A valued member of the EnviroScience family since 2013, Melissa Vaccarino, M.S., fills several roles as aquatic biologist, data manager, and quality control assistant. She has experience in ecological, microbial, and molecular methods. She earned her B.S. in Biology (with a minor in Geology) from Baldwin Wallace College, and M.S. (with funded research assistantship) from John Carroll University.

With over a decade of freshwater experience, Melissa holds both Level 1 and Level 2 Diatom Taxonomic Certifications. At EnviroScience, she teams up with a highly skilled group of taxonomists to complete projects, including USEPA’s National Rivers and Streams Assessment (NRSA), in 2013, 2018, and 2023. Prior to EnviroScience, Melissa’s experience during her undergrad and master’s programs included soft algal identification, culture, and molecular taxonomic analysis. She coauthored several articles that were published in the Journal of Phycology, Phycological Research, and others.

As a data manager, Melissa performs project-specific tasks which may include sample tracking, data entry, data quality checks, mass import for consolidation of data between laboratories, and query exports for final reports and statistics. For USEPA’s National Wetland Condition Assessment (NWCA; 2016 and 2021), she maintained +5,000 herbarium vouchers (field data, lab data, and sample tracking), conducted weekly quality control of incoming data, and coordinated with field crews and botanists to resolve any data issues. For the Cleveland Hopkins Airport Biofilm project, she maintains current and historical chemical and biological data from over 100 test parameters and exports targeted combined datasets for statistical analysis. She also helps to maintain EnviroScience’s CRM and company-related data. Between these projects and others, she has handled well over one million points of data.

Melissa additionally assists other departments with technical writing and/or comprehensive review of reports. Her experience with both publishing and data management helps ensure that EnviroScience delivers a high-quality final product.

Contact Melissa at:  MVaccarino @ EnviroScienceInc.com

Few environmental firms in the country retain EnviroScience’s degree of scientific know-how, talent, and capability under one roof. The diverse backgrounds of our biologists, environmental engineers, scientists, and divers enable us to provide comprehensive in-house services and an integrated approach to solving environmental challenges—saving clients time, reducing costs, and ensuring high-quality results.

Our client guarantee is to provide “Excellence in Any Environment,” meaning no matter what we do, we will deliver on our Core Values of respect, client advocacy, quality work, accountability, teamwork, and safety. EnviroScience was created with the concept that we could solve complex problems by empowering great people. This concept still holds true today as our scientists explore the latest environmental legislation and regulations and incorporate the most up-to-date technology to gather and report data.

EnviroScience expertise includes but is not limited to aquatic surveys (including macroinvertebrate surveys and biological assessments); ecological restoration; ecological services (including impact assessments, invasive species control, and water quality monitoring);  emergency response; engineering and compliance services; endangered mussel surveys; laboratory and analysis; stormwater management; threatened and endangered species; and wetlands and streams (including delineation and mitigation). Further, EnviroScience is one of the few biological firms in the country that is a general member of the Association of Diving Contractors International (ADCI) and offers full-service commercial diving services.

Brendan Morgan joined EnviroScience in 2018 and is an Invasive Vegetation Biologist. His entire career has focused on fieldwork and conducting various surveys.

Brendan’s work has taken him around the globe. He lived alone in a field station in the Costa Rican mountains for seven months, worked on fishing boats in Alaska, and worked a great deal in Northeast Ohio. Most of his work has been with different kinds of botanical surveys, but he has also done extensive wetland delineation work as well as bird, amphibian, and deer surveys.

Brendan’s Master’s thesis focused on tropical invertebrate communities in small headwater streams and how they are affected by detrital levels and seasonal spates.

Contact Brendan at:  BMorgan @ EnviroScienceInc.com

Few environmental firms in the country retain EnviroScience’s degree of scientific know-how, talent, and capability under one roof. The diverse backgrounds of our biologists, environmental engineers, scientists, and divers enable us to provide comprehensive in-house services and an integrated approach to solving environmental challenges—saving clients time, reducing costs, and ensuring high-quality results.

Our client guarantee is to provide “Excellence in Any Environment,” meaning no matter what we do, we will deliver on our Core Values of respect, client advocacy, quality work, accountability, teamwork, and safety. EnviroScience was created with the concept that we could solve complex problems by empowering great people. This concept still holds true today as our scientists explore the latest environmental legislation and regulations and incorporate the most up-to-date technology to gather and report data.

