“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” – Amy Poehler
Here at Impact Sciences, we know this to be true. We are a tight-knit community. We are a mixing pot of ideas, expertise, and cultural backgrounds. We define our success by our people, and we could not accomplish our goal of serving the communities we work in without the efforts of our amazing team. Here are some of the environmental planners who make it all a reality.
Raul Castillo
Raul Castillo joined the Impact Sciences team in 2018 as an intern and, with his knowledge, skills, and hard work, has climbed the ladder to a Planner position. Raul is a CEQA generalist and assists in the preparation of various CEQA documents, including EIRs, IS/MNDs, and air quality and noise technical studies for various public- and private-sector clients. With a master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of Southern California, Raul has previously served as a Community Outreach Canvasser with the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment. Raul can always be found with a coffee in hand. His favorite drink of choice is a cold-brew with a splash of oat milk (or, if after hours, a coffee-flavored stout!).
Eleni Getachew
Hailing from Santa Barbara, Eleni is our newest addition to the Impact Sciences team. With three years of local environmental planning in transportation, infill, and remediation project experience focused in Southern California, Eleni’s pool of environmental knowledge runs deep. Eleni is a CEQA generalist and prepares CEQA/NEPA documentation, as well as Community Impact Assessments, Revalidations, and Phase I Initial Site Assessments. With a bachelors’ in degree Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning from University of California, Davis, Eleni brings four years of experience prior to joining Impact Sciences. Eleni’s ideal Sunday must include a morning walk or hike in one of the many recreational trails in her neighborhood, followed by brunch with friends and rummaging for cool finds at a local flea market.
Kay Real
Kay is one of the Impact Sciences’ Planners and a New York native. While she is new to California, she brings a wealth of planning knowledge to the team. Kay is a CEQA generalist and prepares environmental documents and technical reports related to residential, mixed-use, and specific plans as well as MNDs for transportation and residential projects. Before joining Impact Sciences, Kay worked in municipal government in New York, most recently as a Senior Planner for the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development advancing the development of affordable housing. When not working as an environmental planner, Kay loves to spend her time in the kitchen. She’s always trying to find creative ways to use seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Annalie Sarrieddine
Annalie is our Associate Planner. She is Impact Sciences’ resident Geographic Information System (GIS) and graphic design specialist. Prior to Impact Sciences, she was Ventura County Resource Conservation District, and she holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science & Resource Management from California State University, Channel Islands. In addition to publications support, Annalie plays a vital role in producing environmental documents, including conducting CEQA/NEPA analyses, preparing habitat assessments, noise measurements, and air quality and greenhouse gas analyses, and leading community outreach. Outside of work, you can find Annalie… outside! Depending on the season, she’s either on the ski slopes or on the beach.
Impact Sciences is a growing company, and we are looking for talented environmental professionals to join our team! Current position openings include Environmental Planner and Air Quality Technical Specialist. Impact Sciences is also seeking emerging professionals to participate in our 2022-2023 Environmental Planning Internship Program, a paid 6-month opportunity to experience direct mentorship from our firm’s most experienced environmental planners, managers, and technical specialists. Visit our Careers page for more information and instructions on how to apply.
Brett Pomeroy, Associate Principal, has more than 17 years of professional experience in the environmental planning field with an emphasis in environmental compliance pursuant to CEQA and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Brett possesses a strong technical background and has provided quantitative analytical modeling support for air quality, GHG, health risk assessments, noise and vibration, and shade/shadow impact analyses for several complex and multi -faceted projects using industry accepted modeling software. Specifically, Brett has experience with AERMOD and ISC air dispersion modeling systems, CalEEMod, URBEMIS, CALINE4-based model, noise modeling based on the Federal Highway Administration’s Traffic Noise Model (TNM), and the Amethyst Shadow Calculator. In addition to providing technical support, Brett conducts environmental analyses for a wide array of environmental issues, conducting land use surveys, ambient noise monitoring, site photography, general environmental research and document management. Brett’s experience includes preparing and managing environmental documentation for both private- and public-sector clients. He has provided environmental analyses to support several types of environmental documents including Categorical Exemptions, Initial Studies, Negative Declarations (NDs), Mitigated Negative Declarations (MNDs), Mitigation Monitoring & Reporting Programs (MMRPs), Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs), and addendums.
