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Our Team
CREST employs a seasoned and dedicated team of project managers, biologists, environmental planners and GIS specialists who provide leadership and consultative guidance on planning and habitat restoration initiatives throughout the Lower Columbia River. The CREST team is also experienced in building and maintaining community partnerships to ensure collaborative efforts advance ecological and economic sustainability for the region. |
Photo Credit: Trav William, Broken Banjo Photography
Instagram: @BrokenBanjoTrav
Twitter: @BrokenBanjoTrav
Facebook: BrokenBanjoPhotography
Photograph of Garrett Phillips by Garrett Phillips; Photograph of Jess Hoch by Jess Hoch; Photograph of Jay Horita by Jay Horita
Instagram: @BrokenBanjoTrav
Twitter: @BrokenBanjoTrav
Facebook: BrokenBanjoPhotography
Photograph of Garrett Phillips by Garrett Phillips; Photograph of Jess Hoch by Jess Hoch; Photograph of Jay Horita by Jay Horita
Denise Löfman, Director
Denise joined the CREST team as Director in July of 2012 and has applied her professional passion to resource management of regional watersheds since moving to the Oregon Coast in 2004. She is dedicated to working in partnership with communities to find solutions to natural resource issues. Read More...
Paula Gerttula, Fiscal Administrator/Operations Manager
Paula joined the CREST team originally in March 1997 and worked until June of 2000. She rejoined the organization in 2003 and has been responsible for managing the finance department ever since. Paula possesses a keen interest in being of service to her team and supporting each employee to make their jobs easier, providing orientations to new staff, and participating in special projects with CREST’s Director. Read More...
Jason Smith, Habitat Restoration Program Manager
Jason grew up in Seaside, Oregon, just south of Astoria. Being involved in research and habitat restoration that impacts his local community was a galvanizing factor in his decision to join the CREST team in 2009. He is passionate about supporting CREST’s crucial role in helping to keep the Columbia River estuary’s vital habitats and the unique species utilizing them from being lost forever. Read More...
Tracy Hruska, Habitat Restoration Project Manager
Tracy joined the Habitat Restoration team as a Project Manager in 2020. Tracy has lived in rural areas across much of the US and abroad, and he brings to CREST a longstanding devotion to seeing that rural communities and their environments benefit each other. He is particularly happy to be working on restoration activities that benefit salmon, and to thereby support all the communities that rely on them. Read More...
Jess Hoch, Habitat Restoration Project Manager
Jess joined the Habitat Restoration team as a Project Manager in 2023. She brings a background in plant community ecology, plant-soil interactions, and GIS. Much of her professional experience centers on multi-stakeholder restoration planning and on ecosystem monitoring to inform adaptive management of ongoing restoration projects. Read More...
Jay Horita, Habitat Restoration Project Manager
Jay joined the Habitat Restoration team as a Project Manager in 2024. After many years with the federal land management agencies, Jay began looking for a different approach to environmental work. He joined CREST because of its forward-thinking crew and its ability to get complex projects across the finish line. Read More...
April Silva, Senior Wetland Ecologist
April has discovered the coveted alignment of her professional goals with her personal passions in her role as Lead Ecologist for CREST. April’s devotion to her work is inspired by a love for the outdoors and the commitment CREST makes to both restoration ecology and community economics. Read More...
Narayan Elasmar, Senior Fisheries Ecologist
Narayan has been with CREST since 2014. In that time, he has assisted in the implementation of countless juvenile salmon habitat restoration projects. Narayan works in the monitoring department with April Silva, Lead Ecologist. Read More...
Garrett Phillips, Senior Coastal Planner
Garrett Phillips re-joined CREST in 2022 as the Coastal Planner, after previously serving in this role from 2014 to 2016. Garrett provides planning services to local cities, counties and ports to help them manage how they change with their local natural systems. Read More...
Robert Henicksman, Staff Accountant & Contracts Coordinator
Robert came to CREST in May 2018 as the Financial & Administrative Assistant. In January 2020 he became the Staff Accountant & Contracts Coordinator. He has a Bachelors of Business Administration with a major in Accounting and is also a Certified Public Accountant. Before coming to CREST, Robert spent most of his career as an auditor. Read More...
Mandy Flaitz, Accounting & Administrative Specialist
Mandy joined CREST as the Financial and Administrative Assistant in September 2021. She is excited to be a part of the financial team and is looking forward to working with the rest of the CREST staff.. Read More...
