Wildlands Team
Mark Heintz, Chief Executive Officer
Executive Team
As the CEO of Wildlands, Mark Heintz is responsible for running all facets of the business. Mark has a proven executive management track record with over 17 years of experience driving the company's operations and legal matters. Mark also practices law in California and has a multitude of experience in negotiating the acquisition of environmentally sensitive property and assets as well as solving complex regulatory problems related to environmental and land use issues; with a particular proficiency for ESA, CWA, CEQA, NEPA, and CERCLA projects. Mark has and continues to regularly serve on the Board of Directors for multiple non-profit and private organizations as well as quasi-governmental agencies that range from schools and environmental groups to reclamation districts. Mark holds law degrees and diplomas from the Inns of Court School of Law, the City University London, and the University of Liverpool. He is a Barrister-at-Law and a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn in London, England. Mr. Heintz's undergraduate studies were focused on Zoology and the Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary.
Brian Monaghan, Senior Vice President
Executive Team
Mr. Monaghan's duties include mitigation credit sales, new market analysis and project development. Brian joined the Wildlands team in 2006, bringing over 12 years of experience working for other mitigation banking firms, as well as investment groups focused on environmentally-sensitive properties. He is a licensed California Real Estate Broker.
Dan Kominek, Vice President of Land Management
Executive Team
Mr. Kominek oversees Land Management, Habitat Stewardship and Agricultural Production on over 60,000 acres of protected landscapes and agricultural operations. Dan came to Wildlands in 2004 from his position as Animal Resource Manager at UC Davis where he managed the Beef Cattle Research and Teaching Facilities for the Animal Science Department. Dan is the RME for Wildlands with both a General Contractors license and a Fencing Contractors license.
Sherrie R. Aland, Corporate Counsel
Executive Team
Ms. Aland brings more than 20 years of experience in real estate, land use and natural resource law to the Wildlands team. Sherrie manages the company's day-to-day transactional and operational legal matters. Prior to joining Wildlands, she acted as an outside counsel for the company, providing advice on complex land use and real estate transactions. Ms. Aland is a member of the Environmental and Real Estate Sections of the Sacramento County Bar Association and the Real Property Section of the State Bar of California; as well as a member of the Building Industry Association of Superior California, the Urban Land Institute and the American Planning Association. Sherrie is a graduate of McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific and received a B.A. in Government from California State University Sacramento.
Kathy Daniel, Executive Vice President
Executive Team
With 30 years of experience in the legal industry, Ms. Daniel has spent the last 15 years in the legal department at Wildlands where she’s worked side by side with the chief executive managers. As Executive Vice President, Kathy continues to oversee all corporate matters as well as working with the management team to help focus the executives, and ensure the talented team of employees receive the support and direction they need to reach their shared company goals. Prior to joining Wildlands in 2004, Ms. Daniel expanded her experience to include managing the operations department of one of the fastest growing, top rated publishing companies on the West Coast.
Ray Zucker, Vice President of Strategic Growth & Development
Executive Team
Mr. Zucker is responsible for identifying, evaluating, and implementing new integrated business models. His emphasis is on strategic planning, marketing, business development, budgeting, and resource management. He works with directors and other members of the executive team to facilitate growth, meet financial targets, and ensure a high level of performance. Ray is a veteran of the U.S. Army with 8 years of active duty service.
Cindy Tambini, Vice President of Planning and Conservation
Executive Team
With over 25 years of experience in environmental planning and permitting, Ms. Tambini oversees the Wildlands planning team in guiding mitigation projects through the required entitlement and permitting processes. Cindy works hard to help these teams place an emphasis on ensuring high-quality ecological mitigation and regulatory compliance. She has directed the entitlement of over 60 large-scale mitigation projects, including 25 mitigation and conservation banks. She works closely with the appropriate regulatory agencies throughout both the Bank establishment process and the long-term management and monitoring process.
Karen Mayfield, Chief Financial Officer
Executive Team
Ms. Mayfield oversees all aspects of financial control for Wildlands. She provides financial and strategic support, monthly account management, budget forecasts, and internal financial statements and income tax accounting. Karen joined the Wildlands team in 2012, bringing more than nine years of CPA experience with an emphasis on complex tax planning and compliance of partnerships, single member LLCs, and corporations.
