Lutheran University
Clear Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential, University of California, Santa Barbara
B.S. Psychology, California State University, Sonoma

Affiliations:

Ventura County Civic Alliance
Ventura County Economic Development Association
Compact for a Sustainable Ventura County
HOME (Housing Opportunities Made Easier)

About Sandy
Brian Anderson

Brian G. Anderson

P.G., R.G., L.H.G.

Principal Geologist

Brian G. Anderson

Principal Geologist

Brian is Principal Geologist for Sespe Consulting, where he leads the firm’s earth sciences practice area. He assists clients with navigating local, state and federal land use entitlement processes, as well as environmental permitting and regulatory compliance.

Prior to joining Sespe Consulting, Brian was Vice President of Permitting and Environment for Vulcan Materials Company, Western and Mountain West Divisions, where he was responsible for procuring operating permits, regulatory reporting and disclosures, mined land reclamation, post-mining property development, legislative negotiation and outreach to local communities through the company’s Partner’s in Education program. Duties included management of a multidisciplinary team, which supported two business units comprising over 60 plant locations.

Brian has a proven track record of successfully resolving complex environmental and land use entitlement matters at both the state and federal levels, with extensive knowledge of CERCLA, RCRA, NEPA/CEQA, as well as the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. His expertise has been applied to a broad array of projects throughout the western U.S., Mexico and Canada involving environmental permitting, aquifer protection, contaminant fate and transport, industrial regulatory compliance, water resources assessment, and mine planning, permitting and reclamation.

In 2014, Brian was appointed to the State Mining and Geology Board by California Governor Brown, where he currently serves the mineral resource conservation, development/utilization specialty.

Additionally, he is presently a member of the editorial board for the scholarly journal, Environmental Forensics. He has been an invited lecturer on a range of topics, including water well siting and assessment courses sponsored by the Arizona Department of Water Resources, and was also guest speaker at a Laws Seminar International course on the business aspects of AB 32 and greenhouse gas cap-and-trade programs.

Education:

M.S. Geological Sciences, University of California, Riverside
B.S. Geological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles

Professional Registrations:

Registered Geologist, Oregon
Registered Geologist, Arizona
Professional Geologist, California
Professional Geologist, Idaho
Licensed Hydrogeologist, Washington

About Brian
Maya Rohr

Maya Rohr

Project Manager

Maya Rohr

Project Manager

Maya is a mechanical engineer with over 30 years of experience in the air quality, hazardous waste/materials, CEQA/NEPA and the management/coordination of overall project approval, compliance and permitting requirements. She specializes in multimedia environmental compliance issues for mining, oil & gas, TSDFs, railroads and other general industrial facilities. Her compliance and permitting experience includes meeting the needs for large complex military facilities, international hazardous waste treatment projects, highly controversial projects as well as a large range of industrial facilities. She works closely with legal counsel and has given numerous presentations at public hearings/meetings. She is actively involved in agency/industrial task forces to develop and/or revise environmental regulations.

Education:

B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of California, San Diego
B.S. Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
B.A. Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara

Affiliations:

California Construction and Industrial Materials Association (CalCIMA)
National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA)
Industrial Environmental Association (IEA)
Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP)
Women in Mining (WIM)
Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA)

About Maya
Scott Cohen

Scott D. Cohen

PE, CIH

Project Manager

Scott D. Cohen, PE, CIH

Project Manager

Scott’s areas of experience include environmental health and safety (EHS), compliance and land use planning / environmental review for industrial and municipal clientele. Technical air quality, greenhouse gases, noise, fugitive dust, health risk assessment, mining, construction, CEQA/NEPA, and industrial hygiene are some of the technical services that Scott can offer.

Education:

B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara

Registrations:

Professional Mechanical Engineer
Certified Industrial Hygienist

About Scott
Doug Mason

Doug Mason

Project Manager

Doug Mason

Project Manager

Doug is a geologist and land use planning specialist focusing on permitting and technical support for heavy industrial activities including; mining, various aggregate/construction materials related industries, and oil & gas exploration and production. During Doug’s 15 years of professional experience he has worked with local, regional and federal governmental agencies to obtain various permits including Section 404 and 401 permits from the UACOE and RWQCB, Section 1602 Streambed Alteration Agreements from the Department of Fish and Game, and complex industrial building permits from local building and safety permitting authorities. He also prepares surface mining and reclamation plans and financial assurance calculations and annual reports as required by the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act of 1975 (SMARA).

