closing Session Speakers & Facilitators
Facilitators: Chelsea Murphy, ECT, Madrid, NM
Will Wilhelm, PE, CFM, ENV SP, Kimley-Horn, Denver, CO
Panelists & Presenters
-- Luke Cole, PhD, Sonoran Institute, Tucson, AZ
-- Ashley Flintoff, Friends of the Rouge, Dearborn, MI
-- Noah Greenberg, Wright Water Engineers, Denver, CO
-- Chelsea Keefer, Stream and Wetland Foundation, Columbus, OH
-- George Kelly, Earth Recovery Partners, Denver, CO
-- Tracie Revis, Muscogee Nation, Macon, GA
-- Erin Shanaberger, City of Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
-- David Skuodas, Mile High Flood District, Denver, CO
-- Will Weaver, Maryland Stream Restoration Association
Chelsea Murphy, ECT, Madrid, NM
LinkedIn Profile
Will Wilhelm, PE, CFM, ENV SP, Kimley-Horn, Denver, CO
Will is a Professional Engineer, geomorphologist, ecological restoration specialist, and Vice President serving as Kimley‑Horn’s National Director of Resiliency and Sustainability, with more than 30 years of experience in watershed, river, and floodplain restoration. He has led over twenty complex urban stream and river restoration projects nationwide that integrate flood risk reduction, water quality improvement, habitat restoration, and recreation through blended green infrastructure and nature‑based solutions. Will is recognized for his collaborative, client‑focused leadership, and his ability to translate geomorphic and ecological principles into implementable, multi‑benefit restoration outcomes. In 2025, he was named one of the Top 100 Sustainability Leaders in North America by future.io.
Luke Cole, PhD, Sonoran Institute, Tucson, AZ
Luke Cole, Ph.D., is Director of Sonoran Institute’s Santa Cruz River Program. Since joining Sonoran Institute in 2018, he has led collaborative efforts to restore and protect the river across southern Arizona and northern Sonora. His work brings together science, policy, community engagement, and binational partnerships to improve water quality, restore wildlife habitat, expand public access, and strengthen connections between communities and this vital desert river. Previously, Luke worked for the Washington, D.C. government, coordinating green infrastructure, water-quality improvement, and urban forestry initiatives. He holds a Ph.D. in environmental sciences from the University of Virginia, an M.S. in oceanography from the University of Rhode Island, and a B.A. in biology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
Ashley Flintoff, Friends of the Rouge, Dearborn, MI
Ashley Flintoff joined Friends of the Rouge in 2024 as the Executive Director. An avid fan of urban environments, Ashley is fascinated by the role space plays in encouraging and developing human interaction. Over the course of her career, Ashley has worked within the built environment with an emphasis on the interplay between sustainability and communities. Ashley works to elevate the work Friends of the Rouge is doing to restore, protect, and enhance the Rouge River watershed via her skills in strategic planning, collaborative community engagement, and sustainable development.
Prior to FOTR, Ashley was the Director of Planning and Space Management for Wayne State University’s Facilities Planning and Management department. She is a dual graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a Masters of Community Development and has a Master of Urban Planning from Wayne State University. Ashley has taught Urban Planning Process in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at Wayne State University and has been an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy on topics such as regional sustainability, community development for institutions, social media for nonprofits, and presentation skills.
Ashley is a founding Board Member and Secretary/Treasurer of the Volterra-Detroit Foundation, a former Board member of the Association for Community Design and was recognized by Crain’s Detroit as a 2022 Notable Woman in Construction, Design, and Architecture.
When not sailing the Michigan’s waterways on their 1978 Pearson 30 s/v Sirius, Ashley, her husband Tim and their rescue menagerie Akela, Nora, and Puck are renovating a 1914 Victorian home in Detroit’s historic Woodbridge neighborhood.
Linkedin Profile
Noah Greenberg, Wright Water Engineers, Denver, CO
Noah Greenberg, PWS is a Senior Water Resources Scientist and Regulatory Specialist with Wright Water Engineers, Inc. (WWE). Noah holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Colorado College and a master’s degree in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Colorado-Boulder. Noah manages and serves as a technical lead on projects involving Clean Water Act jurisdiction, Clean Water Act Section 404 permitting and compliance, water quality assessments (both functional and regulatory aspects), Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification, Clean Water Act Section 402 discharge permitting, National Environmental Policy Act planning and review, ecological assessments, and habitat restoration. Noah works with federal, state, local, and tribal governments on regulation development and enforcement. Noah also works with private and non-government organizations on a wide range of assessment, permitting, and restoration design projects.
LinkedIn Profile
Chelsea Keefer, Stream and Wetland Foundation, Columbus, OH
Chelsea has been with the Stream + Wetlands Foundation (S+W) since June 2020, and in her role, she leads complex ecological restoration initiatives, oversees regulatory program compliance, and develops strategic partnerships that advance landscape-scale conservation outcomes. She supports mitigation bank, in-lieu fee (ILF), and grant-funded restoration projects by combining technical environmental expertise with program administration, agency coordination, and collaborative project development. Chelsea focuses on strengthening relationships with public agencies, nonprofit partners, and private stakeholders, while managing the planning, implementation, tracking, and long-term stewardship of both mitigation and voluntary ecological restoration projects.
