Tom has been actively involved with habitat/wildlife programs and projects for over 35 years. His current and past responsibilities have included the supervision of a staff of professionals actively involved in the analysis of biotic resources; design and implementation of vegetation/wildlife ecology field studies; design, development, and the maintenance of a computer information system. Tom authored several Wildlife-Habitat Relationships in Oregon and Washington, Atlas of Oregon Wildlife, and The Salmonid Field Protocol Handbook – Data collection methods for status and trends in salmon and trout populations. He has recently developed one of the first comprehensive biodiversity accounting system that evaluates species, habitats, and functions to determine the value of habitat quality. This tool is being used by several resource agencies to assess environmental benefits and is also the foundation for determining baseline conditions and evaluating alternative scenarios for the Ecosystem Restoration & Flood Risk Management project. The habitat value system approach serves also as an accounting of debits and credits for impact, mitigation, and conservation banking projects. A hydrology-geomorphology component has also been developed so that a complete above and below ground of habitat restoration actions can be assessed and valued.

Kathleen is our California-based strategist of environmental communications. She manages and executes the Institute’s development planning processes for addressing complex and ascending environmental issues. With more than 10 years of experience in management and communication, Kathleen is committed to helping our employees and clients achieve their goals through proven methods of the Institute. Her strategic planning is designed to achieve or enhance long-term natural resource sustainability. Kathleen works with government agencies in an effort to transform existing policies with new and improved policies addressing ecosystem functions and services. Her focus is on the development and implementation of the best available ecology in North America for ecological health indicator metrics for conservation strategies, ecosystem restoration, advanced mitigation, regulatory ecosystem management and monitoring climate change.

Steve Kohlmann, PhD, CWB is a biologist with a varied background in applied conservation planning, permitting, project management, ecological research, and applied population and habitat management. Currently, Steve is the Stewardship Director of the Solano Land Trust, managing conservation and mitigation projects on over 12,000 acres of conservation lands in Northern California. His previous work experience includes working as a lead biologist for two state wildlife agencies, leading a nonprofit land trust, and serving as a consultant for over 10 years. Steve is intimately familiar with the current federal and state regulatory environment (NEPA/CEQA, ESA, etc.), and has extensive experience in the application and development of conservation easements. He has assisted numerous clients in the permitting of projects and the mitigation process. As an expert in wildlife population ecology and conservation biology, he has provided population viability modeling and assessments for several comprehensive species recovery projects and impact analyses, and has developed landscape and metapopulation-based mitigation strategies for important Central Valley T&E species, such as the giant garter snake, vernal pool and riparian species. He also supplied biological expertise on a diverse selection of covered species, including amphibians, reptiles, birds, bats and terrestrial mammals for multiple landscape-level conservation plans. He has contributed to numerous wildlife plans, including several large landscape-level HCPs/NCCPs, NEPA documents, BLM Rapid Ecoregional Assessments and Combined Habitat Assessment Protocol (CHAP) projects. Steve developed the CHAP single species assessment tool for the Western Pond Turtle. In his spare time, he enjoys being outdoors with his two daughters.

Eric is a GIS Analyst for the Institute. He holds a B.S. in Forestry from Iowa State University, and a M.S. in Geographic Information Science (GIS) from Northwest Missouri State University. Eric has experience in riparian restoration and agroecosystem improvement research and application. His work has focused on natural ecosystem integration into heavily managed agroecosystems to improve water quality and wildlife habitat. Eric has comprehensive understanding in the field surveying for natural and geologic features and remote sensing. As a GIS analyst, Eric has developed and implemented technology improvements to streamline processes and reduce errors. Currently, Eric’s work at the Habitat Institute is to further implement Combined Habitat Assessment Protocols (CHAP) habitat evaluations and manage its data collection and information system.

Jeff Waldon also serves as managing partner for a new company, Restoration Bioproducts LLC, focused on bioenergy and carbon capture and sequestration utilizing purpose-grown biomass and pyrolysis to produce bio-oil and biochar. In the recent past, Mr. Waldon served as an advisor regarding land management, carbon, biomass energy, timber, and wildlife for clients throughout North America. Mr. Waldon has extensive experience in international forestry, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and the international carbon markets working on land conservation and climate change. Mr. Waldon was formerly the founder and Executive Director of the Conservation Management Institute, a center within the College of Natural Resources at Virginia Tech and managed research centers at Virginia Tech for 23 years.