Bill Roper, Director of Biological Services
Biology
As Director of Biological Services, Mr. Roper oversees the Wildlands Biology Department and is responsible for all of the biological evaluations of potential properties. Bill has more than 20 years of personal and professional experience and garnered his expertise from working with various mitigation and conservation banks in California, Oregon, and Washington.
Jeff Novak, Director of Design Build
Design/Build
Mr. Novak leads the design and construction of habitat restoration projects. He guides the design-build team through each phase of project implementation, including site assessments, conceptual planning, the creation of construction drawings, bidding, and construction management. Jeff is a licensed, professional engineer and a licensed landscape architect with 16 years of experience in developing and implementing habitat restoration plans.
Jacob Robinson, Director of Conservation Biology
Biology
No matter which hat Jacob Robinson is wearing, his goal is simple – to entitle and manage protected landscapes. As the Director of Conservation Biology for Wildlands, Mr. Robinson oversees every aspect of developing complex mitigation solutions from generating technical documents to client/agency interface. As a Senior Biologist, Jacob is responsible for reviewing and selecting sensitive lands for protection as well as implementation of approved monitoring and management plans. Throughout his 15 years of experience in the biological field Jacob has contributed to the protection of over 30,000 acres and always tries to take a common-sense approach to balancing business and biological solutions. Outside of the office he enjoys restoring vintage axes and rediscovering nature through his children’s eyes.
Julie Maddox, Director of Sales
Sales & Marketing
With 20 years of experience in customer service and inside sales, Ms. Maddox is responsible for providing the highest quality of customer service to clients, assisting with company marketing efforts, coordinating mitigation credit sales, and reporting all sales transactions. Julie brings an unparalleled knowledge of bank inventory tracking to meet regulatory agency requirements and is an essential asset to the Wildlands team.
Becky Amos, Land Acquisition Manager
Land Acquisition
Ms. Amos brought her background in animal science to the Wildlands team in 2002. Shortly after, her role expanded into the land acquisition department. Today, Becky manages and coordinates the majority of the land escrows from contracts to closing. She also works to identify new and suitable land opportunities, assists to negotiate new leads, and performs due diligence in support of acquisition efforts.
Neil Dhawan, GIS Manager
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
With 16 years of experience in GIS, Mr. Dhawan now oversees the Wildlands GIS department. Neil assists in the acquisition, management and analyzation of spatial data for the identification and assessment of potential restoration and conservation sites.
Bart Cremers, Biology and Rangeland Specialist
Land Management
With more than 20 years of experience in range management and the livestock industry, Mr. Cremers oversees the grazing on Wildlands’ properties to ensure the livestock are meeting the habitat goals. As a California Certified Rangeland Manager, Bart is responsible for rangeland management, biological monitoring, creating grazing and habitat management plans, monitoring reports, and outside consulting.
Patrick Stephens, Habitat Supervisor
Land Management
Patrick has been caring for Wildlands’ habitat portfolio for more than 8-years. His heavy equipment experience, ability to improve water delivery systems, and supervisory capacity is directly related to a number of successful restoration projects. Patrick and his habitat team work alongside the Wildlands construction team on a daily basis to deliver high-end projects in a timely fashion.
Keith Brown, Restoration Specialist
Land Management
Since 2006 Mr. Brown has been supporting Wildlands’ Design/Build Department with its numerous wetland projects. His background in hydrology and water resource management has been instrumental in achieving project success. In addition to his wetland duties, Mr. Brown mentors junior Field Stewards on habitat maintenance, equipment operation and upkeep, surveying, fabrication and safety.
Rogelio Alcaraz-Chavez, Construction Supervisor
Land Management
Since 2013 Rogelio has been growing through the ranks of Wildlands’ Land Management Department. Starting out as a Field Steward where he learned about habitat maintenance, then onto a Team Leader position where he managed a small 2-3 person team, and most recently as a Construction Supervisor. As a Wildlands Construction Supervisor, Rogelio oversees the day-to-day operations of field crews and is primarily responsible for installation of all project materials. His team is known for taking on the most demanding of projects.
Laurie Coghe, Senior Staff Accountant
Accounting & Office Staff
Ms. Coghe brings more than 28 years of accounting experience in residential and commercial construction to the Wildlands team. Laurie lends her expertise in accounting to facilitate learning opportunities for the accounting team, while simultaneously providing full-cycle project accounting, and project cost and variance analysis. Laurie is an integral part of payroll procedures, including working cooperatively with all employees and upper management.