George Kelly, Earth Recovery Partners, Denver, CO
George Kelly is CEO of Earth Recovery Partners, LLC, a firm that develops nature-based solutions, environmental markets, and innovative financing strategies to address complex environmental challenges. A graduate of Tulane University and Vermont Law School (J.D., cum laude; M.S.L. in Environmental Law), he has more than 30 years of experience in environmental markets, project finance, and ecosystem restoration. Throughout his career, he has helped develop and implement more than $250 million in environmental credit projects involving wetlands, streams, water quality, stormwater, and endangered species across the United States while working with landowners, agencies, municipalities, investors, and private-sector partners.
Previously, Mr. Kelly founded Environmental Banc & Exchange (EBX), later acquired by Resource Environmental Solutions (RES), where he served as Chief Markets Officer and Strategic Advisor. He has held numerous national leadership roles, including President of the National Mitigation Banking Association and member of the U.S. EPA Environmental Finance Advisory Board. Today, he continues to advance innovative conservation finance through projects in the United States and internationally, supporting initiatives focused on water quality, forest conservation, reforestation, biodiversity, and nature-based investment.
LinkedIn Profile
Tracie Revis, Muscogee Nation, Macon, GA
Tracie Revis (Muscogee [Creek] Nation, Yuchi descent) is the Chief Executive Officer and Director of Advocacy for the Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative, where she leads efforts to establish Georgia’s first National Park and Preserve while advancing Indigenous sovereignty, cultural preservation, and environmental stewardship. She works alongside Tribal Nations, government leaders, and local communities to protect sacred Muscogee homelands and preserve the cultural and natural resources of the Ocmulgee River corridor.
Rooted in the traditions of the Polecat Ceremonial Ground in Oklahoma, Tracie’s work is guided by Indigenous knowledge and a lifelong commitment to protecting land, culture, and community. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma and a Juris Doctor with a Tribal Law Certificate from the University of Kansas.
Tracie was the first Muscogee woman to serve as Chief of Staff for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and previously served as Gaming Commissioner and Acting Secretary of Housing. She is also one of a handful of Native women to deliver a TED Talk, sharing the story of reconnecting with her ancestral homelands through the vision of creating Georgia’s first National Park and Preserve.
A nationally recognized speaker and advocate, Tracie frequently addresses audiences on Indigenous sovereignty, conservation, cultural resource protection, and environmental justice. She is passionate about building partnerships that honor Indigenous history while creating a more sustainable future for generations to come.
LinkedIn Profile
Erin Shanaberger, City of Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
Erin has served as the Watershed Planning and Project Implementation Supervisor for the City of Charlotte for over 6 years. Her group develops watershed plans, manages Charlotte’s Umbrella Stream and Wetland Mitigation Bank, and is responsible for implementation of all types of surface water quality improvement projects. Erin has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science from Appalachian State University and a Master of Science in Earth Sciences from UNC Charlotte. Erin has been with the City of Charlotte for 11 years and is a Professional Wetland Scientist
LinkedIn Profile
David Skuodas, Mile High Flood District, Denver, CO
David Skuodas is an engineer, educator, and storyteller who has worked for the past 25 years to improve the way we design, construct, and manage urban waterways. His career began in the engineering and design trenches – most recently as Director of Design, Construction, and Maintenance at the Mile High Flood District in Denver, where he oversaw more than $100M in yearly infrastructure investments.
In his current role as Director of Education and Outreach, he leads the District’s efforts to inform and educate the public, policymakers, and practitioners on smarter waterway design, effective project delivery, and sound floodplain management. Prior to working at the District, Dave was an engineering consultant for nine years in Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado. He has a civil engineering degree from the University of Florida and is the author of the book The Effective Client: Why Being a Good Client is Smart Business in the AEC Industry.
Will Weaver, Maryland Stream Restoration Association
William Weaver brings over 18 years of experience in ecological construction and restoration. An active leader in the restoration community, Will is the State Business Manager for Maryland & Delaware for RES and is currently serving as President of the Maryland Stream Restoration Association (MSRA), currently serving as the Vice President of the Chesapeake Watershed Restoration Professionals (CWRP), and on the board of the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy. Throughout Will's career, he has overseen the delivery of hundreds of thousands of linear feet of restored streams and critical infrastructure protection in environmentally sensitive areas as well as thousands of linear feet of shorelines and many wetlands and stormwater facility projects throughout Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic. When he has free time he enjoys spending it with his wife and two dogs at their home in Baltimore County Maryland and over the course of many years has been making their yard more native and pollinator friendly and have achieved Bay-Wise Certification and National Wildlife Federation Wildlife Habitat Certification for their efforts.