Meet Our Board

Paul Mueller, President
CESSWI

Paul Mueller is an erosion control and stormwater inspector with St. Charles County's Department of Community Development. He conducts inspections at construction sites and stormwater facilities in unincorporated St. Charles County, Missouri in the rapidly growing St. Louis metropolitan area.

Mr. Mueller's experience with erosion control inspections began when he started working with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in the early 90s. During that time, he worked with EPA Region 7 inspectors on several joint inspections. When Phase II stormwater was implemented, he worked with communities in developing their stormwater management plans. In 2016, he became the chief erosion control inspector for St. Charles County, where he also helps in the management of their MS-4 program.

Mr. Mueller has a Bachelor of Science degree from Iowa State University. He is a Certified Erosion, Sediment, and Stormwater Inspector (CESSWI). He was a revision team member for the third revision of the Missouri and Kansas "Protecting Water Quality Guide." He has participated on several committees in the drafting of land disturbance and general stormwater permits.

Mr. Mueller is active in his home community. He serves on the Board of Directors and is a retired Lieutenant/Engineer with the local fire district, where he was a state-certified instructor in firefighting and hazardous materials.

Ryan Joe, VP

Ryan Joe is an Environmental Scientist at JEO Consulting Group, Inc. in Lincoln, Nebraska. Ryan received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a minor in Environmental Studies from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and a Master of Science degree in Biology with a concentration in Ecology and a graduate certificate in GIS from the University of Illinois Springfield. Prior to working for JEO, Ryan worked for the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) where he managed the state’s Construction Stormwater and MS4 programs. Ryan’s other previous work experience includes working as a Threatened and Endangered Species Biologist at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC), a Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist at Pheasants Forever in Winner, South Dakota, and a Wildlife Biologist and Spatial Analyst at the Crane Trust in Wood River, Nebraska.

As an Environmental Scientist at JEO, Ryan is involved in a wide variety of environmental-related work, including MS4 permit assistance, construction stormwater and industrial stormwater permitting, construction stormwater oversight inspections, wetland delineations, Section 404 permitting, stream assessments, threatened and endangered species surveys, migratory bird surveys, and roadside vegetation inventories.

Ryan is married to Kelli and they have two young daughters, Cora and Willa. Ryan enjoys spending time with his family, hunting, fishing, sports, camping, and kayaking, and is a big Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Cardinals fan.

Steven W. Polk, PE, EMBA, Secretary

Steven founded Stormwater STL LLC in 2008 to help commercial, industrial, and institutional property owners protect their investments in post-construction stormwater BMPs (Best Management Practices), more recently referred to as SCMs (Stormwater Control Measures). Our customer list now includes more than 100 of the most respected and recognizable names in the St. Louis development community.

According to Steve, “The foundation of our success is our collaborative approach to projects. Firms that continue to work in their specific silo of experience are no longer positioned to offer the best stormwater compliance advice.”

Our stormwater compliance specialists hold degrees in Civil Engineering, Environmental Science and Horticulture. While inspections of both above-ground and below-grade BMPs are the core of our business, the most rapidly growing segments of our business include native plant stewardship and on-demand maintenance for a wide variety of BMPs.

Steve’s commitment to the advancement of this specialized market has been rewarded with dozens of invitations to share his post-construction BMP knowledge with local, regional, and national stormwater management associations and has quickly established Steve as the local leader in this rapidly evolving discipline.

Thomas Wells, Treasurer
CPSEC, CISEC

Thomas M. Wells, CPESC, CISEC is the Environmental Services Manager for Lamp, Rynearson Associates, Inc. a Civil Engineering firm based out of Omaha Nebraska. Tom has worked in the stormwater industry for 18 years focused on the cradle-to-grave approach to construction stormwater. From Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan design/review, regulatory permitting, compliance inspection, client/contractor/regulatory coordination through final stabilization as well as into post-construction Stormwater management design, inspection, and coordination. The primary focus for Tom has been on residential, commercial sites, as well as linear construction projects. In his 10-year association with the International Erosion Control Association - Great Rivers Chapter, Tom has served in several roles on the Board of Directors including Board Member, Treasurer, Vice President, and President. When he's not busy trying to save the environment, his 5 kids and amazing wife keep him very busy.

Board of Directors

Zachary A. Jilek, Past President CPESC, CISEC
Environmental Services Dept. Manager E & A Consulting Group, Inc.

