BonTerra Consulting: News

BonTerra Consulting Continues To Expand

June 10, 2003

Costa Mesa, CA…Over the past six months, BonTerra Consulting added four professionals to their staff which now totals 36. The new staff bring a total of 65 years of combined natural and environmental planning experience to the firm. Established in 1996, BonTerra Consulting continues to experience brisk growth in staff recruitment and geographic expansion. Continuing its growth in both Orange County and its new office in Pasadena, the firm has established itself as a leader in the Southern California environmental industry. The newly hired professionals include Diane Barrett, Kristin Keeling, Jeff Galizio, and David Hughes.

Diane Barrett joins BonTerra as an Environmental Planner. Ms. Barrett was previously with the County of Orange Planning & Development Services Department where she focused on managing review of private applications for development throughout the county. During her career, she has focused on producing environmental documentation in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and on urban renewal and community development. Ms. Barrett is a published writer, has been involved with successful grant-writing teams and has written speeches for top-level management. She has developed and conducted grant writing workshops for professionals in the environmental industry.

Kristin Keeling is an Assistant Project Manager and is responsible for conducting research on land use, environmental and infrastructure systems, and preparing environmental impact documentation. She has experience in the preparation of environmental documents pursuant to CEQA/NEPA, water policy analysis, municipal utility operations, intergovernmental coordination, stakeholder participation, and land use analysis. Ms. Keeling earned a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin. She is actively involved in projects for the City of Pasadena, Irvine Ranch Water District, and Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.

Jeffrey Galizio, joins BonTerra with over 12 years of experience in ecology, natural resources, environmental planning, and permitting compliance. He was previously with Sempra Energy where he served as a project manager for environmental and biological resources evaluations. Mr. Galizio has prepared several biological constraints and due diligence surveys, provided third-party review of existing biological surveys and planning documents, addressing jurisdictional waters and wetlands, wildlife corridors, mountain lions and sensitive plant species throughout Santa Clarita, Los Angeles and Riverside Counties. He is also a Certified EIR Preparer and Biologist under the County of San Diego consultant certification procedures.

David Hughes, comes to BonTerra from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) where he held the position of Restoration Ecologist. While with the BLM, David supervised a team of biologists that was responsible for restoring desert tortoise habitat that had been damaged by off-road vehicle use, and preparing extensive NEPA documentation and prioritization of sites. Mr. Hughes has also taught high-school science for 3 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District and spent two years with the U.S. Peace Corps in Ecuador as a Forestry and Environmental Volunteer. He is proficient in Spanish.

Joan Kelly, one of the founding principals of BonTerra, reflects on these staff additions: “we’re delighted to add these new team members with solid backgrounds to our firm. Clients expect our staff to have the experience and expertise to meet their increasingly rigorous demands, so we strive to bring on the best and brightest. Finding the right people is a time consuming task, but a worthwhile endeavor. We continuously look for qualified staff for each office.”

BonTerra Consulting, with offices in Costa Mesa and Pasadena, is a certified woman-owned firm. The company provides a full range of consulting services in the fields of environmental planning, natural resources management, habitat restoration, geographic information systems (GIS) and cultural resource management services. These services include environmental impact assessments, CEQA, NEPA, land use and strategic policy planning, biological services, habitat restoration planning, cultural resources evaluation reports and mitigation monitoring during construction.

For more information on how BonTerra’s creative team can complement your environmental needs, please contact Lynda Smith, our Marketing Coordinator at 714.444.9199.

An Environmental Planning/Resource Management Corporation