who we are
meet our diverse team of technical professionals
We are anthropologists and archaeologists, environmental scientists, ecologists, project planners, managers, and geospatial specialists. Our technically diverse team works collaboratively to examine project needs from multiple perspectives and deliver thoughtful, integrative solutions. Our key staff and support personnel bring reputations for excellence, nationwide experience, and vast agency expertise unmatched by most small consulting firms.
Dee Ann Espinoza, MA, RPA
Chief Executive Officer
Contract Administrator, Principal Investigator
Photo: Minesh Bacrania
Dee Espinoza has more than 21 years of hands-on experience as a Cultural Resource Principal Investigator and Project Director in the Plains, Southwest, and Gulf States. During her career, she has supervised and performed cultural research studies on various land jurisdictions for both public and private entities. She meets the SOI’s Qualifications for Archaeologist (Prehistoric and Historic) and Historian. Her particular archaeological specialty is in faunal analysis and human osteology. She is also the founder, owner, and CEO of ECS.
She is currently the contract administrator for 20 on-going projects in various aspects of cultural, natural, and environmental services. In the past nine years, she has administered more than 245 projects with federal, state, tribal, and commercial clients.
Stephen W. Yost., MA, RPA
Regulatory Services Director
Principal Investigator, Quality Control Manager
Stephen Yost is a professional archaeologist with more than 27 years of experience in cultural resource compliance across the United States. As ECS’ Regulatory Services Director, he oversees company efforts in cultural resource management, historic preservation, and environmental services. He meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Qualifications for Prehistoric and Historic Archaeology and is currently permitted as Principal Investigator by numerous federal agencies and Tribes in both eastern and western states.
Stephen's experience includes an extensive background assuring compliance with Sections 106, 110, and 111 of NHPA; NEPA; NAGPRA; AIRFA; ARPA; and Section 404 of CWA, plus other military, federal, state, local, and tribal regulations. He has authored or contributed to more than 200 technical reports, including numerous EAs, EISs, and other NEPA documents; provided technical assistance in the preparation of Memoranda of Agreement, Memoranda of Understanding, and other compliance agreements; contributed to Integrated Cultural Resource Management Plans (ICRMPs) for numerous Department of Defense (DoD) installations. Projects have also involved coordinating and/or facilitating efforts with numerous federally recognized Tribes in the southeastern and southwestern US and Great Plains. DoD project experience spans Army/Army Reserve, Air Force, Marine Corps/Marine Corps Reserve, National Guard, and Navy/Naval Reserve facilities across the United States.
Christine G. Ward, PhD, RPA
Principal Investigator
Chris is a professional archaeologist with 30 years of experience in the archaeology of the Southwest and Plains in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. She meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Qualifications for Prehistoric Archaeology and has been permitted as Principal Investigator, Project Director, Direct Charge, and/or Direct Charge for Fieldwork by various states, federal agencies, and tribes. Since 1992, she has managed at the Principal Investigator and Project Director levels, the field, laboratory, research, and report writing and editing aspects of many projects. Resources identified on these projects span from the Paleoindian through Historical periods, including campsites, pueblos, villages, and historic mission, ranching, railroad, and domestic resources. Chris has completed over 150 field projects and has authored three magazine articles, dozens of papers, one published book section, and hundreds of gray literature reports.
Ryan Walker, MEM
GIS Manager
Environmental Management Specialist
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Ryan has over 8 years of experience applying geospatial technologies in the fields of natural and cultural resource management, ecology, and environmental science. He specializes in incorporating spatial data, tools, and related technologies into streamlined workflows for interdisciplinary land and resource management projects.
Ryan’s areas of expertise include geospatial analysis and modeling, LiDAR processing and 3D visualization, production mapping and custom cartography, and web map development. He has performed on countless projects throughout the West for both public, private, and nonprofit entities. His research in GIS-driven resource management and forest ecology has been published in the peer-reviewed journals of Landscape Ecology, Forests, Ecosphere, Forest Ecology and Management, and the Journal of Vegetation Science.
Ryan's additional experience includes designing and managing multi-state field research projects, overseeing NEPA documentation for large-scale developments, training and supervising technical staff, and coauthoring educational materials for federal wilderness stewardship programs. His diverse technical background enables him to find integrative solutions to a wide array of complex resource management needs.
Garry Baker, MA, AICP
GIS and Land Planning Analyst
Garry has over 20 years of experience in land use planning, GIS, stakeholder engagement, and project management. He was the project lead for the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area Visual Resource Inventory, completed in February 2021. Garry has authored plans for trail systems on BLM public lands, including the Electric Hills Trail System, Uncompahgre Singletrack Plan and Buzzard Gulch Trails.
Garry has extensive experience in municipal planning, with a focus on maximizing active recreation and design of outdoor spaces. Examples of his work include the Uncompahgre River Buffer Zone, City of Montrose Comprehensive Plan, Riverbottom Park Improvement Plan, and revitalization of downtown plazas. Garry is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).
© 2021 Espinoza Consulting Services is a Colorado registered trade name for Espinoza Cultural Services, LLC.