Jennifer Christian, Staff Accountant
Accounting & Office Staff
With her 13 years of experience, Ms. Christian provides support to the full accounting department, including maintaining cash requirements on multiple accounts, maintaining vendor accounts, monthly financial reporting, as well as maintaining communication with the Wildlands team to create an optimal environment for successful project management.
Felix Rodriguez, Habitat Field Steward
Land Management
With more than 19-years of service at Wildlands, Mr. Rodriguez is an invaluable member of the Land Management team. His ability to operate various equipment and wide array of farming implements sets him apart. Mr. Rodriguez also has an in depth knowledge of habitat and field experience that continues to be leveraged on a daily basis when training and mentoring junior stewards.
Fidel Rodriguez, Field Steward
Land Management
Louis Marroletti, Habitat Field Steward
Land Management
Mr. Marroletti is originally from Ohio and is an 11-year veteran of the United States Navy where he served as an underwater ordnance specialist. He holds a degree in environmental technology with a focus on water and industrial safety. Mr. Marroletti joined the Wildlands team in 2018 to bring positive impact to the environment and enjoy the great outdoors.
Julie Mentzer, Director of Environmental Operations
Pacific Northwest
In her seven years with Wildlands, Ms. Mentzer has managed numerous large-scale restoration projects in California, Washington and Oregon. Her most notable projects include Blue Heron Slough Conservation Bank, the first conservation bank in Washington; and Hylebos Creek Estuarine Restoration Project, the first private-public project developed to offset Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) settlements. During her three years managing Wildlands' Portland office, Julie’s duties include obtaining the necessary federal, state, and local permits for projects in the Pacific Northwest and working cooperatively with the Portland Harbor Trustee Council on restoration projects to offset Natural Resource Damages within the Portland Harbor Superfund Site.
Natasha Henderson, Senior Conservation Planner
Pacific Northwest
Ms. Henderson joined the Wildlands team in 2005 and has led the permitting and entitlements of numerous restoration projects in California, Oregon, and Washington. Natasha’s experience ranges from managing the approvals of customized mitigation solutions for renewable energy clients in the Colorado and Mojave deserts to garnering permits and approvals for Natural Resource Damage Assessment mitigation projects in the Portland Harbor and Washington State. Natasha earned her degree in Conservation and Resource Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and brings more than 15 years of experience in ecological permitting, restoration planning, and project management.
Shiree Rezendes, Assistant Conservation Planner
Planning
Ms. Rezendes is one of the newest members of the Wildlands planning team. With 10 years of experience in the environmental field, Ms. Rezendes brings a variety of knowledge and experience with her. Graduating from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a degree in Environmental Studies, plant, and soil sciences, as well as ecology and water resources management have been her focus throughout her career. With experience ranging from educating youth on watershed health to compliance work with the Clean Water Act, Ms. Rezendes will assist Wildlands with the entitlement and permitting of mitigation and conservation banks across California, Oregon, and Washington.
Jacob Bastian, Desert Biologist
Biology
Mr. Bastian specializes in surveying, monitoring, and preparing reports for mitigation projects completed by Wildlands throughout the Colorado and Mojave Deserts. Jacob brings four years of experience to the biology team which includes a strong background in botany and habitat restoration.
Connor McClay, Desert Biologist
Biology
Mr. McClay specializes in surveying and monitoring mitigation projects completed by Wildlands throughout the Colorado and Mojave Deserts. Connor brings a lifetime of desert experience to the biology team which includes a strong background in property reconnaissance.
Natalie Furtado, Operations Administrator
Accounting & Office Staff
Ms. Furtado joined our team in early 2022. In addition to a successful career in education, Natalie brings with her strong administrative skills and a firm understanding of compliance from her time at the U.S. Department of Forestry. Natalie works tirelessly supporting and managing administrative operations across all business platforms. From contract administration to accounts receivable, and from addressing employee needs to delivering on customer expectations; Natalie plays a key role ensuring operational goals of the company are met daily.
Steve Morgan, Founder
Executive Team
A true industry pioneer, Steve’s passion for the outdoors and land conservation led him to form Wildlands in 1991 and build the first mitigation bank west of the Mississippi in 1994. Responsible for conserving over a hundred thousand acres of land, Steve’s ability to problem solve in working with land owners and government is unparalleled. Steve remains very active in the community and is a frequent adviser to Mark and the Wildlands team when he isn’t organizing equestrian events or riding a cutting horse.