EnviroScience expertise includes but is not limited to aquatic surveys (including macroinvertebrate surveys and biological assessments); ecological restoration; ecological services (including impact assessments, invasive species control, and water quality monitoring);  emergency response; engineering and compliance services; endangered mussel surveys; laboratory and analysis; stormwater management; threatened and endangered species; and wetlands and streams (including delineation and mitigation). Further, EnviroScience is one of the few biological firms in the country that is a general member of the Association of Diving Contractors International (ADCI) and offers full-service commercial diving services.

Chuck Kessler is a certified planner and certified environmental planner for EnviroScience’s Ohio environmental consulting services. Chuck manages key projects involving site assessment services and NEPA compliance activity for federally funded projects. He is knowledgeable and experienced in the site assessment process, ODOT’s Transportation Development Process (PDP), the Local Public Agency (LPA) project development process, and various environmental regulations relating to transportation, land development, property assessment, and construction projects.

Chuck has written and managed the preparation of numerous environmental documents and reports. These have included Phase 1 ESA’s (due diligence investigations), environmental assessments (EIS format), categorical exclusion (CE) documents, feasible alternative summaries, transportation corridor studies, 404 Army Corps of Engineers permits, 401 state water quality certifications and Isolated Wetlands Permits, Section 4(f) evaluations, and Section 106 consultation documents. He is familiar with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the National Historic Preservation Act, the Ohio Department of Transportation Act, CERCLA, RCRA, NPDES, the Clean Water Act, All Appropriate Inquiry, AAI, etc. In addition, Chuck has extensive experience in dealing with the public and local government stakeholders and conducting project-related public involvement activities for the firm.

Contact Chuck at: CKessler @ EnviroScienceInc.com

Few environmental firms in the country retain EnviroScience’s degree of scientific know-how, talent, and capability under one roof. The diverse backgrounds of our biologists, environmental engineers, scientists, and divers enable us to provide comprehensive in-house services and an integrated approach to solving environmental challenges—saving clients time, reducing costs, and ensuring high-quality results.

Our client guarantee is to provide “Excellence in Any Environment,” meaning no matter what we do, we will deliver on our Core Values of respect, client advocacy, quality work, accountability, teamwork, and safety. EnviroScience was created with the concept that we could solve complex problems by empowering great people. This concept still holds true today as our scientists explore the latest environmental legislation and regulations and incorporate the most up-to-date technology to gather and report data.

EnviroScience expertise includes but is not limited to aquatic surveys (including macroinvertebrate surveys and biological assessments); ecological restoration; ecological services (including impact assessments, invasive species control, and water quality monitoring);  emergency response; engineering and compliance services; endangered mussel surveys; laboratory and analysis; stormwater management; threatened and endangered species; and wetlands and streams (including delineation and mitigation). Further, EnviroScience is one of the few biological firms in the country that is a general member of the Association of Diving Contractors International (ADCI) and offers full-service commercial diving services.

Joanne Pem, the Assistant Project Manager for the Marine Services Division, has been a pivotal part of EnviroScience since 2013. Her role encompasses project management, overseeing company and personnel pre-qualifications, rental and subcontractor agreements, invoicing, account reconciliation, and human resource activity within the Marine group.

Joanne is also the go-to person for all cost-plus, Federal, and Department of Transportation invoicing within the company, showcasing her comprehensive understanding of our operations. She has completed Time Management & Prioritization Techniques and Project Management/Leadership Training through Kent State University.

With over a decade of service, Joanne feels very fortunate to work with so many talented, hard-working, and supportive individuals at EnviroScience.

Joanne prides herself in always putting her heart and soul into everything she involves herself with, including the time she spent volunteering for Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroads and the Polar Express program. She started a program with the assistance of EnviroScience’s Corporate Responsibility Committee that allowed families that otherwise could not afford the holiday experience. Joanne (aka “Elf Hollie”) would deliver tickets to the homes of the selected families along with pajamas for the children and money for the family to make sure they could fully enjoy the experience. Joanne was awarded the Centennial Volunteer Challenge award from the National Park Service for completing over 200 hours of volunteer time on the train during a single holiday season and was also recognized by her hometown with the “Stand for Generosity” award for these efforts.

In her free time, Joanne loves spending time with her husband, Bill of 22 years, their daughter, and their son-in-law, who just blessed them with their second granddaughter.

Joanne also enjoys cheering on the Cleveland Browns, of which she considers herself their biggest fan and absolutely loves everything Disney.

