Plant Research Assistant

Gillian I Levy

707-***-****, *************@*****.***

PO Box 2061 Trinidad, CA 95570

Botanist/Plant Ecologist/Watershed Scientist

I have worked as a botanist, plant ecologist, and wetland and watershed scientist for eleven years. In addition, I have completed extensive graduate work in watershed management and GIS. Applying my background in ecological field methods and plant taxonomy, as well as proficient skills with GIS and remote sensing software, I have conducted rare plant and floristic surveys, inventoried noxious weeds, classified and mapped plant communities, and gathered ecological data in a wide variety of ecosystems in northern California. I have also managed projects, coordinated field crews, and provided consistent communication with a variety of clients. As an independent contractor and as a senior botanist for a large consulting company, I have consulted with public and private lands managers on botanical surveys and ecological restoration projects, implemented monitoring plans, and conducted numerous site assessments, including evaluations and recommendations.

Small Business Owner/Entrepreneur in California Cannabis

In 2015, I co-founded a compliant cannabis company. I built the business from the ground up, which included product design, packaging design, branding and marketing, compliance with all state regulatory entities, establishment of and implementation of SOPs, integration with METRC (California track and trace) and attainment of city and state permits and licenses. I established relationships with over 200 dispensaries within the state of California, and implemented a sales strategy to grow the business to the 2nd largest “health and wellness” cannabis brand in the state of California. I built and managed a team of employees that included manufacturing operations, human resources, marketing, and sales. I managed department operations by allocating resources, scheduling deliverables, delegating daily responsibilities, addressing challenges, and designing processes and policies to support successful and efficient operating logistics and workflows.

EDUCATION

B.S., Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA. 2005

Major in Biological Science

Graduate Studies in Hydrology/Watershed Management 2008

Relevant coursework includes: General Ecology, Plant Taxonomy, Advanced Plant Taxonomy, Agrostology, GIS, Raster Modeling, Remote Sensing, Wetland Soils Science, Geomorphology, Hydrology, Forest Hydrology, Stream Ecology, Wildland Fuels Management, and Multivariate Statistics

SPECIFIC EXPERTISE

Project Management and Execution

Managed department operations by allocating resources, scheduling deliverables, delegating daily responsibilities, addressing challenges, and designing processes and policies to support successful and efficient operating logistics and workflows.

Design and Delivery of Education/Training Programs

Designed an employee training program to ensure knowledgeable and consistent messaging about products and our company.

Designed and implemented SOPs to ensure compliance with local and state licensing and compliance requirements.

Metrics and Quota Attainment

Worked closely with a sales and distribution team to establish quarterly and annual sales strategies and metrics to track growth and sales velocity.

Worked with employees to establish and develop goals to strive for to ensure continued growth and success.

Outstanding Verbal, Written, and Presentation Skills

Over the course of the last seven years, I have been invited to speak on multiple podcasts, I have written content for an ongoing educational blog, and I have been invited to speak on panels and for educational purposes at conferences across the state of California.

Project Management, Field and Supervisory Skills

Experience with project management and supervising field personnel.

Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Strong ability to work in the field under difficult conditions and in remote locations.

Plant Taxonomy and Floristic Inventory

Advanced plant taxonomic skills, w/emphasis on the flora of northern CA.

Conducted numerous rare plant and invasive weed surveys, including complete floristic inventories.

Vegetation Mapping / Environmental Assessment

Skills in vegetation classification, habitat mapping, wetland delineation, and numerous ecological sampling techniques.

Training in wetland delineation.

Experienced in describing and mapping a wide variety of plant communities ranging from estuarine salt marsh to upland conifer forests.

Experience with aerial photo interpretation and remote sensing of coastal and interior vegetation communities, and proficient in the use of both Garmin and Trimble GPS units, as well as ArcGIS, ESRI, and Feature Analyst software.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Small Business Co-Founder and Owner, 2015-Present.

Built a business from the ground up. This included establishing banking and becoming adept in Quickbooks for bookkeeping purposes. Attained local and state permits and licenses and built a compliant and licensed manufacturing facility. Established SOPs to ensure compliance for all activity. Managed a team of employees that included manufacturing and sales for the state of California. Built and maintained relationships across the state to ensure ongoing success of the business.

Senior Botanist URS/AECOM, Oakland, CA 2015-2016.

