Team

Morgan successfully planned and facilitated a kick-off meeting to learn more about requirements for the FM&E Communications role. Her meaningful questions, well thought out suggestions, and trusted relationships at OFAM/FM&E have earned key influencers’ trust. Our client is excited about next steps in developing a communications strategy and plan that will support the FM&E Executive Director’s short and long-term needs.

Terra Alpaugh joined Kearns & West as an Associate in 2017, bringing with her five years of communications and project management experience in the conservation and education fields. Leveraged alongside her academic background in water management and climate change science, these skills enable her to support dialogues that facilitate creative thinking and help parties find shared interests around addressing environmental problems.

Michelle Bardini is an Associate at Kearns & West and joined the Portland office in January 2019. She has a Bachelor’s in English from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Michelle previously handled the marketing and communications for an anti-human trafficking non-profit. She has experience in research investigating discriminatory and exclusionary behaviors and has worked on projects advancing economic and social equality. Her interests include collaborative processes and strategic communications to tackle present day challenges.

Zach Barr is an Associate at Kearns & West and joined the firm in June 2016. Zach studied energy management and environment and natural resources at University of Wyoming and has experience in GIS and the oil and gas industry. His interests are in energy, natural resource management and policy, land-use planning, infrastructure projects, and environmental policy.

John Bowie is a Senior Associate with Kearns & West who has been working in public policy and law since 2008. His work focuses on disaster resilience and climate adaptation, as well as regulatory issues in the energy and telecommunications utility sectors. John is interested in the intersection of innovative policy and collaboration as a tools to address the next generation of challenges.

Stephanie Campbell brings almost a decade of experience in communications, stakeholder engagement, community outreach, natural resource management, and land use planning. Stephanie is passionate about designing collaborative decision-making process which work to build common ground across diverse perspectives to create successful, enduring outcomes.

Abby Cheskis is an Associate with Kearns & West and joined the Portland team in January 2019. She has a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Yale University, where she studied environmental communication and sustainability. Her project work focuses around natural resource and ecosystem management in the Pacific Northwest. Before joining Kearns & West, Abby worked in the non-profit sector on sustainable transportation and climate change communication. Her interests include strategic environmental communication, active and efficient transportation, and collaborative processes.

Chelsea has been a Project Coordinator at Kearns & West since March 2018. Much of her work is managing large federal contracts focused in the conflict management and alternative dispute resolution field. She also manages Kearns & West’s Sacramento Regional offices in Sacramento and Davis. Chelsea holds a Bachelor’s in International Relations from the University of California, Davis. Her interest in conflict resolution, collaborative processes, and strategic planning culminated in her degree focus on Global Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, where she concentrated her studies on environmental, human rights, and border relations issues.

Andrew Curtin joined Kearns & West in May 2017 as a Project Coordinator and Office Manager. Prior to joining Kearns & West, Andrew worked with political clients at an independent cable advertising firm, at a national urban development non-profit, and for the United States Senate. Andrew holds a B.A. in English from the University of Rhode Island, and his professional interests include government relations, digital communications and stakeholder engagement.

Phil Davis is a Staff Accountant at Kearns & West with 15 years of experience in Finance. During his tenure at K&W, Phil has spearheaded as well as assisted with multiple projects aimed at streamlining Accounting procedures.

Mary Beth is an Associate in Kearns & West's San Francisco office. She has been active in the energy, water, and climate change practices since joining the team in 2017. She holds a bachelor’s degree in geoarchaeology from Hamilton College and a PhD in Earth sciences from the University of Cambridge, where she studied human-climate-environment interactions. She's excited to translate her scientific background into tackling present day challenges.

Patricia Garcia is a Project Coordinator who joined Kearns & West in March 2015. She has experience in meeting logistics planning and support, stakeholder outreach, project management, supporting complex invoicing processes, and supporting the account and business system migration. Her interests include stakeholder engagement, environmental justice, system integrations, system processes and efficiencies.

Ross Green is an Associate at Kearns & West, working in the public safety, telecommunications, and technology sectors. He has worked on campaign and corporate communications to help clients improve their reputation among stakeholders. Ross brings experience in polling and analysis, message development, and project management. Ross is a graduate of the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs – Los Angeles. His interests include stakeholder engagement in projects involving sustainability, infrastructure, and emerging technology.

