OUR TEAM
Compass Ecospatial's dedicated experts bring decades of experience in ecological restoration, geospatial analysis, and environmental planning. We deliver science-driven, collaborative solutions to restore ecosystems and support sustainable communities.
Kelley Jorgensen | President & Principal Ecologist of Compass Ecospatial
Kelley is an experienced professional with over 30 years of experience in applied science, bringing pragmatic solutions to environmental and natural resource management. She specializes in aquatic and terrestrial restoration ecology and has managed a variety of environmental projects and programs. Kelley’s expertise includes compensatory mitigation, ecological restoration, water-dependent infrastructure permitting, and project development. Kelley has held several leadership positions, including President of Conservation for a private landowner developing Washington State’s first multi-resource and multi-credit type fish, wetland, and Oregon white oak habitat mitigation and conservation bank and is a current member and past chairperson of the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board technical review panel.
Her extensive experience with environmental regulations and her strong relationships with key regulators have helped her clients navigate complex permitting processes and paved the way for highly visible and complex projects to take shape. She is skilled at working with diverse stakeholders and facilitating productive conversations among team members to ensure that all project challenges and needs are addressed responsibly, and all perspectives are considered.
Kelley has recently joined the National Small Business Association Leadership Council, bringing her skills and knowledge of conveying lived experience to advocacy for small and emerging businesses. Kelley has experience advocating for compensatory mitigation policy reform and program resourcing to improve regulatory process predictability for permittees and reduce risk for mitigation providers and end-users of mitigation services.
Chris Watson | Founder & Principal, GIS Analyst GISP, & Field Geologist
Chris is a Co-founder of Compass Ecospatial and an interdisciplinary scientist with extensive experience supporting large-scale ecological restoration, mitigation planning, and geospatial analysis projects throughout the Pacific Northwest and Hawai‘i. His work integrates geomorphology, hydrology, ecology, and spatial analysis to support complex restoration and mitigation efforts in riverine, floodplain, wetland, and estuarine systems. Chris brings a systems-based perspective to restoration planning, with a focus on designing projects that are scientifically rigorous, constructible, and responsive to regulatory and stakeholder needs.
Chris has led and supported a wide range of projects involving mitigation banking, watershed assessments, fish passage and habitat restoration, and geodesign-driven planning. He regularly works at the intersection of technical analysis and permitting, supporting environmental review, impact assessment, and mitigation strategy development under the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, NEPA, and state and local regulatory frameworks. His technical leadership includes development of geospatial tools, landscape-scale analyses, and decision-support frameworks that help clients evaluate alternatives, prioritize actions, and advance multi-benefit restoration outcomes.
As a co-founder, Chris plays a central role in shaping Compass Ecospatial’s technical direction, culture, and long-term vision. He collaborates closely with clients, agency partners, and interdisciplinary teams to advance innovative, science-based solutions to complex environmental challenges. Through his leadership, Chris emphasizes integration across disciplines, thoughtful use of data and technology, and a commitment to restoration outcomes that deliver ecological, social, and regulatory value.
Luke Johnson | Watersheds Program Manager, Ecologist
Luke is an interdisciplinary scientist and project manager with more than 14 years of experience supporting aquatic habitat restoration, fish passage, and watershed action planning projects throughout the Pacific Northwest. He brings expertise in fisheries, aquatic and riparian ecology in freshwater and estuarine environments, with a focus on habitat assessment, salmon biology, and restoration prioritization. Luke has extensive experience navigating complex regulatory and permitting processes, including the Endangered Species Act, NEPA, Clean Water Act, SEPA, Hydraulic Project Approval requirements, and local land use documentation.
Luke’s project experience includes leading and supporting fish passage improvement programs, culvert and barrier assessments, watershed functional assessments, and restoration prioritization frameworks. He regularly supports the development of Environmental Assessments, Biological Assessments, joint permit applications, mitigation plans, and wetland and waterway permits. His interdisciplinary background supports effective stakeholder engagement and project management for complex, multi-benefit, nature-based restoration projects.
Stephanie Ehinger | Senior Natural Resources Specialist
Stephanie brings over two decades of experience in environmental policy, regulatory consultation, and habitat conservation. Before joining Compass Ecospatial, she served as a senior Natural Resource Management Specialist at NOAA Fisheries, where she played a lead role in the development of innovative tools such as the Puget Sound Nearshore Conservation Calculator. Her work has supported strategic mitigation policy implementation, programmatic ESA consultations, and large-scale habitat evaluation efforts across the Salish Sea region.
Stephanie’s expertise spans ESA consultations, habitat quantification modeling, peer-reviewed tool development, and stakeholder engagement with agencies, ports, and regional coalitions. She has managed complex interdisciplinary projects, authored high-impact technical guidance, and frequently presented at national conferences on ecosystem markets, habitat banking, and conservation finance.
Stephanie holds a Master of Science in Biology from Universität Konstanz, with specializations in limnology and microbiology. She is a published scientist, experienced mentor, and recipient of multiple NOAA awards, including the Silver Sherman and Bronze Medal for her contributions to coastal conservation policy and habitat tool innovation.
Randy Goetz | Senior Fluvial Geomorphologist, Project Manager, LH, LG
Randy is a licensed Professional Hydrologist and Geologist with over 15 years of experience in river science, watershed management, and ecological restoration. His expertise spans hydrology, fluvial geomorphology, hydraulic analysis, and aquatic habitat design. Randy has extensive experience in field data collection across multiple spatial and temporal scales, and has managed projects ranging from watershed-scale assessments to reach-scale restoration, with a focus on delivering solutions that balance ecological function, regulatory compliance, and community needs.
