BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
Adam Riggsbee
President and Board Member
RiverBank Conservation
riverbankconservation.org
Adam is the founder and President of RiverBank. He manages the day-to-day operations and leads strategic planning for business development.
His background in environmental science and policy as well as business allows him to interact with academics, regulators and customers to provide sound solutions to complex environmental permitting problems.
He regularly contributes to scientific articles and conferences related to environmental markets, policy and entrepreneurship. He also serves on the Board of Visitors at UNC’s Institute for the Environment.
Kyle Graham
Vice President and Board Member
Ecosystem Investment Partners
ecosystempartners.com
Kyle Graham is Senior Program Manager at EIP, where he focuses on establishing Pay for Performance contracts to efficiently and effectively implement large scale ecological restoration. Prior to joining the EIP team in January 2020, Kyle was the Executive Director of Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and served as Louisiana’s Trustee for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Kyle has a BS in Biology from the University of North Carolina and a MS in Biology from Appalachian State University. Kyle resides in the front range of Colorado where he enjoys all the great outdoors has to offer.
Greg DeYoung
Past President and Board Member
Westervelt Ecological Services
wesmitigation.com
Greg DeYoung is a founder and a Vice President for Westervelt. Mr. DeYoung has over three decades years of experience in planning environmental review, wetland mitigation, and endangered species conservation. His background includes the permitting of mitigation and conservation banks and large-scale mitigation projects in the West, Rocky Mountain, and Southeast Regions. Mr. DeYoung has written articles on mitigation practices and regularly serves as an instructor on mitigation banking workshops with and for resource agency personnel.
Mr. DeYoung co-founded and served as Principal for Planning Concepts, where he authored or managed the preparation of general plans and environmental review documents addressing major public and private projects. He has also served as Director for three non-profit organizations: the Nevada County Land Trust, the Wildlife Heritage Foundation, and the Whitney Oaks Wetland Conservancy.
Mr. DeYoung holds a Bachelor’s degree in environmental biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master’s degree in urban planning from the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Mr. DeYoung is a member of the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Certified Planners.
Preston Smith
Board Member
Wildwood Environmental Credit Company
wildwoodcredits.com
Preston W. Smith is a Partner and Vice President with Wildwood Environmental Credit Company, LLC (Wildwood), a strategic team focused on sustainable land use.
At Wildwood, Smith has specialized in the generation of mitigation and conservation permitting strategies for clients across a variety of industries and states. He currently manages the sales and marketing for Wildwood’s over 25,000 acres of mitigation projects, while aiding in the regulatory permitting of new projects.
Smith has extensive experience in strategic development for ecosystem marketplace opportunities, venture capital raises and the ability to deliver unique marketing solutions. He played a critical role in the acquisition of Pineywoods Mitigation Bank, one of the country’s largest mitigation banks at 19,075 acres. He holds a BA from Southern Methodist University and is a member of numerous conservation minded organizations including the Society of Texas Environmental Professionals.
Kenny Carothers
Board Member
Headway Environmental
Kenny Carothers is President of Headway Environmental, a national environmental consultancy based in Austin, Texas. Kenny is an ecologist/ consultant and Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP) through the Society for Ecological Restoration.
He has over 32 years of experience in ecological/biological research, mitigation planning, ecological restoration, environmental permitting, and regulatory support, with a primary focus on helping clients navigate the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and National Environmental Policy Act. Kenny has a particular focus on developing mitigation plans and supporting the establishment of Conservation and Mitigation Banks throughout the U.S.
Matt Stahman
Board Member
Resource Environmental Solutions
res.us
Matt Stahman has over 30 years of professional experience in the environmental consulting and
mitigation, and ecological restoration industries. Matt serves as Director of Regulatory for RES,
an ecological restoration firm providing client-focused wetland, stream and species mitigation
offsets, green stormwater infrastructure and corporate sustainability solutions nationwide. He
serves as RES project manager on the ~17,000-acre ecological restoration and enhancement
project for North Texas Municipal Water District’s Bois d’Arc Lake, one of the largest permittee-
responsible mitigation projects in the Nation. Matt previously served as an environmental
consultant conducting environmental permitting for the oil & gas, electric transmission,
generation, land development, mining, water resources, and transportation sectors. Matt
specializes in Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act permitting, compliance and
mitigation and is a Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS) through the Society of Wetland
Scientists and Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP) through the Society for
Ecological Restoration.
