Our Team – EMC Planning Group Inc.

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EMC Planning Group Inc.

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(831) 649-1799
contactus@emcplanning.com

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Our Team

Senior Principals

Michael J. Groves, AICP

President & Senior Principal

Michael J. Groves, AICP

President & Senior Principal

Mr. Groves founded EMC Planning Group in 1978. Through his leadership and commitment to excellence in client service and the hiring of highly qualified team members, Mr. Groves has successfully established the firm as one of the leading land use and environmental planning firms in California. With his vast experience as a land use and policy planner, Mr. Groves has provided project management for over 750 planning projects, within more than 150 California cities, counties, and special districts.

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

Mr. Staedler joined the firm in 1985. He is the company controller, overseeing the business operations of the firm. Mr. Staedler is responsible for corporate operations, business operations, contract administration, subconsultant administration, risk management, cash flow management, human resources, payroll, tax planning and reporting, facilities improvement and maintenance, information technology improvement and maintenance, and equipment improvement and maintenance.

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 joined the EMC Planning Group in 1991. Her area of expertise is in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance.

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

Mr. Sissem worked for EMC Planning Group for three years writing environmental impact reports in the 1980s before taking on international assignments with USAID and the World Bank. His international experience includes national resource and protected area management in Mongolia, environmental auditing/impact evaluation to address business development lending risks in Bosnia and Herzegovina, clean technology deployment in India to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and environmental compliance for USAID-funded economic development projects.

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

Ms. Winegar joined EMC Planning Group in November of 2025, and has over 30 years of planning experience in both the public and private sectors. She has supported agencies both as a public agency planner, as well as an in-house agency staffing consultant and project manager. She has provided current and long-range planning services to governmental agencies such as cities, counties, regional agencies, and school districts. She has held positions as Planning Manager for City of Moorpark, Principal Planner for City of Carpinteria, Deputy Executive Officer for Ventura LAFCo, Senior Planner for City of Oxnard and Senior Planner for County of Santa Barbara. Past clients include City of Santa Barbara, City of Ventura, City of Oxnard, City of Agoura Hills, County of Ventura, Port of Hueneme, Oxnard Union High School District, and Oxnard School District.

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 joined the firm in 2024, bringing a unique balance of public agency and private development experience. He has extensive experience in community development programming and management; community planning; state and local regulation and entitlements; coastal zone planning and permitting; grant–funded program development, writing, implementation and management; and technical and scientific team formation and management.

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 joined the firm in 2003 and has been working in the field of biology since 2000. She is responsible for performing botanical and wildlife surveys; wetland and waters of the U.S. determinations; data analysis; and reports in support of management agreements, permits, and mitigation monitoring. She assists clients in complying with the Federal Endangered Species Act, California Endangered Species Act, Sections 401 and 404 of the Clean Water Act, California Fish and Game Code, and local (county and/or city) regulations.

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

Mrs. Lutz joined the firm in 2017 with the primary responsibility of writing and managing initial studies, environmental impact reports, and categorical exemptions in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Mrs. Lutz also prepares categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

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 joined EMC Planning Group in 2025. Her responsibilities include preparation of environmental review documentation in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). She has extensive experience in preparation of environmental review documents in compliance with NEPA; drafting letters for consultation with regulatory agencies; floodplain management; and project management. Ms. Liang’s skills include air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy analysis using the California Emissions Estimator Model (CalEEMod).

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

Ms. Pope joined the firm in August 2022 as an Assistant Planner, supporting the EMC Planning Group Housing team. She was promoted to Associate Planner in May 2023. Her primary responsibilities include preparing complex and detailed written housing elements, general plan updates, municipal code amendments, and other planning documents to support local jurisdictions in achieving compliance with state requirements.

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

Mr. Lawson joined the firm in 2025. His current responsibilities include preparation of environmental review documentation in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). His professional expertise spans a range of environmental and land-use planning project types including CEQA compliance, coastal and environmental permitting, city contract planning, land acquisition and entitlements, preparation of housing elements, and California Department of Drinking Water State Revolving Fund projects. Technical proficiencies include CalEEMod and extensive experience with ESRI ArcGIS mapping.

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 joined EMC Planning Group in December of 2025. Her current responsibilities include entitlement planning, land use amendments and general plan element updates. She has extensive experience in infrastructure project packaging for competitive grant funding; plan implementation; planning for natural hazards, and federal regulatory compliance.

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

Ms. Hawkins joined the firm in 2015. Her responsibilities include the research, preparation, and production of environmental documents, in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and assisting with permit processing and various other planning projects.

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

Mr. Papurello joined the firm in 2021. His responsibilities include planning staff support, creating and editing shapefiles, as well as, maintaining an up to date database of these shapefiles to be used in ESRI ArcGIS for the spatial analysis of ongoing and future projects. He is also experienced in Adobe Suites for graphical illustration and preparation. Mr. Papurello is also responsible for assisting with project research and various other planning projects and services. Since 2023 Mr. Papurello has been a contract city planner providing the City of Sand City with over the counter planning staff support at City Hall.

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 joined EMC Planning Group in June 2023 and is a Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA) that meets the Secretary of Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for her field.

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 joined EMC Planning Group in 2023. Responsibilities include general biological field surveys; preparation of focused surveys/habitat assessments for special-status wildlife species; jurisdictional wetland and waterway delineation; regulatory agency coordination, permitting and compliance support; and the preparation of resources technical reports and CEQA/NEPA biological resource impact analysis.

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 joined EMC Planning Group in 2025 as an Associate Biologist. Responsibilities include general biological field surveys; preparation of focused surveys/habitat assessments for special-status plant and wildlife species; jurisdictional wetland and waterway delineation; regulatory agency coordination, permitting, and compliance support; and the preparation of resources technical reports and CEQA/NEPA biological resource impact analysis.

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

Ms. Robinson joined EMC Planning Group in 2016. Her demonstrated areas of expertise are human resources management, maintaining compliance with federal and state regulations concerning employment, and document production oversight of all project deliverables to be sent to clients. She is also responsible for overall office management, reception and telephone duties, maintenance of office equipment and other front office activities.

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

Ms. Shannon Davi joined EMC Planning Group in December 2022 as an Administrative Assistant. Her responsibilities include management of all front office duties to support EMC Planning Group, contract preparation and management, communication and coordination with other administrative staff, production of deliverables for planners and other staff members, and a variety of other tasks for the company. Ms. Davi possesses a diverse professional background and expertise in bookkeeping, general office and clerical duties, office management, contract preparation, client communication, and data entry. Strengths include attention to detail, organizational abilities, problem solving, and effective communication skills.

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 joined EMC Planning Group in December 2021. Her demonstrated areas of expertise are corporate and product branding, sales administration, copywriting, business development, tradeshow coordination, digital and print marketing, website development, and collateral content creation.

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

EMC PLANNING GROUP INC.
601 ABREGO STREET
MONTEREY, CA 93940
(831) 649-1799 / CONTACTUS@EMCPLANNING.COM

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