Few environmental firms in the country retain EnviroScience’s degree of scientific know-how, talent, and capability under one roof. The diverse backgrounds of our biologists, environmental engineers, scientists, and divers enable us to provide comprehensive in-house services and an integrated approach to solving environmental challenges—saving clients time, reducing costs, and ensuring high-quality results.

Our client guarantee is to provide “Excellence in Any Environment,” meaning no matter what we do, we will deliver on our Core Values of respect, client advocacy, quality work, accountability, teamwork, and safety. EnviroScience was created with the concept that we could solve complex problems by empowering great people. This concept still holds true today as our scientists explore the latest environmental legislation and regulations and incorporate the most up-to-date technology to gather and report data.

EnviroScience expertise includes but is not limited to aquatic surveys (including macroinvertebrate surveys and biological assessments); ecological restoration; ecological services (including impact assessments, invasive species control, and water quality monitoring); emergency response; engineering and compliance services; endangered mussel surveys; laboratory and analysis; stormwater management; threatened and endangered species; and wetlands and streams (including delineation and mitigation). Further, EnviroScience is one of the few biological firms in the country that is a general member of the Association of Diving Contractors International (ADCI) and offers full-service commercial diving services.

Since joining our team in 2012, Patrick Evankovich has demonstrated outstanding leadership and expertise as Commercial Operations Manager. A graduate of Divers Academy International and a certified Association of Diving Contractors International (ADCI) Air Diving Supervisor, Patrick has honed his skills through a diverse range of certifications and training programs, including the National Highway Institute (NHI) underwater bridge inspection and in-service bridge inspection courses, Kirby Morgan Helmet Technician, and CSXT Hazmat Tank Car Specialist.

Overseeing commercial diving services, Patrick manages a wide array of projects, from endangered species surveys to large-scale construction projects and emergency response. His experience encompasses critical infrastructure tasks such as bridge and dam inspection, Sluice gate inspection and installation, bulkhead design and installation, and other specialized underwater construction projects.  This wide-ranging experience underscores Patrick’s adaptability and versatility.

He is also adept in mechanics and fabrication, including topside and underwater welding and burning. His mechanical expertise extends to maintaining intricate water, air, and hydraulic systems for our clients and maintaining and training staff on in-house equipment maintenance. Patrick displays a high level of quality and pride in maintaining not only client projects but also our diving offices and shop spaces.

Patrick’s dedication to safety is a cornerstone of his role at EnviroScience. His responsibilities include project management, marketing, and on-site supervision of diving operations. He has been instrumental in maintaining and developing safety programs, including a confined space entry program, company-wide JSAs, and up-to-date diving operation safety plans for IMCA and USACE-compliant job sites.

Patrick’s extensive topside and in-water work experience includes significant projects involving ships husbandry, submarine maintenance, train car recovery, and various large oil and gas projects. He continues to play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and effectiveness of our commercial diving operations, emphasizing a safe work environment and meticulous operational management.

Contact Patrick at:  PEvankovich @ EnviroScienceinc.com

Few environmental firms in the country retain EnviroScience’s degree of scientific know-how, talent, and capability under one roof. The diverse backgrounds of our biologists, environmental engineers, scientists, and divers enable us to provide comprehensive in-house services and an integrated approach to solving environmental challenges—saving clients time, reducing costs, and ensuring high-quality results.

Our client guarantee is to provide “Excellence in Any Environment,” meaning no matter what we do, we will deliver on our Core Values of respect, client advocacy, quality work, accountability, teamwork, and safety. EnviroScience was created with the concept that we could solve complex problems by empowering great people. This concept still holds true today as our scientists explore the latest environmental legislation and regulations and incorporate the most up-to-date technology to gather and report data.

EnviroScience expertise includes but is not limited to aquatic surveys (including macroinvertebrate surveys and biological assessments); ecological restoration; ecological services (including impact assessments, invasive species control, and water quality monitoring);  emergency response; engineering and compliance services; endangered mussel surveys; laboratory and analysis; stormwater management; threatened and endangered species; and wetlands and streams (including delineation and mitigation). Further, EnviroScience is one of the few biological firms in the country that is a general member of the Association of Diving Contractors International (ADCI) and offers full-service commercial diving services.

Jennifer Vydra is the Director of Laboratory Services at EnviroScience, Inc., overseeing a team of aquatic biologists and laboratory professionals. She is a biologist focusing on the daily management and growth of the EnviroScience laboratories.