Education:

B.S. Geology, Southern Utah University

Affiliations:

California Construction and Industrial Materials Association (CalCIMA)

About Doug
mike_biedebach-circle-300

Mike Biedebach

CAC

Project Manager

Mike Biedebach, CAC

Project Manager

An environmental consultant for over 20 years, Mike’s areas of expertise include environmental site assessment (Phase I, II, III), asbestos inspections, facility closure plans, stormwater, water quality permitting and reporting, and related services.

Education:

B.A. Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara

Registrations:

CalOSHA Certified Asbestos Consultant

About Mike
Pearce Swerdfeger

Pearce Swerdfeger

PE, QSD, QISP, IGP-ToR

Project Manager

Pearce Swerdfeger, PE, QSD, QISP, IGP-ToR

Project Manager

Pearce is a professional civil engineer with experience in technical projects related to grading and drainage design, mining and reclamation plans, hydrology and hydraulic analysis. He also has experience with various compliance issues relating to SMARA, construction and industrial storm water, water quality reporting, hazardous materials, indoor air quality, and safety.

Education:

B.S. Environmental Engineering, California Polytechnic State University

Registrations:

Professional Civil Engineer
Qualified SWPPP Developer (QSD)
Qualified SWPPP Practitioner (QSP)
Qualified Industrial Storm Water Practitioner (QISP)
Industrial General Permit Trainer of Record (IGP-ToR)

About Pearce
chris-goodson-crop

Christopher Goodson

Project Manager

Christopher Goodson

Project Manager

Christopher has approximately 16 years of environmental science experience. Prior to Sespe, he has been an academic researcher, agricultural water quality coordinator, stormwater regulator, and environmental consultant. Christopher conducted scientific research on soil and water contaminants, including selenium, fertilizers, and heavy metals, at the University of California, Riverside. He spent five years working with agricultural growers on non-point source pollution management in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. Additionally, Christopher gained experience with stormwater regulations, groundwater quality monitoring, environmental audits, SPCC planning, and geotechnical soil logging and sampling while living in Denver, Colorado.

 

At Sespe, Christopher provides expertise in environmental regulatory compliance for oil and gas, agriculture, transportation, and commercial development. He specializes in groundwater quality monitoring; environmental site assessment; due diligence audits; contaminated soil sampling; spill prevention, control, and countermeasures planning; environmental incident response; and storm water management design.

 

Education:

M.S. Soil and Water Sciences, University of California, Riverside
B.S. Environmental Science, University of Rochester

 

Registrations:

CPR and First Aid
OSHA 40-Hour HAZWOPER
Oil and Gas Basic Safety Awareness, PEC100273980
Hydrogen Sulfide Safety
Colorado Stormwater Specialist and Erosion Control Supervisor

 

Publications:

Geraci JB, Amrhein C, Goodson CC (2008). Settlement rate and nutrient composition of barnacles colonizing artificial substrate in the Salton Sea. Hydrobiologia.

Goodson CC, Schwartz G, Amrhein C (2006). Controlling Tailwater Sediment and Phosphorus Concentrations with Polyacrylamide in the Imperial Valley, California. Journal of Environmental Quality. 35: 1072-1077.

Mason LB, Amrhein C, Goodson CC, Matsumoto MR, Anderson MA (2005). Reducing sediment and phosphorus in agricultural drainage water with alum and polyacrylamide. Journal of Environmental Quality 34: 1998-2004.

Goodson CC, Parker DR, Amrhein C, Zhang Y (2003). Soil selenium uptake and root system development differing in Se-accumulating capability. New Phytologist 159: 991-401

Fenn ME, Castro-Servin J, Hernandez-Tejeda T, Krage N, Goodson C, Meixner T (2002). Heavy Metals in Forest Soils, Vegetation and Drainage Waters in the Basin of Mexico. In: Fenn ME, de Bauer LI, Hernandez-Tejeda T, eds. Urban Air Pollution and Forests: Resources at Risk in the Mexico City Air Basin. New York, USA: Springer-Verlag, 194-221.

