ESA is pleased to announce the appointment of new practice leaders to oversee two of the firm’s key professional practice areas.
Mike Leech, GISP will now serve as ESA’s Technology Services Practice Leader. Over his 17 years at ESA, Leech has been an integral part of delivering both client-facing and ESA-centric technologies and innovations, including developing invasive species crowdsourcing mobile applications; launching Comment Tracker and ESA’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)/drone program; and implementing state-of-the-art Machine Learning (ML) algorithms for predicting wetlands and vegetation types using satellite imagery and high-resolution LiDAR. In addition, Leech was instrumental in helping to lead the acquisition of Sitka Technology Group in 2021 and has since been pivotal in integrating the firm’s Data Technology and Geospatial Services teams into a comprehensive Technology Services practice. Leech is a Vice President and a Trustee of ESA’s Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP).
Meredith Parkin, J.D., PMP has been promoted to Practice Leader for ESA’s newest practice area, Environmental Planning. A Vice President of the firm, Parkin brings over 30 years of experience as a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) practitioner. Over her seven years at ESA, she has served as a senior advisor to state and federal clients, including the California Department of Water Resources, California State Water Resources Control Board, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and has marshalled cross-functional teams on some of the firm’s most complex projects. A recognized industry leader and collaborative practitioner, Parkin has the right skill set to bring together the firm’s NEPA, CEQA, and (Washington) State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) practitioners, as well as its city planners, resilience planners, and air quality/noise specialists into one unified team that elevates these core service offerings.
“After a comprehensive search—including considering candidates from outside of ESA—we knew that Mike and Meredith were the right people to lead and build these quickly growing practice areas,” said ESA Senior Vice President and Director of Practices Jim O’Toole. “During their tenures with the firm, they have both built trust amongst their colleagues and have greatly advanced the services and expertise we are able to provide our clients in all of the markets we serve.”
“These promotions reflect ESA’s commitment to fostering talent and expertise within the firm, further enhancing our commitment to healthy succession planning and our employee-ownership model,” adds President and CEO Leslie Moulton-Post. “Having most recently worked closely with Mike on our Innovation Stewardship Council and Meredith on our Federal Strategy Team, I am thrilled to add their talents to ESA’s senior-most leadership group.”