Throughout his career, Randy has worked with tribal governments, municipalities, state agencies, and non-profits to design and implement projects that improve watershed health and aquatic connectivity. His project portfolio includes estuary and shoreline habitat rehabilitation, dam removal, floodplain reconnection, and channel habitat enhancement in diverse river systems throughout the western US. Randy is skilled at synthesizing field data, GIS-based analysis, and hydrologic/hydraulic modeling into management approaches that support resilient habitats and regulatory approvals.
Randy holds an M.S. in Watershed Science from Utah State University and a B.S. in Earth Sciences from the University of California. He is a Washington and Oregon Licensed Geologist, a Certified Professional Hydrologist with the American Institute of Hydrology, and is WSDOT Fish Passage & Stream Restoration Design Certified.
Janelle St. Pierre | Senior Ecologist, Project Manager
Janelle brings over two decades of environmental project and program management experience in the Pacific Northwest. She is a creative problem solver of community-based environmental issues with a strong commitment to connecting people with nature and facilitating public engagement.
Her project management experience includes comprehensive natural area management, riparian and floodplain restoration, fish passage installation, habitat enhancement for a variety of different habitat types, including oak and wetlands, and pollinator habitat creation. Her program management skills include stormwater management with a green infrastructure perspective, strategic planning for habitat connectivity, and basin-level project prioritization. Janelle is a skilled process facilitator of complex initiatives with a wide variety of partners, including non-profits, local governments and state agencies, utilities, public and private land managers, and businesses.
Karen Adams | Senior Ecologist
Karen Adams is a senior aquatic ecologist with more than 15 years of experience supporting wetland and stream restoration, aquatic resource management, regulatory permitting, and ecological monitoring throughout Washington State and the Pacific Northwest. Her expertise spans habitat restoration planning, Hydraulic Project Approval review and administration, mitigation design, performance standards development, and interagency coordination within state and federal regulatory frameworks. Karen has served in leadership roles with the Washington Department of Natural Resources, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Washington Department of Ecology, bringing deep experience in regulatory compliance, monitoring program development, and science-based decision making that supports resilient watershed and habitat outcomes.
Derek Kraft, PhD | Marine Scientist
Derek Kraft is a fisheries biologist and aquatic ecologist with a PhD in marine biology focused on genetic stock structure, fisheries management, and the conservation of highly migratory species. His doctoral research at the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology applied advanced genomic techniques and quantitative analysis to inform sustainable management of pelagic sharks and other fisheries resources, resulting in multiple peer-reviewed publications and technical reports. Derek brings experience supporting habitat restoration planning, ESA-listed species analysis, environmental DNA survey design, and federal fisheries policy, including service as a NOAA Knauss Marine Policy Fellow. His interdisciplinary background integrates field ecology, advanced data analytics, and regulatory policy to support science-based restoration and long-term aquatic species conservation in complex regulatory environments.
Gerrit Bass | Hydrologist
Gerrit has a background in working with conservation districts to assess the success of soil and water conservation practices and has a particular passion for rivers and the way they interact with their watersheds. His skill set includes both field-based data collection of environmental parameters as well as data analysis and reporting back in the office. His field duties have included water quality monitoring, soil sampling, riparian habitat assessment, surveying, and drone-based data collection. In the office, he enjoys taking this data and figuring out the story it’s trying to tell with the help of R programming and other analysis tools.
Dash Paulson, WPiT | Aquatic Scientist
Dash is a wetland professional in training, as well as an aquatic scientist with training in wetland delineation, plant identification, data analysis with R, and water quality monitoring. He specializes in studying beaver habitat modifications and their role in making watersheds more resilient to climate change. In addition to his environmental science education at the University of Washington, Dash has a background in journalism and communications from the University of Oregon, which he draws on to translate field data into compelling stories about environmental changes and opportunities.
Stephanie Whitson | Office & Administrative Manager
Stephanie is a master organizer and talented people person skilled in project management systems, project administration, contracting, accounts receivable, human resources, and day-to-day company planning. She is our dedicated technical editor and applies her background as a paralegal to her editing and contract management roles. She is responsible for documentation, meeting management, monitoring project budgets, using her time management skills to keep systems and projects on track, managing team and program schedules, tracking assignments and communicating progress on projects and programs.
Keston Kuechel | Business Strategist & Development Coordinator
Keston is a Business Strategist and Development Coordinator at Compass Ecospatial, where he supports firm growth through strategic planning, marketing, and pursuit development. He works closely with technical staff and leadership to translate complex ecological services into clear, compelling narratives for proposals, qualifications, and external communications. His work focuses on aligning Compass’s technical expertise with client needs across restoration, mitigation, and watershed-scale projects throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Keston plays a key role in proposal strategy, branding, and business development operations, supporting opportunity tracking, partner coordination, and content development for public and private sector pursuits. He also leads marketing initiatives that strengthen Compass’s presence in regional restoration and environmental markets, including website content, digital outreach, and conference strategy. He holds a Master’s degree in Marketing from Auckland University of Technology and brings an interdisciplinary approach that bridges science, strategy, and communication to support Compass’s mission-driven growth and long-term partnerships.