Jack Hughes is a Senior Associate with Kearns & West and joined the firm in February 2018. He has a Master of Public Policy from Oregon State University where his studies focused on collaborative land and natural resource management. Prior to joining Kearns & West, Jack served as a conservation manager for an regional watershed conservancy, involving public and government agency coordination during implementation of projects. He is interested in collaborative processes, environmental policy, natural resource and open space management, and land-use planning. His current projects at Kearns & West span environmental and resiliency policy in Southern California.

Matt Marvin is an Associate at Kearns & West and joined the firm in April 2016. Matt is a graduate of the University of Oregon and has a background in environmental justice, project management, and renewable energy in the private industry and with nonprofits. His interests are in stakeholder engagement, environmental justice, energy and natural resource policy, and infrastructure projects.

Briana is a Senior Associate at Kearns & West. Since joining the firm in San Francisco in 2008, her work has focused on designing and implementing collaborative solutions, particularly for energy, marine, water, environmental, natural resource, land use, and infrastructure issues. Briana’s core skillset includes strategic planning, public engagement, and facilitation. In 2012, Briana took an extended leave to sail her boat across the South Pacific and rejoined the firm’s Washington, DC office in 2017.

Sara Omar is a Project Coordinator at Kearns & West. She holds a M.S. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution with a focus on environmental conflict resolution and development. Prior to joining Kearns & West, Sara supported the Department of the Interior’s Office of Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution. Her professional interests include environmental justice, conflict resolution analysis, stakeholder assessment and engagement, media analysis, and facilitation.

Sam joined Kearns & West in 2019 as a Project Coordinator and Office Manager in the Washington, DC office. She graduated from Christopher Newport University with a degree in Political Science and Leadership Studies. Sam has experience in financial and strategic communications, public affairs, and project management. Her professional interests include female economic empowerment, global sustainability policy, and media relations.

Cooper Tamayo joined Kearns & West in September 2018 as a Project Coordinator and Office Manager. His work focuses on projects in energy, transportation, and environmental justice. Cooper holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Brown University, and a Master of Environmental Science and Management degree from the Bren School at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His interests include science communication, climate and energy, and environmental justice.

Kyle Vint is a Senior Associate at Kearns & West and joined the firm in 2018. He is a Communication Studies Ph.D. candidate at the University of Iowa where he was also a coach of the national championship-winning Iowa debate team. His interests include science and climate communication, environmental policy, stakeholder engagement and environmental justice.

Cici joined Kearns & West as an Associate in March, 2017. Cici Vu brings years of experience collaborating and supporting senior mediators to design, convene, mediate and facilitate cooperative problem-solving processes for politically complex environmental disputes involving stakeholders across all sectors in California, the Greater New York Area and New Jersey. Cici also has expertise in legal matters; having worked for the New York Peace Institute mediating community and civil court cases and working for different firms in various supporting capacities. Cici’s key sectors of focus include: energy and marine policy; water quality and resource management; flood planning and flood risk management; air quality; and transportation.

Erica Wales joined Kearns & West in February of 2017 as Senior Associate. Before joining Kearns & West, Erica was a Knauss Fellow at the Department of the Interior (DOI) where she worked on ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes activities. She also has experience with international ocean policy issues such as sustainable development, climate change, and conservation of the high seas. Erica is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Marine Studies-Marine Policy from the University of Delaware; the focus of her research is on areas beyond national jurisdiction. Her professional interests include all things ocean, mainly marine protected areas, climate change, and marine law and policy (international and domestic).

Taylor York is a Senior Associate at Kearns & West, and has been with the firm since September, 2015. Much of his work is focused in the community and regional planning field, including energy, air quality, transportation, conservation, and education programs, and he has worked in both local government and private industry settings. Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Planning, from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and currently serves as a Board Member for the Inland Empire branch of the U.S. Green Building Council, Los Angeles.

Kent Schwartz is the CFO with Kearns & West since October 2016. He brings more than 30 years of experience is building meaningful analysis and processes to serve management, employees and clients. Most recently bringing that expertise to help grow a Professional Services organization by over 500% in 8 years. His main goal is to facilitate and support a company to grow to their full potential.

Lisa Marie Alley is a Vice President at Kearns & West with more than two decades of experience in communications, stakeholder engagement, strategic planning and public policy. She has worked on community and regional planning, environmental review, transportation, transit, climate change and workforce development projects at the regional and national level. Lisa Marie is interested in helping clients and their stakeholders find positive, collaboratively developed solutions to the challenges they face.

Ben Gettleman is a Vice President at Kearns & West with over ten years of experience managing environmental projects and a current focus on land use, water, air quality, and marine resource projects. His central skillset includes strategic planning and process design, meeting and public workshop facilitation, stakeholder outreach, and materials development. Ben is a member of the National Coalition of Dialogue and Deliberation and is a graduate of the Coro Center for Civic Leadership Public Affairs Fellowship Program.

