Our Team
Senior Principals
Michael J. Groves, AICP
President & Senior Principal
Michael J. Groves, AICP
President & Senior Principal
Mr. Groves is involved in project management and coordination of a full range of planning projects completed by the firm. His focus within the firm is on client representation for urban and regional planning projects; coastal planning efforts; conceptual design; real estate due diligence and site evaluation studies; land use planning and permitting efforts; and city, county, school district and special district planning and permitting.
From 1995 - 1997, he served as project manager for the Fort Ord Reuse Plan, a national award-winning policy document for the largest base closure in the United States. The Plan became the model for base closures under President Clinton.
- Phone:+1 (831) 659-1799, ext. 201
- Email:groves@emcplanning.com
Cris Staedler
Senior Principal
Cris Staedler
Senior Principal
Prior to taking over as the company controller, Mr. Staedler was the firm’s planning manager, overseeing most of the firm’s land use planning and environmental projects. His planning areas of expertise include land-use and environmental planning, resource identification and analysis, constraint identification and analysis, preparation of specific plans and master plans, preparation of environmental documents and permit processing.
- Phone:+1 (831) 659-1799, ext. 202
- Email:staedler@emcplanning.com
Teri Wissler Adam
Senior Principal
Teri Wissler Adam
Senior Principal
Ms. Wissler Adam directs the CEQA and NEPA compliance projects for the firm. She has been responsible for a large variety of private projects, including residential, commercial, industrial, mixed-use, and large specific plan and general plan projects. She has also managed several projects for public facilities, such as recycled water projects, roadway projects, bikeway projects, bridge projects, elementary schools, high schools, and college campuses, and other public facilities, such as health clinics, landfills, child development centers, and federal research facilities. She has represented public clients throughout Monterey County, San Benito County, Santa Clara County, Marin County, Alameda County, Merced County, San Luis Obispo County, San Mateo County, Stanislaus County, Santa Cruz County, Sonoma County, Humboldt County, and Los Angeles County.
- Phone:+1 (831) 659-1799, ext. 203
- Email:wissler@emcplanning.com
Ron Sissem, MRP
Senior Principal
Ron Sissem, MRP
Senior Principal
In 2002, Mr. Sissem returned to EMC Planning Group and has been a principal since 2016. His primary responsibilities are to manage large land planning and environmental review projects. He assists public agencies with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance for diverse, complex projects; manages preparation of specific plans and general plans; and manages planning and entitlement processes for private clients.
Mr. Sissem is the firm’s climate change/greenhouse gas emissions specialist. He manages climate change impact analyses for CEQA documents, consults local agencies on integrating climate planning strategies/policy/emission reduction measures into advanced planning documents (e.g. general plans and specific plans), and consults developers on climate change mitigation project design.
- Phone:+1 (831) 659-1799, ext. 207
- Email:sissem@emcplanning.com
Principals
Hollee King Winegar, MPA, AICP
Principal
Hollee King Winegar, MPA, AICP
Principal
She also has prepared numerous CEQA compliance documents, including Mitigated Negative Declarations and Focused Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) and has been part of numerous large-scale EIR project teams.
Ms. Winegar also provides planning services, land use consulting and permitting services to private developers, residential and commercial clients. Services include land use planning consultation, permit expediting and processing, agency negotiations and advocacy, and public hearing support. She can manage projects individually with the developer, homeowner, or corporate client or work with a team such as with architectural, engineering, technical consultants, and legal professionals on large and complex projects. Past clients include Starbucks, In-n-Out, CarMax, Dignity Health, Channel Islands Properties, Mann Developments, Toll Brothers, and One Mandalay.
- Phone:+1 (831) 659-1799, ext. 224
- Email:winegar@emcplanning.com
Brian Foucht, AICP
Principal Planner
Brian Foucht, AICP
Principal Planner
Mr. Foucht provides assistance on a wide range of community planning services, including the preparation of General Plans, Specific Plans, Zoning Ordinance updates and amendments; environmental review documentation; and community development and planning interim management and staff augmentation.
Mr. Foucht has served as principal staff to City and County planning commissions and citizen advisory committees, including historic preservation, design review, transportation, housing, and economic development. He is the author of several successful Sustainable Communities transportation planning grants for transportation center and recreation trail development, and has served as lead planner on significant coastal and inland planned development projects and LCP amendments on behalf of land owners and public agencies. Mr. Foucht has, for several years, on behalf of the Salinas Regional Sports Authority, provided pro-bono lead planning assistance for CEQA review, entitlements, and technical team formation, for the Salinas Regional Soccer Complex project.
Mr. Foucht holds a Master of City Planning degree from San Diego State University and a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Urban Studies from San Francisco State University.
- Phone:+1 (831) 659-1799, ext. 205
- Email:foucht@emcplanning.com
Janet Walther, MS
Principal Biologist
Janet Walther, MS
Principal Biologist
Ms. Walther works with clients to design projects to avoid or minimize impacts to threatened and endangered species. Where impacts are unavoidable, she helps create mitigation strategies and the application documents necessary to obtain the required permits, including habitat conservation and land management plans.