Conducted small to large scale field surveys for vegetation mapping, wetland delineation, and rare plants throughout the Bay area. Provided recommendations for managing rare plant populations and for mitigation where needed. Maintained close communication with project managers and colleagues. Composed rare and endangered species reports and provided ecological recommendations for a FEMA database.

Independent Botanical / Ecological Consultant, Arcata, CA. 2006 to 2014.

Acting as sole proprietor of certified small business providing botanical and ecological consulting services to public agencies and private clients with natural resource needs throughout northern California. Primary services provided include botanical surveys, biological monitoring, vegetation and habitat mapping, wetland delineation and mapping, and ecosystem restoration planning and implementation.

Field Botanist/Research Assistant, Cultural Resources Foundation, Humboldt State University. 2014.

Conducted floristic inventories and rare plant surveys for CEQA compliance in riparian areas in various watersheds of Humboldt and Mendocino County, collected wide range of field data and summarized results in written form.

Field Biologist, LBJ Consulting. 2005.

Conducted biological inventories of rare molluscs and amphibians in private timber land owned by Green Diamond Resource Company.

SELECT CONTRACT & FIELD EXPERIENCE, 2006 – 2014.

NWI Wetland Delineation 2010.

Updated the wetland delineations for the greater Humboldt Bay National Wetland Inventory. Using previous delineations in combination with aerial images, and ground truthing of wetland vegetation and soils, I updated the NWI wetland map. This was an extensive and detailed mapping project.

Vegetation Mapping of Coastal Sand Dune Communities, Humboldt County, CA. 2007-2014.

Assisted in the design and implementation of a multiple agency effort to map coastal sand dune vegetation communities along the north coast of Humboldt County, California for U.S. Fish & Wildlife, Redwood National and State Parks, Bureau of Land Management and California Department of Fish & Game. Collected quantitative vegetation plot data and identified all vascular plants to species in sample plots. Compiled data and assisted in classifying and defining data by ecological community. Created a vegetation map, using a combination of photo interpretation and supervised classification with Feature Analyst software.

Rare Plant Surveys, Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Humboldt County, CA. 2007-2010. Conducted rare plant surveys across approx. 5,000 acres of coastal sand dunes, wetlands, upland forests and grassland communities on federal land, documented numerous previously unknown occurrences of special-status and threatened/ endangered species (including Humboldt Bay Wall-Flower, Beach Layia, Pink Sand Verbena and Humboldt Bay Owl’s Clover), and recorded baseline data on rare plant populations, for U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Arcata, CA.

Invasive Plant Species Eradication and Monitoring, Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Arcata, CA. 2006-2010. Field work involving removal of exotic invasives from natural habitats including Dense-Flowered Cordgrass, European Beachgrass, Yellow Bush Lupine and Ice Plant.

Rare Plant Monitoring, Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Arcata, CA. 2006-2010. Collected field data to determine the status and variability in populations of a number of special-status plant species that occur on the refuge (including Beach Layia, Humboldt Bay Owl’s Clover and Point Reyes Bird’s Beak) and analyzed these data to evaluate long-term population viability, for U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Arcata, CA.

Vegetation Surveys and Mapping, Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Arcata, CA. 2006. Collected wide range of vegetation plot data and identified all vascular plants in sample plots as part of larger effort to map the vegetation and classify the diversity of native plant communities in the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge, for U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Arcata, CA.

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

Proficient with standard PC-based computer software packages including Microsoft Office, ArcPad, and ArcMap, and in use of both Garmin and Trimble GPS units. Proficient in Quickbooks.

10 years of experience working with children in an elementary classroom setting. My work with children has included many botany and watershed related demonstrations/experiments in the classroom and in the field.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

California Native Plant Society

Professional Botanists of Northern CA

Humboldt County Grower’s Association

National Cannabis Industry Association

REFERENCES

Jennifer Kalt, Associate Proffessor

Humboldt Cal-Poly

1 Harpst Street Arcata, CA 95521

707-***-****, *******@*****.***

Andrea Pickart, Ph.D., Ecologist

Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex

Lanphere Dunes Unit. 6800 Lanphere Rd, Arcata, CA 95521

707-***-****, **************@***.***

Joyce Cenali, COO

Big Rock Partners and Sonoma Hills Farms

415-***-****, *****@***-****.***

Kristi Knoblich, Co-founder

Kiva Confections, Kiva Sales and Services

510-***-****, ******@***************.***

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