Joey Goldman is a Vice President at Kearns & West. He has more than 25 years of experience leading community development and transportation projects with an emphasis on planning, public engagement, consensus building, communications, marketing, and branding. An experienced project manager and facilitator for transit system design projects, he also has expertise in regional/rural investment studies, mobility management, and Title VI and ADA compliance. Joey has worked extensively on multijurisdictional projects with partners ranging from universities to national parks, and his leadership in focus groups and survey design has been instrumental in engaging older adults, people with disabilities, and disadvantaged communities in major investment projects. Joey co-chairs the Transportation Research Board committee on Accessible Transportation and Mobility.

Virginia Quiambao is a Vice President at Kearns & West with more than ten years of experience in public and private sector communication and outreach programs, media relations, and event planning. Her expertise is built on providing strategic counsel; tactical support; organizing national and international tradeshow exhibits; planning press conferences; planning federal government facility ground breaking and ribbon cutting ceremonies; executing communications assessments; developing and implementing communications plans; creating talking points, speeches and fact sheets for senior-level government officials; drafting letters in response to congressional inquiries on behalf of senior-level government officials; and helping federal government clients navigate politically sensitive issues and projects. Ms. Quiambao business development efforts ensure Kearns & West’s continued support within the homeland and border security spaces.

Nora De Cuir is a Senior Director at Kearns & West with over a decade of experience managing land use, transportation, energy and environmental projects. Her experience in long-range planning coupled with her passion for stakeholder collaboration help our clients to conduct meaningful engagement that improves their decision making process. Nora’s core skillset includes strategic planning, public involvement, and facilitation and materials design.

Sylvia Ciborowski is a Senior Director and Facilitator at Kearns & West, with over a decade of experience engaging stakeholders and the public in government decision-making and strategic planning. She works with clients to design processes that meaningfully engage stakeholders and the public, and facilitates meetings to ensure active and informed participation. Sylvia has worked on projects in wide range of fields, including land use and transportation planning, environment and natural resources, parks development, changes in local codes and regulations, and equity and inclusion.

John Goddard joined Kearns & West as a Communications & Policy Consultant in April 2016. Prior to joining Kearns & West, he worked on campaigns for several state elected officials and managed the political affairs program for a state-wide trade association. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Sacramento Public Relations Association.

With over 20 years of financial and management experience, Crystal Jackson, Director – Finance, oversees accounting operations including general accounting, cost accounting, budgets, accounts payable and accounts receivable. She is a member of the Kearns & West team since October 2003. She derives great satisfaction from finding out how ‘things work’, analyzing, dissecting, observing from all angles and formulating long-term solutions that advance company goals.

Julie Leimbach facilitates and engages stakeholders so that people can create collaborative solutions that decrease the cost of conflict and inertia. For more than a decade, Julie has enjoyed bringing together groups of water agencies, resources agencies, local government, and NGOs to find common ground and advance jointly held objectives in water resources, land and forest management, climate change adaptation, hydropower, clean energy, disadvantaged communities, and health. She also brings international experience in peace-building in nations in democratic transitions and transboundary natural resource management.

Amanda Roberts, Senior Director, joined Kearns & West in 2006. She specializes in strategic communications, project management, and leads the firm’s business development efforts. She is interested in helping organizations achieve their strategic communications goals.

Kelsey Rugani is a Director with Kearns & West who specializes in working on stakeholder outreach, strategic process planning, project management, complex regulatory process coordination, and logistics coordination. Kelsey bring exemplary organizational communication and planning skills to each project she works on. Her key sectors include: transportation; energy policy; water resource management; flood planning and flood risk management; and air quality.

Nick Saffold is a Director for Kearns & West with nearly a decade of experience in public affairs. He has worked on issues at the federal, regional, and state levels and currently provides strategic counsel and communications expertise on technology and infrastructure issues. Nick specializes in leading communications campaigns, message development, and policy analysis in the regulatory and legislative arena.

Adam Saslow is a nationally renowned process designer, facilitator and mediator who helps clients navigate through the maze of stakeholder engagement on thorny public policy and strategic problems involving environment, natural resources, energy and health concerns. For more than two decades, he has worked on issues grounded in a variety of programs, regulations, and statutes. He is particularly interested in guiding stakeholder dialogue related to water resource issues, energy and land use planning and particularly enjoys his work in life coaching and refereeing high school volleyball.