Jennifer possesses a strong customer focus, sales experience, and scientific discipline. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and an Associate in Applied Science in Biomedical Engineering Technology.

A valued member of the EnviroScience team since 2012, Jennifer’s extensive experience in a fast-paced technology environment has sharpened her skills for managing our toxicity and aquatic biology laboratories.

Jennifer has worked with the Ohio Division of Wildlife on two endangered species projects as well as the Peregrine Falcon and Osprey reintroduction programs. Her account management experience and technical writing skills ensure effective customer communication and future growth for the EnviroScience Team.

Contact Jennifer at: JVydra @ EnviroScienceinc.com

Few environmental firms in the country retain EnviroScience’s degree of scientific know-how, talent, and capability under one roof. The diverse backgrounds of our biologists, environmental engineers, scientists, and divers enable us to provide comprehensive in-house services and an integrated approach to solving environmental challenges—saving clients time, reducing costs, and ensuring high-quality results.

Our client guarantee is to provide “Excellence in Any Environment,” meaning no matter what we do, we will deliver on our Core Values of respect, client advocacy, quality work, accountability, teamwork, and safety. EnviroScience was created with the concept that we could solve complex problems by empowering great people. This concept still holds true today as our scientists explore the latest environmental legislation and regulations and incorporate the most up-to-date technology to gather and report data.

EnviroScience expertise includes but is not limited to aquatic surveys (including macroinvertebrate surveys and biological assessments); ecological restoration; ecological services (including impact assessments, invasive species control, and water quality monitoring); emergency response; engineering and compliance services; endangered mussel surveys; laboratory and analysis; stormwater management; threatened and endangered species; and wetlands and streams (including delineation and mitigation). Further, EnviroScience is one of the few biological firms in the country that is a general member of the Association of Diving Contractors International (ADCI) and offers full-service commercial diving services.

Teal Richards-Dimitrie is a herpetologist for EnviroScience’s environmental consulting services with experience working on a wide range of wildlife projects. She has worked in many regions of the United States on a variety of taxa with varying state and federal status.

• Arizona – Desert tortoise, reptile and amphibian inventory
• California – Pacific salmonids, Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog, Tailed Frog, Torrent Salamander, Pacific Giant Salamander, Western Pond Turtle, obligate aquatic birds
• Florida – amphibian and reptile communities
• Illinois – Blanding’s and Spotted Turtle
• Maryland – Northern Map Turtle, forest amphibian communities, turtle communities
• New Mexico – Dunes Sagebrush Lizard, Lesser Prairie Chicken
• New York – Bog Turtle, Spotted Turtle, reptile and amphibian communities
• Ohio – reptile and amphibian inventory, listed turtle coordination
• Pennsylvania – Bog Turtle
• Massachusetts – Blanding’s Turtle and associated turtle community
• Texas – reptile and amphibian inventory

Teal has over ten years of reptile and amphibian field survey experience including threatened and endangered species surveys, visual encounter surveys, capture-mark-recapture techniques, radio telemetry, habitat identification and measurement, acoustic monitoring surveys, phlebotomy, and environmental-DNA collection.  Additionally, as a member of both private and state agencies in California, Teal has 5 years’ experience in Pacific fisheries.  Throughout her career, she has employed a variety of quantitative skills as well as mapping and technical writing for both agency reporting and peer-reviewed publication.  Her current role involves collecting high-quality site and species data, reporting, project management, and making recommendations for agency coordination.

Contact TRichards-Dimitrie @ EnviroScienceInc.com

Rebecca Winterringer is a senior-level Aquatic Ecologist / Malacologist and Project Manager who manages and implements endangered mussel projects and assists clients with NEPA / USACE compliance and permitting.

Becca has 22 years of experience conducting aquatic faunal inventories across the U.S. and 17 years in the professional consulting industry. She holds a B.S. in Fisheries Science from Virginia Tech (2000) and an M. S. in Biology (2003) from Arkansas State University. Her graduate research focused on the life history and community characteristics of the federally listed Speckled Pocketbook mussel.

Becca is a proactive, hands-on manager who has supported many state departments of transportation, energy, transmission/pipeline corridor, and large river navigation projects.  She has extensive experience in aquatic ecology, and she is skilled in natural resource permitting, waterways assessments, GIS, environmental assessments, and aquatic surveys.  Becca holds a USFWS Federal Fish and Wildlife recovery permit and several state collection permits for freshwater mussels allowing her to work across the Midwest, Southeast, and Northeastern US.  She is listed as a qualified mussel surveyor statewide in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia and has recently completed large-scale surveys in MI, WV, and NY. She has been diving since 2000 and holds a Rescue Diver certification. Becca is active on various committees for both the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society (FMCS) and the Society of Freshwater Science (SFS).

