Caroline Evans, AICP, founded Blue Cypress Consulting in 2014 with a vision of improving the community. Caroline has more than eighteen years of experience in community planning, including expertise in land use analysis, authoring planning documents, leveraging GIS, and conducting stakeholder and community outreach. She has significant experience with business process design and implementation to optimize operating procedures and a detailed understanding of utility infrastructure, such as water distribution, wastewater collection, electric and gas utilities, and transportation and the long-term effects planning decisions have on these systems. Prior to founding Blue Cypress, Caroline was employed by a large Architecture/Engineering firm, where she was responsible for developing and managing a large team dispersed throughout the United States. She utilizes the skills and knowledge gained during that time to make a difference in the communities in which we serve.

Caroline holds a Master of City Planning from Georgia Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Sociology with a Minor in Urban Studies and Geographic Information Systems from Florida State University. She is a member of the American Planning Association and is actively involved in the Georgia Chapter. She is registered with the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

Melissa Ting serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Blue Cypress Consulting. With 7 years of experience and a background in architecture, as well as the recent completion of her MBA, Melissa brings her knowledge of leading projects, meeting deadlines, and creating efficient processes to Blue Cypress. Her experience collaborating with cross-functional and global stakeholders allows her to oversee the daily operations of Blue Cypress, assisting the Community Planning, Marketing, and UMS departments. She works to ensure business processes are efficient and up to date.

Melissa holds a Master of Business Administration with focuses in Marketing and Managing Innovation & Technology as well as a Bachelor of Science in Architecture, both from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Amanda Hatton, AICP, is a seasoned community planner and project manager with over 12 years of experience. She provides technical leadership to a variety of projects, including comprehensive plans, small area studies, zoning and development regulations, transportation plans, and redevelopment efforts with a focus on socioeconomic analysis, land use planning, and sustainability. Amanda also provides expertise in managing public involvement initiatives and facilitation activities, including developing tailored community outreach plans, public workshops, interviews, citizen surveys, community relations materials, and on-the-spot engagement.

Amanda holds a Master of Urban Policy Studies from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration and Spanish from Elon University.

John Evans, PE, has 21 years of experience in utility management, operational optimization, regulatory compliance and information management. He has supported more than 50 public utilities nationwide, including Clayton County, GA, Jefferson County, AL, Charlotte, Raleigh, Winston-Salem, San Diego, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Seattle, San Antonio, Las Vegas and many smaller cities and counties. John joined Blue Cypress in 2015 to form the company’s Utility Management Services group after a highly successful career at a large Architecture/Engineering firm.

John holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with honors from Georgia Institute of Technology and is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of California. He is actively involved with the Georgia Association of Water Professionals, the National Association of Clean Water Utilities and the Water Environment Federation.

Sarah Beddington has more than 14 years of GIS experience in a variety of fields including public health, community planning, and environmental sciences. Prior to joining Blue Cypress, Sarah worked at Georgia State University’s School of Public Health and Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness’ Environmental Health. She brings a diverse set of skills including GIS techniques, database technologies and management, and social science research methods and technologies.

Sarah holds both a Master of Geoscience and of Public Health as well as Graduate Certificates in GIS and Disaster Management from Georgia State University (GSU). She also earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Georgia State University. Sarah is an active member of the Georgia chapter of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association.

Gabe Branch has more than 5 years of experience working with both federal and local government clients, with a focus on mapping and creating dashboards for public consumption. Gabe is experienced using Cityworks and is knowledgeable in data acquisition, spatial data analytics, report building, hands-on technical support, SQL and Python scripting, and streamlining CMMS functionality. Having previously served  as an Asset Management Technician at Forsyth County, Gabe brings a unique understanding of issues that local water utilities face and leverages his technical expertise to address those challenges.

Gabe received a Bachelor of Science in Geography and Environmental Studies from Florida State University. He holds a Graduate Certificate in GIS from Pennsylvania State University.

Heather Collins has 18 years of experience in B2B marketing, including 12 years of working with consulting, architecture, and engineering firms. She leads the marketing and business development efforts for Blue Cypress and is always looking forward to meeting new people. Heather’s experience in developing high-level capture strategies, business development action plans and purposeful processes supports Blue Cypress’s business goals and growth plans. Her philosophy is to keep it simple: be kind, listen well, and do good work.

Heather holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN.

Chris Feichtner is an Analyst in the Utility Management Service division of Blue Cypress Consulting. He is skilled in data management, processing, and visualization. Chris has experience in ArcGIS/QGIS, Tableau, and PowerBI. He also has experience working in Laboratory Analysis and Management, conducting WET and biological testing.

