Section

9

9. List of Preparers

LIST OF PREPARERS
Chicago-St. Louis High-Speed Rail 9-1 Tier 1 Final EIS 

9.0 List of Preparers 

Name Qualifications Primary Responsibilities 

Federal Railroad Administration

Andréa

Martin

MAEd, Curriculum and Instructional

Development; BS, Environmental

Management; 7 years experience  

Reviewer

Illinois Department of Transportation

Walt

Zyznieuski

M.A., Environmental Studies; B.S.,

Geography; 30 years of experience Reviewer

Brad

Koldehoff

M.A., Anthropology/ Archaeology; B.A.,

Anthropology; 30 years experience Reviewer

Parsons Brinckerhoff

John Page MUP, Urban Planning; BS Urban Planning;

36 years experience Reviewer

Timothy

Selover

MBA Concentration in Finance; Certificate

in Metropolitan and Planning

Development; BS Civil/Environmental

Engineering; 17 years experience

Reviewer

Stephanie

Brown

MRP, City and Regional Planning; MS

Civil/Environmental Engineering; BS

Geosciences; 10 years experience

Reviewer

Hanson Professional Services

Kirk Brown,

PE

BS; 43 years experience in transportation

management, design, construction,

planning and environmental studies.

Tier 1 Project Manager, Tier 2

Senior Policy Advisor

Brandi Cox AS; 4 years experience as an engineering

technician.

Engineering Technician Tier 1

Design Plans
Chicago-St. Louis High-Speed Rail 9-2 Tier 1 Final EIS 

Name Qualifications Primary Responsibilities 

Matthew

Dondanville Engineering Student. Engineering Intern Tier 1Design Plans

Don Fleming,

PE, SE

BS; 43 years experience as a senior railroad

and bridge specialist designing more than

145 bridges and inspected and rated over

600 bridges, and principal‐in‐charge for

more than 150 railroad bridge projects.

Tier 1 Concept Level

Structural Review

Matt Fletcher,

PE, SE

MS; 20 years experience planning, design,

bidding and construction of railroad

bridges; registered professional engineer

and structural engineer.    

Tier 1 Concept Level

Structural Review, Tier 2

Preliminary Railroad Bridge

Drawings

Craig George

AS; 28 years experience as an engineering

technician performing design, drafting and

inspection services for many bridge and

road projects.

Engineering Technician Tier 1

Design Plans, Tier 2 Design

Plans

Matt Heyen,

PE

BS; 10 years experience in transportation

engineering including roadway design,

utility management, storm sewer design,

sanitary sewer design, quantity take‐

offs/cost estimation and project

management.

Tier 1 Project Engineer

Bob Johnson

AAS; Engineering Technician with 20 years

of experience including providing

alignment and profile designs, plotting

survey information and checking

computations, and drafting and design

services for intersections, roadways and

bridges.  

Engineering Technician Tier 1

Design Plans

Beth A. Kohl

11 years experience as administrative

secretary, document and file management,

project report preparation and public

involvement documentation.

Administrative Assistant Tier

1 Document Organization

Jim

Ostermann

Senior Engineering Technician providing

design and drafting on a variety of

roadway and rail projects.

Engineering Technician Tier 1

Design Plans
Chicago-St. Louis High-Speed Rail 9-3 Tier 1 Final EIS 

Name Qualifications Primary Responsibilities 

Danny Pop

Senior Engineering Technician; 22 years of

experience including topographic, land

and GPS/DGPS surveying, construction

staking and construction observation,

survey crew chief; and provides design

and drafting on a variety of roadway and

rail projects.

Tier 1/2 Senior Engineering

Technician

Brad Randall,

PE

BS; 35 years experience performing rail

inspections and construction services for

rail lines and preparing construction

documents, conducting field investigations

and preparing plans, specifications and

reports.

Tier 1 Railroad Engineer

Kevin Seals

BS; 26 years experience in preparing and

managing projects that require NEPA

documentation including Environmental

Impact Statements and Assessments;

additional experience includes conducting

stream bank restorations, habitat

evaluations, wildlife assessments and

threatened and endangered species

surveys and highly qualified in the

delineation, functional assessment,

permitting, construction and restoration of

wetlands.  

Senior Environmental

Scientist, Tier 1 Environmental

Document Preparation, Tier 2

Environmental Lead

Julie Shipp,

EIT

BS; 4 years experience performing

calculations, measurements used and field

observation for roadway, sewer and

streetscape projects.

Tier 1/2 Engineer

Parsons Transportation Group

Joel Budnik

MS, Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences; BS,

Fisheries and Wildlife Management,

Minor in Biology; 15 years experience

in natural resource management;

biological surveys, wetland

determinations; environmental impact

assessment; and preparation of

environmental documents.

Alternatives Screening (St.

Louis and Chicago

Alternatives), preparation of

alternatives section of Tier 1

document, and GIS analyses.
Chicago-St. Louis High-Speed Rail 9-4 Tier 1 Final EIS 

Name Qualifications Primary Responsibilities 

Amy

Eckland

MS, Plant and Soil Science; BS,

Natural Resources and

Conservation Management; 15

years experience in NEPA analysis

and document preparation;

socioeconomics; public

involvement; environmental

planning.

Public comment summary

and response.

Luke F.