Contact Becca at BWinterringer @ EnviroScienceInc.com

Named Director of Marine Services Practice Area for EnviroScience in 2023, Philip Mathias’s role as a malacologist includes helping municipal and industry clients meet state and federal protocols for mussel protection. 

Phil began his mussel career in 2007 at the University of Toledo, where he completed an undergraduate honors thesis on the distribution of native mussels in the Ottawa River in Toledo, Ohio.

He then attended Central Michigan University (CMU) and received his M.S. with his graduate thesis on the post-glacial colonization of the Mapleleaf mussel into the Great Lakes.

Phil has worked on projects nationwide and holds sampling permits in PA, WV, OH, and IL. He was Wyoming’s State Native Mussel Biologist for five years, where he designed and implemented the statewide native mussel survey protocols.

Phil and his co-authors also published a field guide to the native bi-valves of Wyoming. He is active in the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society and the American Fisheries Society. 

Contact Phil at: PMathias @ EnviroScienceInc.com

Few environmental firms in the country retain EnviroScience’s degree of scientific know-how, talent, and capability under one roof. The diverse backgrounds of our biologists, environmental engineers, scientists, and divers enable us to provide comprehensive in-house services and an integrated approach to solving environmental challenges—saving clients time, reducing costs, and ensuring high-quality results.

Our client guarantee is to provide “Excellence in Any Environment,” meaning no matter what we do, we will deliver on our Core Values of respect, client advocacy, quality work, accountability, teamwork, and safety. EnviroScience was created with the concept that we could solve complex problems by empowering great people. This concept still holds true today as our scientists explore the latest environmental legislation and regulations and incorporate the most up-to-date technology to gather and report data.

EnviroScience expertise includes but is not limited to aquatic surveys (including macroinvertebrate surveys and biological assessments); ecological restoration; ecological services (including impact assessments, invasive species control, and water quality monitoring);  emergency response; engineering and compliance services; endangered mussel surveys; laboratory and analysis; stormwater management; threatened and endangered species; and wetlands and streams (including delineation and mitigation). Further, EnviroScience is one of the few biological firms in the country that is a general member of the Association of Diving Contractors International (ADCI) and offers full-service commercial diving services.

Joe Papineau joined EnviroScience in 2001 and currently serves as our Director of Corporate Strategy and Growth, with a focus on corporate-level strategy, mergers and acquisitions, business analytics, innovation, optimization, and data-driven decision making. 

In addition to his business-centric role, Joe continues to leverage his 20+ years of technical experience to provide scientific consultancy and project design for large-scale multidisciplinary contaminant investigations and complex litigation/regulatory matters for key clients in industrial, power, transportation, and government sectors. 

Joe holds a BS in Biology from Mount Union College, an MS in Geography from the University of Akron, and an MBA from the University of Wyoming.

Contact Joe at:  JPapineau @ EnviroScienceInc.com

Few environmental firms in the country retain EnviroScience’s degree of scientific know-how, talent, and capability under one roof. The diverse backgrounds of our biologists, environmental engineers, scientists, and divers enable us to provide comprehensive in-house services and an integrated approach to solving environmental challenges—saving clients time, reducing costs, and ensuring high-quality results.

Our client guarantee is to provide “Excellence in Any Environment,” meaning no matter what we do, we will deliver on our Core Values of respect, client advocacy, quality work, accountability, teamwork, and safety. EnviroScience was created with the concept that we could solve complex problems by empowering great people. This concept still holds true today as our scientists explore the latest environmental legislation and regulations and incorporate the most up-to-date technology to gather and report data.

EnviroScience expertise includes but is not limited to aquatic surveys (including macroinvertebrate surveys and biological assessments); ecological restoration; ecological services (including impact assessments, invasive species control, and water quality monitoring);  emergency response; engineering and compliance services; endangered mussel surveys; laboratory and analysis; stormwater management; threatened and endangered species; and wetlands and streams (including delineation and mitigation). Further, EnviroScience is one of the few biological firms in the country that is a general member of the Association of Diving Contractors International (ADCI) and offers full-service commercial diving services.