Chris holds a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources & Environmental Science from Purdue University.

Eric Freedman has more than 10 years of experience serving the water and wastewater industry. He is particularly knowledgeable in treatment technologies, collection system design, and distribution system performance tracking. He is also a proficient GIS user, including database management and spatial data representation.

Eric holds a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Management with a concentration in Entrepreneurship with a secondary major in Environmental Studies from Tulane University. He is an active member of the Georgia Association of Water Professionals as well as a member of the Ocmulgee River Basin Advisory Council.

Jade is a Utility Management Analyst I who supports various projects in the Utility Management Service division. She is a certified FINStack Technician and has experience working with clients to provide consulting services and implement tailored software solutions to meet their immediate energy management goals.  Prior to Blue Cypress, Jade worked as Sustainability and Engineering Intern where she applied IoT integration techniques across different software platforms to provide real time monitoring, control and response for building automation systems.

Jade holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Patrick Heritier-Robbins is a Utility Management Analyst II at Blue Cypress Consulting who supports various projects in the Utility Management Service division. He focuses on bringing valuable insights to clients through business process assessment and data analytics. Previously at Georgia Tech, Patrick worked as a research assistant, studying how microbial succession in sediments disturbed by contamination could be used to track restoration progress. In addition, he acted as a team facilitator in the Grand Challenges Program at Georgia Tech, where he supported student teams in defining goals, enhancing communication, and empathizing with stakeholders.

Patrick holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.

David Hostetler, PE, CFM, has 15 years of experience providing hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, stormwater design, FEMA support, and peer review for water resources projects and has led site specific and county-wide FEMA floodplain studies through final permitting and approval. He provides stormwater solutions for clients using a wide range of stormwater modeling tools for analysis and design. David enjoys helping clients better understand their stormwater systems and providing resilient approaches to stormwater management.

David holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Clemson University. He is also an active member of the Georgia Association of Water Professionals and the Association of State Floodplain Managers, Georgia Chapter.

Dani Hulsey joined the Blue Cypress Administrative team in 2022. She has more than two years of administrative and accounting experience, and comes to us from the healthcare field. Her past work has included managing Patient Accounts for an Atlanta-area surgical clinic, contributing to mapping projects with the Community Mapping Lab in Athens, GA, and helping create transportation proposals as an undergraduate research assistant. Dani supports Project Managers in generating reports and internal audits, invoicing, drafting contracts, and as a liaison for events and conferences.

Dani holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from the University of Georgia, with a graduate certificate in GIS.

Ansley Jones is a Community Planner with 4 years of experience. Ansley has experience in community improvement projects, working with disadvantaged communities and project management. Her passion for serving under-privileged communities and desire to help the communities around her drive her work. Ansley supports the Planning Group with public engagement tasks, stakeholder involvement, and community relations materials. Her unique background in both Civil and Environmental Engineering, Financial Services, and Community Planning enable her to provide multi-faceted value to her clients.

Ansley holds a Master of City & Regional Planning from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Bachelor of Arts in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Rice University.

Monica Klinkmueller joined Blue Cypress Consulting in 2020 as a Marketing Coordinator. Monica has experience developing branding strategies, social media plans and content creation. Her graphic design knowledge and experience helps Blue Cypress creatively present their data and projects. She assists in managing our social media, project branding, and creating graphics for various uses. Monica is passionate about visual communication and using design to effectively deliver messaging.

Monica holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and Graphic Design from Georgia College & State University.

Alvin Lee is a Utility Management Analyst at Blue Cypress Consulting with more than 2 years of experience working on data analytics projects in industry and university research. Alvin is knowledgeable in R statistical software, Python coding, and SQL for modeling and data collection. Previously, Alvin worked as a software consultant for a supply chain company working with multiple clients across pharmaceuticals, retail, and food distribution to maintain business compliance and enhance operation design. Alvin supports various projects in the Utility Management Service division.

Alvin Lee received a Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Wisconsin Madison. He is currently working towards completing a Master of Science in Analytics at Georgia Tech.

Almi Mansaray is an analyst in the Utility Management Service division of Blue Cypress Consulting. Almi is skilled in GIS, PowerBI, and Python GDAL/AutoCAD. Her previous research experience includes topics such as water quality and sustainability. Prior to Blue Cypress, Almi worked for the Department of Health and Environmental Control under the South Carolina Bureau of Water. Almi will use her experience with data analytics, GIS, PowerBI, and green infrastructure to support our UMS clients.