Rafael Silberblatt is a Director at Kearns & West with extensive experience in facilitation, strategic planning and stakeholder engagement. He has put these skills to use in the clean energy sector and across a wide array of projects with government agencies, community groups, non-profits and businesses. He enjoys helping groups navigate conflict, create order and solve problems creatively through empathy, communication, systems, processes, and plans

Janet Thomson is a Director at Kearns & West with 15 years of experience in designing and implementing collaborative processes in the areas of energy policy and siting, marine and terrestrial resource management, threatened and endangered species management, and land use management. Janet focuses on facilitation, public engagement process design and management, and public outreach activities to support multi-party, multi-interest processes.

Jenna Tourjé is a Director at Kearns & West with over a decade of leading community engagement, facilitation, and community planning projects. She is passionate about partnering with communities on the path to creating healthy, whole and equitable places, where people love where they live and have a voice and a stake in the future. She is fluent in Spanish and has facilitated collaborative projects with NGOs, municipalities, regional and federal agencies relating to resiliency, flood-risk, community planning, active transportation, transportation planning, health, and parks and open space.

Anna L. West is a Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Kearns & West. She has over 30 years of experience in collaborative solutions, facilitation/mediation, and public engagement, particularly related to water, energy, environmental, natural resource, land use, and infrastructure issues. Anna is a member of the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution’s mediator roster.

Sharif Ebrahim is a Principal with Kearns & West. He brings nearly 20 years of experience designing and implementing multi-disciplinary public involvement and outreach programs, including working on numerous complex water, energy and land use issues, initiative campaigns, and state and federal legislation and regulatory proceedings. Sharif has worked with local, state and federal agencies, trade associations, Fortune 500 companies, and various collaborative processes to help them communicate their vision and form productive relationships with their stakeholders.

Jason Gershowitz is a Principal and Senior Facilitator at Kearns & West managing the firm’s Digital Collaboration Practice which involves connecting people and solutions in innovative ways. His interests include bridging communications, technology, and collaboration skills to create and sustain solutions in changing and complex environments, across a wide range of issues.

J. Michael Harty is a Principal and Senior Mediator for Kearns & West, and brings over 20 years of direct experience in the field of conflict management, mediation, facilitated decision making, and public outreach and engagement to those roles. Mike has substantive experience with water rights, water quality, conjunctive water management, groundwater, flood risk management, oceans, mining, ecosystem restoration, endangered species, and technical information issues, and has worked with numerous local, state, and federal agencies both internally and in multi-agency contexts. Mike oversees the Kearns & West Sacramento regional office located in Davis, California. He was a practicing attorney for eight years prior to shifting his focus full time to conflict resolution and collaborative decision making.

Joan Isaacson is a Principal and Senior Facilitator at Kearns & West with over 25 years of experience in community engagement, stakeholder facilitation, and urban and environmental planning. Many of her projects integrate multiple sectors – water, transportation, energy, resiliency, land use, natural resources, parks, open space, and equity. On complex regional and local projects, both government agency clients and their communities and stakeholders appreciate Joan’s steady guidance in formulating and implementing effective, inclusive participatory processes.

Debra L. Nudelman is a Principal and Senior Mediator for Kearns & West with nearly 30 years of experience as a consensus building and dispute resolution professional. She has experience in convening, facilitating, mediating, and managing projects including stakeholder assessments, workshops, strategic planning and agreement-focused processes involving complex public policy, natural resource, land management, and environmental issues, among others. Debra oversees the Kearns & West office in Portland, Oregon.

Dr. Eric Poncelet is a Principal and Senior Mediator at Kearns & West with over twenty years of experience in designing, mediating, and analyzing complex, multistakeholder collaborative planning and dispute resolution processes. His practice has focused on marine resource planning and conservation, fisheries management, water conservation, flood management, offshore energy, species protection, and land use management. Eric works to facilitate effective communications and agreement building among a broad range of stakeholder interests, including government (federal, state, and local levels), fishermen, farmers, business and industry, environmental organizations, recreational interests, and community groups. Eric leads Kearns & West’s marine practice while also co-leading the training program, providing interactive training courses on such topics as mutual gains negotiation, facilitation and mediation, collaboration, and effective management and communication of scientific information.

Kenneth D. Kearns is a Senior Counselor and Kearns & West co-founder. Since 2012, when he stepped away from the firm’s leadership, Ken has divided his time between a few selected projects and an active retirement. Ken specializes in facilitation and public engagement for high-stakes collaborative projects in water, energy, and environment.