Zach is a shareholder and Environmental Services Department Manager for E & A Consulting Group, Inc. Zach is a graduate of the University of Nebraska Omaha & Lincoln where he received his Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering Technology. In 2004, Mr. Jilek accepted a position with E & A Consulting Group, Inc. and formed their Environmental Services Department. In 2012, Mr. Jilek became a stockholder of E&A and in 2013 he was elected to the Board of Directors. In addition to his duties in the Environmental Services Department, Jilek serves as a trustee for E&A’s 401(k). Personally, Zach is married to Nicole and they have two children, Zachary, Jr. and Emily. His family resides in northwest Omaha. In his spare time, he is an avid hunter and fisherman and is constantly improving a parcel of land in north central Nebraska as a hunting retreat.

Samantha McKee

I started my stormwater journey around 6 years ago with Olsson in the La Vista, NE office. I have a BS in Environmental Science from the University of Missouri Kansas City. At the beginning of my journey, I started out as a stormwater inspector covering all different types of sites such as pad, linear, roadway, SID’s, data centers, and renewable projects. I took a strong liking to this field and wanted to grow my knowledge as quickly as possible. After sometime I took over the stormwater program in La Vista/Omaha and began to grow our foot print. I started leading onsite meetings regarding stormwater compliance issues, meeting with the City and State, hiring and training new team members, meeting with our Civil team on a regular basis, submitting proposals and writing SWPPPs. This past year I took over our Lincoln, NE team and have been focusing on trainings, being involved in plan review, writing and reviewing of SWPPPs and the day to day responsibilities. I am currently working on obtaining the CPESC.

Darice Baxter, CISEC

Darice Baxter has served on the Great Rivers Chapter of IECA since 2007 and, is the current GRC Secretary. She also serves on the Johnson County Storm Water Alliance (JCSWA) board and is a member of the Iowa Storm Water Education Program (ISWEP), representing the University of Iowa in its commitment to the environment.

Darice is an alumna of UI's Environmental Science & Geoscience program where she was a double major in Environmental Science and Geoscience. Darice is an Environmental Specialist for the UI's Environmental Services as their stormwater inspector, her other duties include asbestos testing and indoor air quality testing. Darice is a Certified Inspector of Erosion and Sediment Control (CISEC). She is also certified in asbestos abatement practices, which include the identification and testing of suspect materials known to contain asbestos and managing the subsequent abatement project.

Darice's primary job responsibility at the UI is to oversee stormwater quality compliance at construction sites, she reviews, approves and proposes modifications to Storm Water Pollution Preventions Plans (SWPPP's ) that are to be implemented during construction projects. As such, she is an integral part of the building process of all newly constructed buildings at the University of Iowa. Each new building or remodeling project that disturbed one acre or more has been assessed by her. Darice encourages stormwater post-construction practices to be implemented and recommends best management practices utilized on individual sites. During the construction phase, she inspects each site weekly for SW compliance.

In her free time, Darice enjoys pursuing her hobby of stained glass artistry, biking, Iowa football, gardening and spending time in the outdoors with her husband Jason, son Kade and their two Akita's Kai & Kirin.

Mark Stirnaman

Mark is the Branch Manager at ASP Enterprises with 17 years of experience serving the erosion control industry. Mark has been involved with IECA since 2008, as well as other industry organizations such as APWA and SITE Improvement Association. He graduated from Southeast Missouri State and entered the construction industry directly after, first with Contech and ultimately with ASP Enterprises. Prior to completing his bachelor’s degree, Mark grew up working in agriculture and landscaping. He has a passion for welcoming new and diverse members, as well as promoting the technical and social benefits gained through IECA.

When not at the office, or on a job site, Mark enjoys spending time with his wife and three daughters. He also enjoys coaching his children and their friends in the many different sports they participate in.

Josh Hanson, CPESC, CPSWQ

Josh started his stormwater compliance career in the Mid-Atlantic region and was a member of the Mid-Atlantic chapter of the IECA before relocating to the Midwest. He has performed stormwater compliance services or consulted in 30 states and the District of Columbia. For Olsson, he acts as the stormwater compliance technical advisor for the Olsson footprint. As part of his responsibilities, he sees the IECA as an industry leader in technical advances in the erosion control and stormwater management fields. He encourages attendance at conferences in local IECA chapters to better educate regional teams on regulatory issues, technological advances and new and innovative BMPs to heighten the quality of their designs