Almi holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Darby is a Utility Management Analyst II who supports various projects in the Utility Management Service division. She focuses on data analytics, modeling, and financial assessments. She has experience analyzing applicable data, developing tailored strategy decisions, managing the quality of client deliverables, and communicating effectively with clients. Prior to Blue Cypress, Darby worked with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources a Stream Quality Monitoring Intern where she was responsible for monitoring the water quality and participating in outreach efforts.

Darby holds a Master of Environment and Natural Resources from Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Economics from University of Cincinnati.

Rich McGillis is a results-focused public agency operations expert offering 18 years of progressive leadership experience with the proven ability to transform public operations into a highly efficient business unit through the use of creative and effective best business practices, producing customer-driven results critical to financial and operational success. With experience leading both utility providers and utility consulting agencies, Rich’s unique background enables him to listen fully, understand issues quickly, and provide lasting improvements.

Rich holds a Master of Business Administration from Thomas More University and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Montana State University.

Fattaneh Naderi, EIT, has more than 3 years of technical experience with a background in chemical engineering, specializing in water and wastewater systems. Fattaneh has been involved in a variety of projects including water treatment evaluation, water and wastewater master planning, water supply planning, municipal infrastructure, and pipe rehabilitation design.

Fattaneh holds a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, both from the University of Tehran. She is an active member of the Georgia Association of Water Professionals and the Treasurer of the GA Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI).

Gary has more than 30 years of experience in public agency management and operations, working for water, wastewater, and stormwater utility organizations and consulting firms in the Pacific Northwest. His previous managerial efforts have been focused on leadership development, team building, asset management program development, emergency response program development, and solicitation of new solid waste contract. Gary will serve as the Utility Management Services Regional Director for the Pacific Northwest and will support Blue Cypress’s nationwide Utility Management Services team.

Gary holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from University of Wisconsin.

Dan Skalsky, PE, is a senior management consultant with more than 34 years of experience working with state and local government organizations and water, wastewater and stormwater utilities with a strong focus on operations, optimization, and asset management. Dan has a strong track record of successfully delivering challenging improvement projects and programs with organizations such as the City of Roswell, the City of Atlanta, the Atlanta Regional Commission, Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources, Cobb County Water System and more. Dan was an original member and chairperson of the Georgia Association of Water Professionals Asset Management Committee and assisted in the development of its first full day training program.

Dan holds a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources, both from Ohio State University.

Tiffany Stone joined Blue Cypress Consulting in 2018 as an Administrative Assistant. Tiffany has more than seventeen years of experience developing client relationships, planning community events, and providing operational support. Her experience owning and managing small businesses is a tremendous asset to Blue Cypress Consulting. She manages our small business certifications, social media, and recruiting efforts.

Tiffany graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art from Shorter College.

Eric Swett has 16 years of experience in utility and asset management, preventive maintenance, operational optimization, regulatory compliance, work force development and database management. Eric’s inquisitive approach and critical thinking propels him to seek to understand the inner workings of processes and continuously work to improve them.

Eric holds a Master of Geographic Information Systems from Pennsylvania State University and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Georgia Southern University. Eric is also an active member of the Georgia Association of Water Professionals, where he is currently serving as Chair of the Water Loss Committee.

Jim Turner, PE, has over 26 years of experience working in public and private sector engineering, and has been involved in a wide variety of water, wastewater, and stormwater utility projects and programs. Located in Ohio, Jim brings technical experience in wastewater/stormwater collection systems, water distribution, green infrastructure, flood mitigation and stream restoration to Blue Cypress clients in the Midwest and throughout the country. He has overseen projects involving planning and design, hydraulic modeling, permitting, and construction. In his public sector career, Jim’s responsibilities included general utility management, capital program planning, regulatory compliance, utility rate development, grant writing, staff oversight and public outreach.

Jim holds a Master of Science in Oceanography from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Purdue University.

Selena Xayavong serves as a Community Planner, with a focus on urban design. Prior to joining Blue Cypress in 2022, Selena worked as a Planner for the City of Chamblee where she managed zoning and permitting inquires, facilitated community discussions and surveys for long range planning projects, and created graphic materials/renders for project use. Selena is experienced in project management and public engagement, and is skilled in Adobe Creative Suite, ArcGIS, and Tableau.

Selena holds a Bachelors in Political Science from Georgia State University and a Masters of City & Regional Planning, with a focus in Urban Design, from Georgia Institute of Technology.