We’ve welcomed several new key hires in 2020 and 2021 to support our renewable energy generation and electric transmission team. All are a welcome addition to our existing team and expand Merjent’s resources and expertise. The new team members are ready to work on your projects!
DIRK CHURCHILL is a biologist and environmental analyst with 9 years of experience in environmental assessments and permitting. His expertise includes permit application preparation, technical report preparation, and environmental surveys including wetland delineations, biological assessments, and botany surveys. Dirk has worked on renewable energy and transmission line projects in North and South Dakota.
Dirk joined Merjent in March of 2021 and is based in Bismarck, North Dakota, and can be reached at dirk.churchill@merjent.com.
LINDSEY CHURCHILL, PhD, PWS is a Senior Project Manager and ecologist with 13 years of experience in environmental assessments and permitting. Her expertise includes managing complex wind and transmission projects and as a technical lead for wetland and natural resources permitting. Lindsey has worked on environmental and cultural resources projects for wind and transmission lines in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Lindsey also has experience with agency consultation, project scoping/critical issues analysis, route analysis, mitigation assessment, biological assessments, and NEPA.
Lindsey joined Merjent in March of 2021 and is based in Bismarck, North Dakota, and can be reached at lindsey.churchill@merjent.com.
DAN FLO is a Senior Project Manager and Merjent’s Electric Power Sector Lead. He has almost 20 years of experience managing environmental surveys; local, state, and federal permitting; environmental review; and construction compliance for electric transmission, wind, solar, and other energy projects. Dan has experience managing electric transmission, solar, and wind project permitting in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Michigan, plus wind project planning in Nebraska and Montana.
Dan joined Merjent in March of 2020 and is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and can be reached at dan.flo@merjent.com.
KEN LEISTER, CWB, is a Senior Analyst and biologist with 11 years of experience in environmental assessments and permitting. Ken has performed wetland delineations, critical issues analyses, project permitting, and threatened and endangered species surveys for electric transmission, solar, hydro, and wind projects in Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, and Ohio.
Ken joined Merjent in May of 2020 and is based in Lansing, Michigan, and can be reached at ken.leister@merjent.com.
LINDSAY TEKLER is a Project Manager and wetland ecologist with 10 years of experience in environmental assessments and permitting. Her expertise includes permit application preparation, technical report preparation, environmental surveys including wetland delineations and biological assessments, and project management. Lindsay has worked on telecommunication, electric distribution and transmission, natural gas distribution and transmission and storage, petroleum, and fossil fuel and renewable energy generation projects in Wisconsin.
Lindsay joined Merjent in March of 2021 and is based in Mondovi, Wisconsin, and can be reached at lindsay.tekler@merjent.com.
ANDREW ORTHOBER, MS, is a Senior Analyst with approximately 9 years of environmental permitting and project management experience for utility projects. His experience has involved project management of utility scale solar projects in Wisconsin, and permitting support of renewable projects in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Nebraska, Kansas, and Michigan. Andrew has provided initial site assessments for project siting; completed federal, state, and local permitting for wind, solar, and electric transmission projects; and coordinated biological and cultural field survey efforts.
Andrew joined the Merjent team in February 2021 and is based in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and can be reached at andrew.orthober@merjent.com.