Daniel Coggin
Board Member
Nuveen Natural Capital
Nuveen.com
T.J. Mascia
Board Member
Davey Resource Group
davey.com
T.J. Mascia is Director of Davey Mitigation for Davey Resource Group (DRG).
Mascia is responsible for developing mitigation clients and working with Davey offices that provide environmental consulting and mitigation services.
Before coming to Davey, Mascia built an environmental law practice focused on Clean Water Act compliance and mitigation. Mascia also spent time in the private sector, where he focused on developing mitigation projects to meet a variety of client needs.
Mascia earned a juris doctor from Duke University School of Law, a master’s degree in environmental management from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, and a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He is past chair of the Environmental and Energy Law Section for the Richmond Bar Association. He is also a member of the Virginia Bar Association and a member of the advisory board for the Capital Region Land Conservancy.
Jenny Thomas
Board Member
Naturion
Naturion.com
Jenny is Vice President of Data Strategy and Analytics at Naturion, where she leads initiatives in policy, market research, and data strategy.
She began her career at U.S. EPA Headquarters in Washington, DC, working in the Office of Water. During her time at EPA, Jenny focused on Clean Water Act (CWA) policy, including Section 404 permitting, compensatory mitigation, and mitigation banking. She later served as an economist in the Office of Air before transitioning to the private sector as a data scientist.
Several years ago, Jenny returned to the environmental field by joining Naturion, where she combines her data expertise with her deep policy experience.
Jenny holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in applied economics from Johns Hopkins University.
BOARD OF ADVISORS
Jaime is the Founder and Owner of EcoVantage Ecological Services, a national ecological consulting company headquartered in Sycamore, Pennsylvania. Jaime has worked in the mitigation industry for several years leading business development, market analysis, credit sales, and project implementation/management. Prior to joining the mitigation industry, she was a State Regulator for the St. Johns River Water Management District and has also held management positions with private sector environmental consulting companies. She has considerable experience throughout the U.S with federal and state rule interpretations, market analysis, credit sales, permitting, project implementation, ecosystem restoration, and regulatory policy.
Jaime received a BS in Marine Biology/Environmental Science with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Tampa and a MS in Biological Oceanography from the Florida Institute of Technology
Doug played a key role in establishing Weyerhaeuser’s mitigation business in 2007 and has led its growth since 2011. He holds a BS in Forest Management/Business from the University of Arkansas and is a Level 1 Certified Rosgen Stream Engineer. Doug brings extensive expertise in wetland and stream mitigation, environmental services, silvicultural management of longleaf pine and bottomland hardwoods, regulatory compliance, business development, and project evaluation.
Currently, Doug and his team manage 18 projects across the Southeast, covering over 26,000 acres and 325,000 linear feet of stream, with operations in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Florida. They are also permitting 13 additional projects totaling more than 13,000 acres in the Southeast and Northwest regions of the United States.
STAFF
Sara Johnson
Executive Director
Ecological Restoration Business Association
80 M Street, SE
Suite 100
Washington, DC 20003
(703) 584-8375
Sara Johnson is the Executive Director of the Ecological Restoration Business Association. She is an attorney with a background in and passion for conservation and economic solutions to public environmental issues. Prior to her position with ERBA, Johnson worked in the environmental compliance office of Patuxent River Naval Air Station on the Chesapeake Bay and as a law clerk with the Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division in Washington, D.C.
Johnson holds an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Richmond and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia, where she served as the Articles Development Editor of the Virginia Environmental Law Journal. She is licensed to practice law in Virginia and California.