Kara Yates Hines, Director of Operations and Publications Manager, leads operations at Impact Sciences and oversees the production and publication of all environmental documents. She has more than 14 years of combined experience in publishing, quality control coordination, science and public health technical writing and editorial review, and digital marketing methodologies. As the primary manager for document production, Kara implements the firm’s operational processes and manages the document publishing flow, including QA/QC review, graphic design, formatting, and visual layout. She leads in-house production of CEQA/NEPA reports, including booklet assembly and digital productions. With a unique understanding of both the CEQA review process and best practices in publishing technically complex documents, Kara ensures the firm’s environmental reports are publicly accessible, easy to read and understand, well organized, and visually appealing. Kara has a masters degree in Publishing from The George Washington University and a bachelors degree in English from Spelman College. She is a member of the Association of Environmental Planners (Los Angeles Chapter).
Martha Lira, Chief Financial Officer, oversees all aspects of Impact Sciences’ finances, including the development and management of budgets, preparation of financial statements, and all other financial reporting to the firm’s Chief Operating Officer. Martha brings to Impact Sciences over 25 years of business management experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Prior to joining Impact Sciences, Martha worked for a women-owned CPA firm as a staff accountant, managing small business accounts and tax filing requirements.
Lynn Kaufman, Associate Principal, has more than 25 years of experience in both the management and preparation of environmental review documents pursuant to CEQA and NEPA for clients in both the public and private sector. Ms. Kaufman has written numerous CEQA analyses for high profile and environmentally sensitive projects in both urban and rural settings, and acts as a day-to-day contact for in-house and agency staff, subconsultants, and applicants, providing valuable insight to identify environmental constraints and feasible mitigation measures.
Douglas Kim, AICP, Managing Principal, oversees Northern California environmental services for Impact Sciences. His 30-year career includes political, policy, and technical expertise in transportation, air quality, and land use planning. Mr. Kim has prepared and reviewed CEQA and NEPA documents for land use and transportation projects and authored guidance documents on how to perform air quality analyses for two air pollution control districts. He has performed noise, vibration, climate change, and traffic impact analyses for over 100 CEQA environmental analyses throughout California. Mr. Kim has developed long- and short-range multi-modal transportation plans, including performing alternatives analyses, and managing technical modeling. He has managed preparation of air quality plans, developed air quality regulations, climate action plans, and performed air quality analysis and dispersion modeling for land use plans and development projects throughout the state.
John R. Anderson, M.A., M.Phil., is Associate Principal for the Northern California-Oakland office. With more than 30 years of experience, John brings to Impact Sciences extensive knowledge of the regulatory, environmental health and safety, and environmental planning industries. He has a long track record for managing large environmental programs and projects across North America. Most recently, John has focused his attention on the Corrections, Education, Energy and Water planning and compliance markets. In California, he has managed the Environmental Planning Program for the Los Angeles Unified School District; prepared Program EIRs for various water authorities and school districts; performed due diligence for public and private sector clients in real estate and corporate acquisitions; and has been retained as an expert witness in relation to school, transportation, and remediation projects. John has a seasoned familiarity with project management, staff development, and financial and administrative management. He’s provided strategic leadership for projects in the areas of CEQA/NEPA environmental impact reporting, risk management, preliminary endangerment assessments, Phase I and follow-on invasive site investigations, litigation support, QA/QC programs, public participation programs, and site safety programs. Impact Sciences is proud to have John as a vital member of our firm.
Jessica Kirchner, AICP, President, also serves as the Managing Principal for the firm. Jessica’s corporate responsibilities include contract compliance and financial management with an eye toward strategic growth. Jessica has more than two decades of project work in CEQA/NEPA compliance and places an emphasis on meeting client needs and providing real-world solutions to common CEQA pitfalls. A hands-on owner, Jessica frequently serves in multiple roles on projects, including contract and project manager, as well as conducting and writing environmental analyses all while overseeing the firm’s most high-profile clients, revenue and growth of the firm. With a background in journalism, Jessica’s emphasis on clear, concise documents that are not overly complicated has become a company hallmark, along with the ability to deliver projects on unbelievably tight deadlines. She is highly skilled at taking technical documents and concepts and translating them into reader-friendly concepts.