Who We Are

Mountain States Chapter IECA Board Members

Lucille Snowden
President/North Dakota State Representative

Lucille Snowden is an Environmental Manager for Knife River Corporation in Bismarck, North Dakota and serves as Chapter President and North Dakota Representative for the IECA’s Mountain States Chapter. Luci joined Knife River Corporation in 2015. Her areas of responsibility cover four states and all medias. She graduated with a Master of Science degree in Environmental Science and Water Resources from Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs and from the University of Toledo with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and Geology. Luci has worked in the environmental industry for over a decade with multiple state and local governments as well as in academic research.

Rachel Higgins
Administrative VP

Rachel Higgins, CPESC, CESSWI, is the Mountain States Market Development Manager for Profile Products LLC.  She consults with engineers and project managers to design innovative erosion control and vegetation solutions. She provides recommendations to improve soil health with hydraulically-applied soil amendments and erosion control products to ensure sustainable vegetation establishment and project success. Higgins has her bachelor’s degree in Agricultural and Biological engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a concentration in soil and water sciences. Prior to Profile, Rachel worked for the Illinois State Water Survey monitoring dissolved oxygen levels and water quality for the EPA in all Illinois Watersheds.

John F. Whittingham, CPESC, PWS,
Membership VP / Montana State Representative

John Whittingham has over 25 years of experience in soil and water conservation practices. He joined the IECA and MSC in 2002, became a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control in 2006, and a Professional Wetland Scientist in 2011.

John is a graduate of the University of Montana (1985, B.A. Geology) and Montana State University (1995, M.Sc. Earth Sciences). He has worked as a hydrogeologist, hydrologist and soil scientist for State and Federal agencies, as an environmental consultant and independent contractor, and co-founded Basic Biological Services LLC (BBS) in 1999. BBS is located in Dillon, Montana. They provide land rehabilitation, vegetation management, habitat enhancement, and scientific investigations for mining, agriculture, forestry, construction, recreation industries, Conservation Districts, City and County governments, and Montana State agencies.

Jennifer Malavasi
Secretary/Wyoming State Representative

Jennifer Malavasi is a fish and wildlife biologist and compliance specialist with 17 years of federal, state, and private experience. She is a graduate of Rutgers University (2006), University of Alaska – Fairbanks (2007), and Montana State University (2018). Prior to working for SWCA Environmental, based in Wyoming, she worked for US Fish and Wildlife Service, Army Corps of Engineers, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Park Service. On a detail at Acadia National Park, working on documenting sediment accumulation, deposits, and run-off from the historic carriage roads into surrounding marshes and forests, Jennifer became aware of the problems associated with improper sediment and erosion control, and began down the path of learning more and implementing control strategies in various restoration projects across the country. Now, as a project manager, she works to educate clients on compliance and help provide solutions on their projects. Jennifer first joined IECA in 2018

Laura Finch
Treasurer

Laura Finch has worked in the soil erosion, reclamation, and stormwater industry for 7 years. She studied at the University of Colorado at Boulder and graduated with degrees in Environmental Studies, Political Science and Psychology and Neuroscience. At Triton Environmental she has helped develop projects ranging from reclamation in civil construction, airports, fire restoration, oil & gas, mining, ski resorts, and river restoration in both the public and private sector throughout Colorado and Wyoming. Laura attributes her commitment to reclamation and rebuilding soil health to her love for the environment and keeping it sustainable for generations to come.

State Representatives

Adam Bappe
Colorado Representative

Adam serves as Business Development Manager and Project Manager with Western States Reclamation, Inc. which has been a leading industry contractor for over 37 years. In this role, Adam provides outreach to the company’s clients, creates new partnerships and manages projects related to erosion control, reclamation, and restoration.

Prior to joining Western States, Adam served as a Technical Sales Representative for a leading distributor of products used throughout the industry. In this role, Adam worked with engineers, architects, ecologists, cities, counties, DOTs, contractors, and others to provide solutions to their problems as they related to water management, erosion control, stabilization, and revegetation.

Through both of these roles Adam has created a strong industry network and has been successful in promoting the value we offer together as an industry.