Eggering,

PWC, PMC

MS, Biology (Fisheries); BS, Fish and

Wildlife Management; 23 years

experience in fish and wildlife

management, wetland management,

wetland permitting (Section 404/401),

and NEPA document preparation;

Professional Wetland Scientist (Society

of Wetland Scientists) and certified

project manager.

Tier 1 document preparation

and review for land use, social

impacts, environmental

justice, and alternatives

analysis.

Elizabeth

Federico,

AICP CTP,

LEED BC+D

Master of Regional Planning (MRP)

Land Use and Environmental Planning;

BA, Art History; 12 years experience in

transportation, land use, and

environmental planning. AICP

Certified Transportation Planner.

Purpose and Need

Cory

Grayburn

BS, Environmental Resource

Management; 25 years experience in

NEPA studies and documentation for

transportation projects.

Purpose and Need analysis

and documentation, Tier 1

document preparation for

energy and secondary and

cumulative impacts, and

QA/QC review of the Tier 1

document.

Amber

Josephson,

LEED AP

BS, Watershed Science; 4 years

experience in environmental planning,

analysis, and document preparation;

Section 404 permitting; certified

wetland scientist.

Tier 1 EIS document control,

permits, construction impacts,

and mitigation actions.

Erich

Kutschke

BA, Geography; 11 years experience in

environmental and transportation

planning,  application of CAD and GIS

for alternatives development, analysis,

wetland mitigation, site development

and NEPA.

GIS analyses for impact and

mitigation actions, graphics

management and production.
Chicago-St. Louis High-Speed Rail 9-5 Tier 1 Final EIS 

Name Qualifications Primary Responsibilities 

Thanh Luc,

INCE

BS, Mechanical Engineering; 22 years

experience in conducting

environmental noise and vibration

impact analyses.

Noise modeling and impact

analysis

Amanda

Molsberry

MS, Environmental Science and Policy;

BS, Geography; over 7 years experience

in environmental planning; NEPA

Analysis; Socioeconomics; Economic

Modeling; Environmental Justice.

Tier 1 document

socioeconomic and

community characteristics.

Tony Pakeltis,

AICP

MUPP, Urban Planning and Policy;

BUP, Urban Planning; BS,

Environmental Design; 22 years

experience in environmental document

preparation.

Project Manager;

Environmental Lead, Purpose

and Need, alternatives

evaluation, transportation

analysis, document

coordination.

Rebecca

Porath

MS, Zoology; BS, Fisheries and

Wildlife Management; over 13 years

experience in environmental planning

and NEPA documentation; certified

wildlife biologist.

Data collection, analysis, and

key participant in preparation

of EA affected environment

and consequences sections,

including land use and visual

and aesthetic quality.

Daniel

Prevost, AICP

CTP

MA, Urban and Environmental

Planning; BA, Environmental Science

and Policy; 14 years experience in

environmental and transportation

planning, analysis, and NEPA

documentation.

Special lands, cultural

resources, and safety and

security.

Michael

Weber

BS, Physiology, University of

California at Davis; over 21 years

experience in air quality and noise

assessment and reporting.

Air quality assessment.

ABNA Engineering

Anastatia

Asare

MS, GIS; provided ARC GIS and

MapInfo GIS manipulations for waste

water and transportation

infrastructure.  

GIS database compilation,

mapping and implementation  

Nick Coates,

PLS

Licensed Surveyor and GIS specialist;

24 years experience on large

transportation infrastructure projects.

GIS management, data

collection  
Chicago-St. Louis High-Speed Rail 9-6 Tier 1 Final EIS 

Name Qualifications Primary Responsibilities 

Verender

Garg, PE

Professional Engineer specializing in

GIS for waste water and transportation

infrastructure.  

GIS database compilation,

mapping and implementation

for the HSR corridor

Beaman Incorporated

Robin

Beaman

MS, Kogod School of Business at

American University; BA, School of

Communications at Howard

University.  

Public Engagement Tier 1

Vector Communications

Laurna

Godwin

MS, Journalism; BA, English Literature

and American Studies. Public Engagement Tier 1

Third Rock Consultants

Gerry Fister

BS, Geology; 24 years experience in

preparing Phase I & II ESAs & site

remediation; Project Manager for

various environmental projects.  

Affected Environment,

Environmental Consequences,

Mitigation, and Document

Preparation for special waste

Amanda

Kerley

BA, History; Environmental Planner; 6

years of experience preparing CEs,

EAs, and social and economic

assessments for IDOT, TDOT, and

KYTC.

Affected Environment,

Environmental Consequences,

Mitigation, and Document

Preparation for

agriculture/farmland

Gina Morris

MS, Geology; 38 years experience in

preparing & supervising NEPA

documentation and 404 permitting &

mitigation; Professional Geologist &

Professional Wetland Scientist.  

Supervision of Third Rock Tier

1 sections; Affected

Environment, Environmental

Consequences, Mitigation, and

wetlands & floodplains

sections

James Storm

BS, Wildlife Management; Biologist; 8

years experience in ecological

documentation.  

Affected Environment,

Environmental Consequences,

Mitigation, and Document

Preparation for natural

resources & water

quality/resources

GHD

Kenneth S.

Mierzwa BA Management; 25 years experience Reviewer