Geōde Environmental—a certified DBE, SBE, and WBE—is a principal-led woman-owned environmental and urban planning firm, specializing in environmental law, CEQA/NEPA document delivery, regulatory compliance, permitting, and mitigation. Our core team of project managers work with stakeholders throughout the life of a project, without the staff turnover of one-size-fits-all consulting firms—delivering boutique-quality for our clients. 

OUR APPROACH

WE PROVIDE SUPERIOR CLIENT SERVICE

Geōde’s ethos is to have a select team of high-powered staff, with prior regulatory-sector experience, and excellent credentials, to deliver technically sound, and legally robust, documents and service. To ensure this, we have two attorneys, with specialized CEQA/NEPA knowledge, peer-review documents for quantity assurance and oversee public outreach and mitigation. Longstanding collaboration with our employees and contractors results in efficient project delivery.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION 

As a small, women & minority-owned business, Geōde is committed to Diversity Equity & Inclusion. To deliver innovative compliance and regulatory solutions to our clients, Geōde actively partners with an experienced team comprising 100% certified small, women & minority-owned business enterprises, in alignment with our commitment to social equity.

EXECUTIVE TEAM

ESSRA MOSTAFAVI, MANAGING PRINCIPAL

Essra’s 15-year environmental and urban planning career has cultivated interdisciplinary tools in strategic policy analysis and sustainability planning. She is the Founder & CEO of Geōde Environmental. For the last ten years, she has worked on high-profile transportation projects of state, federal, and international significance: managing policy sufficiency reviews for the Palmdale to Burbank Section of the HSR and managing the environmental reviews and consultant teams on the $1.8 billion I-10 Corridor Project and the $425 million I-15 Corridor Project, both in the consulting sector and as a Caltrans environmental planner. Prior to transportation environmental planning, she served as Acting Country Director for the US Agency for International Development on sustainable development projects, honing her skills in sustainability planning. Essra’s public and private experience enables her to navigate policy and environmental regulations with ease.

STEVE KARAMITROS, VICE PRESIDENT & PLANNING DIRECTOR

As Geōde’s Vice President & Planning Director, Steve has extensive environmental and urban planning experience managing projects through their initial scoping, CEQA/NEPA document delivery, public meetings, and approvals from elected officials and jurisdictional agencies. Steve provides expert CEQA/NEPA regulatory guidance, having written all levels of CEQA & NEPA documentation (EIR/EIS, IS/EA, CE/CEs). Steve routinely performs environmental analysis on land use projects, from commercial scale renewable energy permits, to assessments for industrial hazardous waste facilities. Steve leads Geōde on land use entitlements, General Plan and zoning matters, and project pathways related to urban planning policies and protocols.

AARON MIR, ESQ., STAFF COUNSEL 

Aaron is an attorney with 15 years of professional experience in the US and overseas. He has worked for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the American University (AU) abroad.  Most recently, Aaron’s work as a Senior Contracts Attorney with Washington State has enabled him to develop extensive knowledge of government contracts, procurements, policy, and regulations. Aaron’s expertise is engaging public and private stakeholders to advance competing interests with an eye toward equitable resolution.

JASARA CALANDRELLA, OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Jasara is Geōde’s operations and content lead. She has 13 years of multidisciplinary experience in project management and environmental policy at the international, national and local levels. In addition to supporting Geōde’s operations, Jasara drafts CEQA/NEPA & environmental permit documents, Mitigation Monitoring Reporting Program (MMRP) content for training materials, and creates GIS maps with ArcGIS Pro.

HILARY PARISH, SENIOR BIOLOGIST

As Geōde’s Senior Biologist, Hilary is the lead on Biological Monitoring & Surveys. Formerly a CDFW biologist, now with over 10 years of field experience, Hilary integrates regulatory requirements with onsite conditions. She routinely oversees construction monitoring, delivers permits, performs special status species identification, surveys for nesting birds and leads Worker Environmental Awareness Training (WEAT) for construction staff.  Hilary has conducted call back surveys for southwestern willow flycatchers & habitat assessments for desert tortoises, burrowing owls and California red-legged frogs. Other species she has experience with include: Swainson’s hawk, foothill yellow-legged frog, Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog, northwestern pond turtle, Owens pupfish, Amargosa pupfish, Owens tui chub and fairy shrimp. She has completed plant surveys in Inyo, Mono and Kern counties.

STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS

Learn more about our client services and project experience by downloading Geōde Environmental’s Statement of Qualifications: