Click on the location names for personnel information

CORPORATE   Facility

Marilyn O'Neill
Founder & CEO
Ms. O’Neill has been with Nautilus and its predecessors for nearly 18 years. During this time, she has gained a variety of experience in environmental toxicology; having been employed as a laboratory technician, Quality Assurance Manager, Laboratory Manager, Branch Manager, and now Managing Director, Founder & CEO. Marilyn's current primary responsibilities are oversight, management, and mentorship of senior staff, financial management, marketing and business development, and direction of technical operations. This may include developing future direction of technical services and market areas, providing support to clients as program director or regulatory liaison, and final document review and approval. Marilyn received a B.A. in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution from the University of California at San Diego (1990). A M.S. in Statistics from San Diego State University is incomplete.

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CALIFORNIA Facility

Chris Stransky
Principal & Environmental Scientist
After 15 years of experience in the field of environmental toxicology, Mr. Stransky places a strong emphasis on progressive development of Nautilus’ capabilities and expertise. He is versed in all aspects of performing and interpreting tests under guidelines published by a variety of regulatory agencies and research institutions. To date, Chris has had experience with approximately 50 TIE studies covering all phases of identification and confirmation, 40 sediment risk assessment studies, 20 large-scale dredge material projects, and a wide variety of storm water, watershed, and R&D-related studies. In his current position, Chris designs both large-scale (e.g. Toxicity Identification Evaluations (TIEs), site-specific water quality criteria & TMDL development, storm water evaluation, and sediment/dredged material risk assessment) and small-scale (e.g. R&D, analytical techniques, data compilation, analysis and evaluation) projects. Chris holds a M.S. in Marine Ecology from San Diego State University (1998), and a B.A. in Aquatic Biology, from the University of California at Santa Barbara (1992).

Howard Bailey
Senior Scientist
Dr. Bailey has over 30 years of experience in consulting and academic positions in the areas of environmental toxicology and chemistry, aquatic and terrestrial ecology, ecotoxicology, biomarkers and histopathology, aquaculture, statistics and study design, structure activity analysis, environmental monitoring and impact assessment, mitigation strategies, and ecological risk assessment. As Senior Scientist at Nautilus, Howard is responsible for project management, acting as a regulatory liaison and expert witness, preparing and overseeing implementation of study designs for TIE/TREs, site-specific water quality criteria, watershed management, and risk assessment. Howard also provides technical support for internal R&D. Howard’s academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of California at Davis (1993), a M.S. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University (1981), and a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries from the University of California at Davis (1973).

Nick Buhbe
Environmental Scientist
Mr. Buhbe's thirteen-year career has included a wide variety of projects related to the aquatic environment, including sediment testing, assessment of marine and estuarine biological resources, water quality studies, preparation of environmental planning compliance documents, and wetland-related project work. Sediment characterization project experience has included physical, chemical, and biological assessment of sediments in the three major southern California harbors, and also ports in the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Projects related to water quality have included monitoring conducted under California's Porter-Cologne Act, and has recently included monitoring programs for dredging projects, sediment placement/sand replenishment programs, and the site of a brine discharge into sensitive estuarine habitat. Nick’s knowledge of southern California marine flora and fauna has been applied to projects which require assessment of the ecological condition of various biological communities, including estuarine, bay, and coastal environments. Nick has also participated in the preparation of several environmental assessment and environmental impact report documents related to permitting activities and assessing impacts to upland riparian biological resources, water quality, and the marine environment. Nick’s multi-disciplinary experience is based upon an academic foundation which includes a M.S. in Marine Ecology from San Diego State University (1997) and a B.A. in Marine Biology from the University of California at Santa Cruz (1992).

John Rudolph
Environmental Scientist & Laboratory Supervisor
Mr. Rudolph has over 15 years of experience in aquatic ecology/biology and has been working at Nautilus (and predecessors) since 1999. As a Project Manager and the Laboratory Supervisor, his primary responsibilities include oversight and training of all laboratory technicians, coordinating both routine and specialized toxicity tests including aqueous and sediment TIEs, as well as organization, analysis, and reporting of a variety of test data. In addition to his laboratory duties, John manages the field efforts for various projects. He currently coordinates all bioassessment projects under both CSBP and SWAMP methods. In addition, as the Diving Safety Officer for Nautilus, John oversees all field collections requiring SCUBA. He has been SCUBA certified since 1988 and has logged over 300 dives for a variety of organism and sample collections. John received a M.S. in Marine Ecology from San Diego State University (1995), and a B.A. in Ecology from Austin College (1992).

Steve Carlson
Environmental Scientist
Mr. Carlson has worked in the environmental consulting field since 1992, and his experience has centered on aquatic toxicology. Steve is a Project Manager at Nautilus, specifically for routine effluent and NPDES monitoring programs, and also coordinates the testing schedule for all projects in progress. This includes coordinating sample collection and transport with other Project Managers, and/or clients, as well as maintaining inventory to ensure test organisms and supplies are readily available for testing. Steve holds a B.S. in Applied Marine Ecology from the University of California at Irvine (1987).

Adrienne Cibor
Environmental Scientist
Ms. Cibor has six years of experience in environmental toxicology. She is currently a Project Manager focusing on areas of special studies, test design and research. Adrienne also has experience with fish taxonomy, intertidal monitoring and comprehensive surveys, and benthic invertebrate collection and taxonomy (including California Stream Bioassessment Procedures). She holds two Bachelors Degrees: a B.S. in Biology (Marine Emphasis) from San Diego State University (2001); and a B.S. in Business Administration from the California State University at Chico (1992).

Sarah Douglass
Environmental Scientist
Ms. Douglass has been with Nautilus (and predecessors) since 2003. Ms. Douglass's responsibilities have included general laboratory work, performing a variety of toxicity tests with a focus on Toxicity Identification Evaluations (TIE's), field work including sample collections for chemical and toxicological analyses, and participating in bioassessments. In her current position as a Project Manager, Sarah has gained experience working with a variety of clients. She has coordinated testing and reporting for storm water programs throughout California, and is currently working on a U.S. Navy contract involving toxicity testing, method development, data analysis, and QA/QC Program development. She is beginning to focus on the impacts of storm water to California ports, and is participating in the development of pollution reduction programs. Sarah received her B.S. in Biology (Marine Biology emphasis) from St. Francis University (2000), and has completed graduate level course work at the University of San Diego.

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WASHINGTON   Facility

Mary Ann Rempel-Hester
Laboratory Manager
Dr. Rempel-Hester has over 15 years experience in the field of marine biology, of which over 10 years has focused on aquatic toxicology. She has performed numerous surveys of fish, algae and invertebrates using SCUBA, trawls, benthic grabs, plankton tows, and other devices. She has experience in all aspects of dredged material assessments including creating sampling and analysis plans, collecting sediment, performing bioassays, analyzing data, and preparing/reviewing technical reports. She has managed whole effluent toxicity and storm water bioassay testing for numerous clients in several states. Mary Ann is well versed in most Environmental Protection Agency, Army Corps of Engineers, and Washington Department of Ecology-approved methods for measuring aquatic and sediment toxicity and has experience in special studies including product testing, water effect ratio studies and toxicity identification evaluations. She is also one of the few consultants in the U.S. with experience analyzing the effects of emerging contaminants such as personal care products, pharmaceuticals, and endocrine-disrupting compounds in fish and invertebrates. As Laboratory Manager, Mary Ann's primary responsibilities include management of the staff and overall operation of the laboratory, business development, client service, final data and statistical analysis review, report review and approval, financial management, and subcontracting. Mary Ann’s academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology from the University of California, Riverside (2007) and a B.A. in Biology from the University of Puget Sound (1991).

Indira Santiago
Laboratory Supervisor
After 9 years in the field of environmental science, Mrs. Santiago joined the field of environmental toxicology in August of 2006, as an aquatic biologist. During this time, she gained experience in whole effluent and sediment toxicity testing, hazardous waste characterization, and Water Effect Ratio studies. As a Laboratory Supervisor, Indira's responsibilities include technical staff training, application and enhancement of the Quality Assurance Program, as well as data analysis and reporting. Indira holds a B.S. in Environmental and Forest Biology from the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry (1997).

Eric Tollefson
Technical Coordinator
Mr. Tollefson has over seven years experience in aquatic toxicology, and has been working for for Nautilus (and predecessor) since 2002. As Technical Coordinator Eric is responsible for ensuring that test organisms are available and of sufficient sensitivity for testing. He also maintains laboratory equipment and identifies ways to increase quality and streamline work. His experience in toxicology has lead to an expertise in conducting specialized testing including water effects ratio studies, product testing, and toxicity identification evaluations. He is adept at identifying potential confounding effects that might lead to a variance in response from the test organisms (e.g. binding of food source by compound of interest), and adapting the test method to compensate. Eric holds a B.S. in Biology from Central Washington University (1997) (the Harvard of Kittitas County).

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BRITISH COLUMBIA   Facility

Armando Tang
Laboratory Manager
Mr. Tang is a professional biologist whose area of expertise is aquatic toxicology. With 13 years experience in environmental toxicology, he has extensive knowledge of conducting sediment and water column toxicity tests using a variety of freshwater and marine organisms, as well as interpreting data and reporting to clients and regulatory agencies. He is also experienced in conducting investigations to determine the cause of toxicity in effluent and sediment samples, which aids clients in successfully developing cost-effective toxicity reduction strategies. Armando has participated in numerous environmental monitoring programs, including sediment assessments using the Triad approach and receiving water monitoring of various discharges. In addition, Armando has extensive knowledge of sample collection and Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) guidelines, having spent eight years on the QA/QC Committee of a large commercial toxicity testing laboratory. Armando holds a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences from Simon Fraser University (1991).

James Elphick
Environmental Scientist
Mr. Elphick is a Registered Professional Biologist with more that ten years experience as an Environmental Toxicologist. He has particular expertise interpreting results from environmental toxicity testing programs, identifying causes of toxicity using Toxicity Identification Evaluations, and conducting method development for toxicity tests. James has managed a variety of environmental projects for the mining, sewage treatment, oil and gas, and transportation industries. He has designed and interpreted Environmental Effects Monitoring programs and has conducted evaluations of sediment and water quality. James provides a technical resource for investigations conducted in both the Washington and British Columbia laboratories. His understanding of environmental chemistry and toxicity testing practices results in an ability to provide relevant and useful interpretation of laboratory data in the context of real-world conditions. James received a B.S. in Biological Sciences, with a minor in Environmental Toxicology from Simon Fraser University (1996).

Melanie Ptashynski
Consulting Group Manager
Ms. Ptashynski is a Registered Professional Biologist with more than ten years experience as an Environmental Scientist, with particular expertise in the fields of aquatic toxicology and statistics. Melanie has managed environmental monitoring programs for pulp and paper operations, metal mines, municipal governments, and the oil and gas industry. She has designed and implemented numerous environmental studies investigating the effects of contaminants, particularly metal and nutrients, on aquatic resources. She has also conducted laboratory-based research investigating the uptake and toxicology of metals in freshwater fish. Currently, she is project manager for receiving environment monitoring programs for a municipal discharge and metal mine in British Columbia. Melanie received a B.Sc. in Environmental Science (with focus on aquatic toxicology) (1994) and a M.Sc. in Zoology (2000), both from University of Manitoba.

Chessy Knight
Environmental Scientist
Ms. Knight is a registered professional biologist with more than ten years experience as an Environmental Scientist, with particular expertise in the fields of environmental impact assessment, aquatic biology and toxicology, and ecological risk assessment. Chessy has managed a variety of environmental projects, including a long-term and complex amphibian risk assessment, numerous aquatic biological monitoring programs for compliance with permit conditions, land development feasibility studies, and habitat evaluations for land development / infrastructure project applications. Her experience also covers work in environmental policy, specifically at the local government level, as well as policy review for new and updated federal and provincial aquatic habitat regulations. Her experience with the development and implementation of biological monitoring programs in aquatic receiving environments covers a variety of stressors, including stormwater toxicity and contaminated sediments (as well as ambient environmental monitoring programs). Finally, she has served on the emergency response team for the District of Squamish, providing technical support to District Council, community, and senior environmental agency staff during two significant environmental disasters: a sodium hydroxide spill in a highly productive salmonid river, and a Bunker C oil spill in the sensitive Squamish estuary. Her role extended beyond response for these two events, and a continued through to long-term monitoring and recovery of these ecosystems. Chessy received a joint B.S. in Biology and Technical Communication from the University of Florida, Gainesville (1992) and a M.S. in Environmental Science from the State University of New York and Syracuse University (1994).

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