In addition to her experience in biological survey and reporting, Ms. Walther is responsible for preparation of environmental documents in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). She produces a variety of graphics for use in environmental and natural resources documents and routinely works with ArcGIS, AutoCAD, and Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop.
In previous positions, Ms. Walther inventoried both native and non-native species in compliance with regulatory requirements, and assisted in preparing California Energy Commission Applications for Certification for four major power plant projects in California. She also conducted biological survey work in southern California and the High Desert and wetland and endangered species survey work in Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, and Florida.
- Phone:+1 (831) 659-1799, ext. 209
- Email:walther@emcplanning.com
Planners
Shoshana Lutz
Senior Planner
Shoshana Lutz
Senior Planner
She has experience across a range of project types including residential and commercial development, school sites, recreation facilities, and coastal development/infrastructure.
Prior to joining EMC Planning Group, Mrs. Lutz worked for the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea in the Community Planning and Building Department. Her responsibilities included assisting with preliminary plan check review for building and planning applications, conducting preliminary site assessments on residential properties, and conducting preliminary design reviews in residential and commercial areas.
- Phone:+1 (831) 659-1799, ext. 2i5
- Email:lutz@emcplanning.com
Kelley Liang
Senior Planner
Kelley Liang
Senior Planner
Ms. Liang has 7 years conducting environmental review and previously worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) where she reviewed federally funded disaster recovery grant projects and ensured compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations in nine different states. She primarily worked on the Direct Housing Program, advising the agency to comply with environmental planning and historic preservation laws, regulations, and executive orders when providing temporary housing for disaster survivors.
- Phone:+1 (831) 659-1799, ext. 219
- Email:liang@emcplanning.com
Kylie Pope, MSP
Senior Planner
Kylie Pope, MSP
Senior Planner
In the last year, Ms. Pope has worked on several environmental projects, including the preparation of initial studies/mitigated negative declarations, environmental impact reports, and categorical exemptions, ensuring compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and other regulatory frameworks.
Ms. Pope has experience supporting a diverse range of environmental planning projects, including residential and commercial developments, school sites, recreation facilities, and infrastructure projects. Additionally, she provides clients with assistance in preparing and filing environmental documentation to the State Clearinghouse to ensure compliance with CEQA and other regulatory requirements.
- Phone:+1 (831) 659-1799, ext. 225
- Email:pope@emcplanning.com
Troy Lawson, MCRP
Associate Planner
Troy Lawson, MCRP
Associate Planner
Prior to working for EMC Planning Group, Mr. Lawson worked for another private sector firm assisting with land use and environmental planning projects. While earning his M.C.R.P., he worked on current and environmental planning projects for the County of San Luis Obispo as a Planning Assistant Intern, and for the Cal Poly Corporation/Central Coast Collaborative 4C as a Graduate Student Research Assistant.
- Phone:+1 (831) 659-1799, ext. 216
- Email:lawson@emcplanning.com
Asia King, AICP
Associate Planner
Asia King, AICP
Associate Planner
Ms. King has a decade of experience in stakeholder engagement in rural, urban, and tribal communities. Prior to joining EMC Planning Group, Ms. King worked in the federal Office of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce as an economic development representative for Central California and Arizona. She helped local governments respond to and recover from the pandemic with CARES and CHIPS Act funding. She managed teams of technical experts executing regional infrastructure and economic planning in the $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge and the Distressed Areas Recompete Pilot Program.
Ms. King also worked as a community planner with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), facilitating resiliency planning and providing technical assistance in the development, compliance, and implementation of hazard mitigation plans and flood plain management across Northern California and Nevada. In 2018, she staffed the Paradise Fire recovery effort as a community planner, providing impacted jurisdictions with additional planning resources.
- Phone:+1 (831) 659-1799, ext. 223
- Email:king@emcplanning.com
Rachel Hawkins, JD
Associate Planner
Rachel Hawkins, JD
Associate Planner
Prior to joining EMC Planning Group, Ms. Hawkins completed a legal fellowship with the Institute for Fisheries Resources where she worked to ensure various agencies’ projects were in compliance with administrative regulations and environmental policies, including CEQA and NEPA. She drafted comments highlighting the deficiencies of environmental documents or composed comments encouraging federal agencies to complete additional environmental review where there was an improper Finding of No Significant Impact. Other responsibilities included conducting extensive legal research on environmental issues and drafting weekly briefs simplifying complex environmental law issues to be sent out to the organization’s members.
- Phone:+1 (831) 659-1799, ext. 217
- Email:hawkins@emcplanning.com
Matthew Papurello
Assistant Planner/GIS & Graphics Technician
Matthew Papurello
Assistant Planner/GIS & Graphics Technician
Prior to joining the firm, while completing his coursework at CSU Monterey Bay, Mr. Papurello worked on a team of 4 students which completed a Before-After Contol-Impact (BACI) study on the Carmel River. The purpose of the study was to monitor the effect of dam removal on salmonid spawning habitat. Mr. Papurello’s primary duties on this project were to provide graphics produced on ArcMap for spatial analysis, as well as, field data collection.