Sam Stribling
New Mexico Representative

Sam Stribling takes a vision and makes it reality through sound strategy development and enabling his teams to collaborate effectively. Sam strives to provide a work environment for his team that makes them all feel like they are family. Key to his success has been the ability to assist employees in improving their skill sets and developing into a more productive team. He intuitively sees the threads of opportunity that wind through an organization, brings them together into a coherent whole, helps others extend their thinking, and drives material business advantage. He is an inspirational leader who tells stories that inspire action while at the same time is grounded in financial information that levers the business. Respected as a credible voice in decision making, finding strategic financing partners, and establishing governance boundaries, Sam earns a seat at the table wherever he serves.Sam currently serves as Founder and CEO at 814 Solutions, LLC, a privately-held erosion and sediment control company based out of Albuquerque NM that specializes in Seeding, Rip Rap/Gabion/Hard Armoring, Fencing, and providing environmental planning and inspection services.

Sam has lead 814 Solutions to be a prominent company in the Southwest with national recognition for their work including an Excellence in Reclamation award from the Department of the Interior for the work completed on the Dutchman Canyon/Swastika Coal Mine using geomorphic designs and use of local materials during the reclamation (an article can be seen in the IECA publication Environmental Connection from January 2013, Volume 7 Issue 1). Sam has actively participated in Association (AGC, ACNM, NUCA, Home Builders Association) meetings involving all areas of construction in New Mexico to move the industry standards forward and help others understand the added benefit to looking at new methods and means for completing work and accelerating the time for projects to achieve environmental compliance standards. Sam’s association participation has also led to various modifications to how the membership retention and acquisition has shifted to engage a younger audience with new technology and how the associations communicate to a younger workforce.

Sam holds BBAs from the University of New Mexico with concentrations in Productions & Operations, Entrepreneurial Studies, and Marketing. He serves on several Boards of Directors including the Construction Leadership Council of both the Building Branch and the Heavy Civil Branch of the Association of General Contractors and the Board of Directors of AdWallet, a Nationwide, digital direct to consumer advertising platform.

Jon Healy
South Dakota Representative

Jon Healy is a Commercial and Turf Specialist at Millborn Seeds with locations in Brookings and Rapid City, South Dakota. In his role, Jon works closely with contractors, designers, and project/property owners across the great plains and upper mountain states to find the right seed mixes and erosion control solutions for projects ranging from residential to DOT and large site reclamation projects. Jon has a B.S. in Construction Management from South Dakota State University and has worked in a variety of roles in the construction industry for over 25 years. Jon is a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) and has been the South Dakota Representative on the MSC board since 2018. Jon enjoys the challenges and ever-changing conditions that are found on a construction site and working closely with the design and construction team during all phases of a project.

Emeritus Board Members

Donald Crouse, CISEC, TECS, USMS
Emeritus Board Member, Past VP of Administration

Donald Crouse has been a member of the IECA since 2015. Mr. Crouse has been supervising and managing erosion control projects within heavy civil construction for 15 years. He has participated in the implementation of innovative Best Management Practices and leads tradesmen in the industry to provide training to individuals and construction crews participating in these practices, beginning to end. As an Erosion Control Supervisor with Ames Construction in Denver, CO Mr. Crouse develops strategies to adapt erosion control plans to address weather events and broader project changes. This has created a need for the community and the expertise offered through IECA to help find the best solutions to protect the environment and meet project goals.

Ross Bruno
Emeritus Board Member

Ross is the Senior Marketing Manager with Profile Products. Ross has a breadth of experience in erosion control (HECP and RECP), environmental sciences, agricultural and manufacturing industries and has since been active with erosion control organizations including ECTC and IECA. Ross joined the Mountain States IECA board in 2019.

Evan Oliver, CISEC
Emeritus Board Member

Evan is a current member of the IECA and has been working in the stormwater industry for seven years. He graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Science from Washington State University and began working for the Washington State Department of Ecology shorty after. Since moving to Colorado in 2014, he has held several positions with industry leaders in stormwater and is currently an Area Manager with CMS Environmental Solutions. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time in the outdoors hunting, hiking, and running.