Emma A. Kowalenko

President, LEED Associate, Senior Environmental Planner, Business and Professional Development Coach and Mentor, Communication, Technical Writing and Editing, and Foreign Language Specialist Ms. Kowalenko holds a Master’s Degree in History and has more than 25 years of professional experience.

Under her ownership and management Kowalenko Consulting Group, Inc. (KCG) has been providing management, engineering, environmental, transportation planning, research, training, information technology, and technical support services to a variety of public and private sector clients. She manages Environmental Site and Impact Assessment as well as Change Management projects.

She directs research efforts related to historical land use, feasibility, alternatives, and socio-economic and historical impact studies. Ms. Kowalenko is fluent in Spanish, French, Polish, Ukrainian, and Russian and has a working knowledge of additional Romance and Slavic languages.

She has trained professionals in communication skills and facilitated team building as well as foreign language immersion workshops.

Ms. Kowalenko is an active member of the Society of American Military Engineers, Chicago and Lake Michigan Posts. She has served as Communication Chair, Board Member, and President of the S.A.M.E. Lake Michigan Post beginning January 2010. She serves on the Outreach, Yellow, Ribbon and Small Business Committees. Though the latter she has facilitated and served on the organizational team of the yearly Small Biz Expo sponsored by Lake Michigan Post. She is also active with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Illinois Chapter. She facilitates the collaboration between professional organizations such as USGBC and SAME and nonprofit organizations such as the Youth Conservation Corps. Through Ms. Kowalenko’s volunteer efforts, Youth Builds a program of the Youth Conservation Corps and SAME have held mentoring events for at risk youth served by this organization.

Poet and photographer Ms. Kowalenko is a founding member (2001) of the East on Central a Journal of Arts and Letters Board of Directors in Highland Park Illinois. She is active with the Highland Park Community Arts Network (HP CAN) and with local arts organizations promoting art as a vehicle for enhancing community economic development. She was instrumental in organizing art walks in business districts and participated as an artist and organizer of gallery exhibits featuring mixed media of visual art, poetry, and music.

Anthony J. Bilotti, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Director, Environmental and Transportation Services,

Anthony Bilotti is a career environmental professional who has advised industry and government agencies at all levels. His skills and experience include:

• planning and implementing of environmental impact and health assessment initiatives;

• conducting scientific research;

• developing university-based education and training curricula and mentoring young
professionals;

• managing environmental studies of federally-funded, mass transit improvements in
the Midwest;

• assessing and mitigating environmental risks in commercial and industrial redevelopment;

• directing retrospective and prospective environmental studies and investigations
for major public  works and infrastructure projects, including brownfields;

• collaborating with governmental agencies to develop and maintain emergency plans
and  response actions,

• serving as appointed drainage district Commissioner in funding and implementing
riverbank  stabilization, channel restoration, and wetland mitigation projects.

He has directed teams of engineers, geologists, urban planners, public health scientists,
industrial hygienists, information systems analysts and technicians in the process
of assessing the risks and benefits of planning and redevelopment initiatives.  Throughout
his 30-year career, he has built and nurtured working relationships with municipal,
county, and state officials and agency staff, non-profit organizations and professional
societies. He has teamed with community organizations to promote new partnerships
aimed at improving environmental quality and protecting human health.

He holds the Ph.D. in Public Health Policy and Master of Public Health in Environmental
and Occupational Health degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Bilotti
is Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of
Public Health, and serves as a Co-Director of UIC’s Emergency Management and Continuity
Planning Program.

Prior to joining KCG in 1993, Dr. Bilotti held several positions in UIC’s Midwest
Training Center for Environmental and Industrial Health from 1985 to 1993. He was also Senior Planner with a nationally-recognized engineering/architectural firm, managing the conduct of environmental assessments associated with major infrastructure projects.

Dr. Bilotti is a Commissioner of the East Skokie Drainage District of Lake County,
Illinois and served as an Environmental Commissioner for the City of Highland Park, Illinois. He is an active member of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) – Lake Michigan, Chicago, and Rock Island Posts. Dr. Bilotti currently serves as the Regional Representative of the Readiness and
Homeland Security Committee.

Carolyn Cullen

Environmental Planner, GIS and Information Systems Manager

Carolyn Cullen holds M.S. and B.S. degrees in Computer Science and an M.A. degree in Geography & Environmental
Studies. During more than ten years with KCG Ms. Cullen has served in key roles in transportation and environmental projects. She leads the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) practice at KCG. Her responsibilities include GIS database development and
customization to transportation, ecological, environmental planning. She manages information management related to environmental assessment, impact, transportation
feasibility, socio-economic, and ecological studies. Ms. Cullen brings her valuable
technical writing and information technology skills to every task. In addition she
has conducted railroad noise measurement and modeling. Her information project development
background includes the full spectrum of software development, from conception and
specification writing through design, implementation, testing and documentation.

Suzanne Kilner, AICP

Senior Environmental Planner

Suzanne Kilner has over 30 years of experience in the
environmental, natural resources, and land use planning arenas. She holds a Master of Forestry Science Degree in Resource Management, Terrestrial Ecology, and Land Use Planning. For KCG Ms. Kilner conducts NEPA related studies for a variety of transportation
projects. During her career, her responsibilities have been far ranging in the private and public sectors. Clients have included the Illinois and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation. She has also completed municipal and regional solid waste plans that included marketing and cost studies as well as ecological sampling, water quality
analyses, wetland delineation quality control, and socio economic studies. She has prepared stormwater permits, implemented environmental regulations for hazardous materials and municipal recycling plans, and formulated zoning ordinances for sensitive natural resource areas.

Joseph I. Hmieleski, PWS, CFM

Principal Wetland Specialist

Joseph Hmieleski holds an M.S. degree in Wetland Ecology (Biology) and B.S. in Zoology. He is a Certified Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS) and Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) with over 20 years of consulting, regulatory and research experience in stormwater management and wetland projects including management, regulatory permitting, delineation, and compensatory mitigation in six states throughout the Midwest, mid-Atlantic, and Southeast. Clients have included the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and People’s Gas. He has been responsible for shoreline restoration projects using native plants to stabilize and protect stream and lake shoreline. Mr. Hmieleski volunteers as a Co-Steward of the Sunset Woods Park, a park within the Park District of Highland Park, Illinois and is past Chairman of the Highland Park Environmental Commission. He volunteers as a native plant rescuer within Highland Park.