- Phone:+1 (831) 659-1799, ext. 218
- Email:papurello@emcplanning.com
Archaeologist & Biologists
Vanessa Potter, MA
Registered Professional Archaeologist
Vanessa Potter, MA
Registered Professional Archaeologist
Ms. Potter is responsible for conducting archaeological surveys, database inquiries, cultural sensitivity trainings, Sacred Lands records searches, assisting agencies with Native American consultation, leading archaeological testing, and making recommendations for listing through the California Register of Historical Resources (California Register) and the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Other responsibilities include preparing cultural resources sections of environmental documentation in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Ms. Potter has worked in Anthropology since 2000, and specializes in field archaeology, site protection, ethnography, osteology, artifact analysis, and data recovery curation. Previous work experience includes founding her own ethnography company. She also held positions within the anthropology departments of San Jose State University, The University of Arizona, The University of Hawaii, the Cultural Resources Department of California Parks and Recreation, and the National Park Service through the Great Basin Institute.
- Phone:+1 (831) 659-1799, ext. 204
- Email:potter@emcplanning.com
Rose Ashbach, MS
Senior Biologist
Rose Ashbach, MS
Senior Biologist
Ms. Ashbach’s skills include the preparation reports to regulatory agencies; direction of all aspects of habitat restoration projects; production of graphics through ArcGIS, and biological monitoring. Monitoring experience of rare plant and animal species includes: California red-legged frogs, Southwestern pond turtle, California tiger salamander, nesting birds, bats, dusky-footed woodrats, Monterey spineflower, etc.
Ms. Ashbach possesses over 16 years of experience in the field of Biology. She previously worked planning, permitting, and implementing large scale restoration projects throughout California with an emphasis in the Monterey Bay region. She conducted biological surveys in Monterey County, as well as throughout the Columbia River Watershed, and in the High Desert of Nevada. Rose has also worked as a science educator for middle school students and as a lecturer at California State Monterey Bay.
- Phone:+1 (831) 659-1799, ext. 210
- Email:ashbach@emcplanning.com
Kimiya Ghadiri
Associate Biologist
Kimiya Ghadiri
Associate Biologist
Ms. Ghadiri possesses over ten years of experience in the field of biology. She has extensive experience in botanical evaluations, including rare and endangered species such as Monterey gilia, Monterey spineflower, and Seaside bird’s beak. She also has extensive experience managing and conducting pre-construction wildlife surveys including surveys for the following: nesting birds, Monterey and San Francisco dusky-footed woodrat, legless lizard, California red-legged frog, Santa Cruz long-toed salamander, and California tiger salamander. Ms. Ghadiri also has significant experience in restoration/ natural resource management, including activities involving the reclamation of former military lands and other disturbed site restoration, herbicide treatment, and permit acquisition.
Ms. Ghadiri previously worked for the California State Parks in Nature Resource Management, for the University of Miami as a research assistant specializing in Santa Cruz long-toed salamanders and other amphibian species, and for the University of California, Santa Cruz Fort Ord Natural Reserve as Research, Education, and Restoration Steward. Volunteer experience includes working to identify native and invasive plant species at the San Vicente Land Trust, and identifying reptile and amphibian species for the Forest Ecology Research Plot at the University of California at Santa Cruz.
- Phone:+1 (831) 659-1799, ext. 214
- Email:ghadiri@emcplanning.com
Administration & Marketing
Tiffany Robinson
Human Resources / Executive Assistant
Tiffany Robinson
Human Resources / Executive Assistant
Prior to joining EMC Planning Group, Ms. Robinson spent 13 years working as an assistant manager for FedEx Office where her responsibilities included ensuring quality control checks and timeliness of document production.
- Phone:+1 (831) 659-1799, ext. 211
- Email:robinson@emcplanning.com
Shannon Davi
Administrative Assitant
Shannon Davi
Administrative Assitant
- Phone:+1 (831) 659-1799, ext. 200
- Email:davi@emcplanning.com
Kristina Arden, MA
Marketing Director / Business Development
Kristina Arden, MA
Marketing Director / Business Development
Ms. Arden is responsible for project lead-finding and tracking, statement of qualifications and proposal writing, project administration (as-needed), production layouts for desktop and electronic publishing, planning and directing marketing efforts, building brand awareness and positioning for the firm, managing social media and content marketing, training staff on various design software, and developing and managing marketing budgets. In 2025, Ms. Arden served as Publicity Committee Co-Chair for the APA California Conference held in Monterey, California.
Prior to joining EMC Planning Group, Ms. Arden spent 20 years working in the renewable energy sector researching energy policy and promoting various renewable energy technologies for Japanese and American energy firms. She earned a B.A. in Anthropology & East Asian Studies from the University of California at Davis and a M.A. in Asia Pacific Studies from the University of San Francisco. From 2000 to 2008, she lived in Tokyo, Japan and worked in the International Affairs Department of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). In January of 2021, she received a Professional Development Certificate in Energy Innovation and Emerging Technologies from the Stanford University Center for Professional Development.
- Phone:+1 (831) 659-1799, ext. 220
- Email:arden@emcplanning.com