New Leadership and Growth for 2021
Aspen Environmental Group is continuing its pattern of accelerated growth and leadership into the new year. 2021 marks Aspen’s 30th year in business and we are excited to announce a new promotion and department expansion for this milestone year.
Hedy Koczwara has been appointed as the newest Vice President to join Aspen’s Executive Committee. Hedy earned a BS and MS in Earth Sciences from Stanford University. She brings 20 years of experience managing and preparing federal, state, and local environmental, planning, and analytical documents for energy and infrastructure projects in the western United States. Her expertise includes both linear and site-specific projects such as transmission lines, pipelines, renewable and gas-fired power plants, and infrastructure development and improvement projects. Working out of Aspen’s San Francisco office, Hedy has expertly managed several of the company’s projects with California Public Utilities Commission, Bureau of Land Management, and California Energy Commission.
The Aspen Biological Resource Group Continues to Grow! Aspen’s core group of experienced botanists, biologists, ecologists, and monitors continues to expand to serve our clients’ needs across the west. Tim Hovey joined Aspen’s fisheries team after retiring from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. His experience with native southern California fishes and herpetofauna is unparalleled and broadens our existing aquatics group. Theresa Sims also joined Aspen and brings extensive experience working with small mammals, fisheries, and regulatory projects. In northern California, Tanner Lichty joined our Sacramento office where he supports work on a variety of high-profile projects. These capable biologists join a solid team of resource experts dedicated to supporting our client needs while maintaining objectivity and professionalism. Based on the increased capacity and as we carefully monitor the demand for biological services, we are also expanding the scope and type of our services. For example, based on the continuous and increasing wildfires threats in California, we have recently assisted a number of our clients to address the fire risks through fuel management practices. We are ready to provide the significant experience gained in these projects to utility and linear project owners and operators.
The Aspen Biological Resource Group is equipped and ready to handle a wide range of biological surveys and support our clients with environmental impact assessments, endangered species consultations, monitoring, habitat restoration, and regulatory permitting needs. We have recently assisted a number of our key clients address issues related to the increasing threat of wildfire in California with innovative fuel management projects. Aspen’s biologists are recognized experts in their field and understand how to balance the protection of sensitive biological resources while maintaining compliance with state and federal regulations.
As we enter into our 30th year of business, we are grateful to our clients who have helped us achieve this growth and success, and we look forward to an exciting year of new projects.
Finally, we’d like to congratulate our Hydrology expert, Philip Lowe, on his retirement. Phil has provided Aspen with nearly 30 years of expertise on water and earth resources, first as a subcontractor and then as a senior staff member. He was instrumental in opening our Phoenix office and has been providing services to our clients throughout the western United States. Congratulations Phil, you will be missed!