About Christopher
Benjamin Seaman

Benjamin Seaman

QISP

Engineer II

Benjamin Seaman, QISP

Engineer I

Benjamin graduated from UC San Diego in 2015 with a B.S. in Environmental Engineering. Before attending university and subsequently joining Sespe in 2016, he served in the United States Navy for eight years. Benjamin has experience with industrial and construction storm water permitting, compliance, and sampling; RCRA hazardous waste reporting; hazardous materials permitting and compliance; risk management planning and assessment; indoor air quality; technical writing; and project organization.

Education:

B.S. Environmental Engineering, University of California, San Diego

Registrations:

Qualified Industrial Storm Water Practitioner (QISP)

Affiliations:

Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP)

About Benjamin
Andre Almeida

Andre Almeida

Engineer II

Andre Almeida

Engineer I

Andre is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego with a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. Andre has worked in a number of multidisciplinary engineering roles, including energy management systems optimization for UCSD facilities, thermodynamics consulting for the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and project management for a major utilities provider. Andre’s experience in these fields was enhanced by the fact that each position held a focus on computational modeling – a technique he now specializes in for air quality assessment and emissions-based calculations.

Education:

B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of California, San Diego

About Andre
Graham Stephens

Graham Stephens

Environmental Professional II

Graham Stephens

Environmental Professional I

Graham graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara in 2012 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies. Prior to Sespe, he was an intern at the County of Santa Barbara Planning and Development Department and Goleta Valley Beautiful, and was employed by Cooperative Agricultural Support Services doing contract work for the Department of Food and Agriculture. At Sespe, Graham has experience with CEQA/NEPA analysis and document preparation, noise and air quality impact assessments, permit processing, storm water compliance, environmental site assessments (Phase I), and related services. 

Education:

B.A., Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara

Affiliations:

Ventura Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Group
Industrial Environmental Association

About Graham
Cameron Revere

Cameron Revere

CISEC-IT

Environmental Professional I

Cameron Revere

Planner I

Cameron is a recent graduate from Sonoma State University with a B.S. in Environmental Studies and Planning. During his time at Sonoma State, Cameron was focused on water resource management and environmental land use policy. After gaining experience with the County of Marin Planning Department and the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego, Cameron is now ready to assist the Sespe land use team achieve results and move projects through to completion. 

Education:

B.S. Environmental Studies and Planning/Geography, Sonoma State University

About Cameron
helen-eloyan-crop

Helen Eloyan

Planner I

Helen Eloyan

Planner I

Helen graduated from California State University Channel Islands with a B.S. in Environmental Science and Resource Management. During her time at Channel Islands, Helen primarily focused on conducting geospatial analyses and land use management. She became well acquainted with various Ventura County agencies and organizations by leading a research project (in partnership with a local conservancy) to identify areas of suitability for both conservation and development. Prior to Sespe, Helen worked in the oil and gas industry and gained experience in environmental permitting and land use planning for highly controversial projects. At Sespe, Helen provides land use planning support for various industrial and commercial projects.

 

Education:

B.S. Environmental Science and Resource Management, California State University Channel Islands

About Helen
drew-taylor-crop

Drew Taylor

Planner I

Drew Taylor

Planner I

Drew graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a B.S. in Environmental Management & Protection and a concentration in Hydrology and Watershed Management. During his time at California Polytechnic, Drew largely studied hydrologic, edaphic, and geologic processes, environmental documentation, and California Flora identification. He became well versed in the effects of land use management on water and biological resources by conducting research for the City of San Luis Obispo on an endangered thistle, endemic to serpentine wetlands and watercourses. At Sespe, Drew has experience with CEQA analysis, document preparation, stormwater compliance, and land use planning support for industrial and commercial projects.

 

Education:

B.S. Environmental Management and Protection, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

About Drew
Guillaume Camus

Guillaume Camus

Drafter

Guillaume Camus

Drafter

Guillaume is responsible for creating and maintaining maps and exhibits in AutoCAD Civil 3D and ArcGIS. This include floodplain mapping studies, grading plans, LiDAR processing and contours, visualizations, and renderings. His other skills include creation of geo-referenced maps, data analysis, modification and classification.

Prior to joining Sespe, Guillaume worked for over 14 years as a 3D graphic artist specializing in environmental modeling.

Education:

B. A., Hammersmith College
Civil 3D Basic Certification, Kelar Corporation
GIS Certification, Ventura College

About Guillaume