Excellence in Project Management & Environmental Consulting
ABOUT US
High Water Mark is a 100% Native American, Woman-owned environmental consulting company with a specialty in water resources. Owner, Phoebe Suina has 20 years of experience providing environmental and water resources engineering, science, planning and management to New Mexico communities ranging from pueblos to local, state and federal agencies, in addition to private industry. Our focus for consulting services at High Water Mark has been flood disaster and emergency response including: flood hazard mitigation planning, stormwater management, and watershed rehabilitation for the protection of both cultural and natural resources in our clients' communities.
OUR TEAM
Phoebe Suina
Owner, Project Manager, and Hydrologist
With a background in environmental engineering and management, Ms. Suina has managed multi-million-dollar emergency and disaster assistance projects for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in addition to her previous career at the US Department of Energy (DOE) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for post-Cerro Grande fire erosion, sediment control, debris flow and flood hazard mitigation. She also has led environmental compliance and environmental remediation efforts for over 10 years on DOE and LANL projects. Ms. Suina has also worked for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, where she completed water resources engineering project design, operation and maintenance on the nation’s rivers and waterways.
Ms. Suina currently manages emergency and disaster assistance projects for High Water Mark’s clients. This involves meetings with client and funding agency staff, documentation of all project activities, expenditures and records management, and project closeout. She is meticulous in her record keeping and takes pride in her attention to detail.
Ms. Suina earned bachelor degrees in environmental engineering and engineering sciences and a graduate degree in engineering management, all from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. Phoebe is from the Pueblos of San Felipe and Cochiti. She is very active in the traditional culture of her respective Pueblos. She continues to assist and share her knowledge and skills with the Pueblo communities.
Nicole Shaw, P.E.
Vice President of Engineering
Nicole Shaw is a licensed professional engineer in New Mexico with over 10 years of experience in the engineering industry. She is Diné (Navajo) of the Salt People born for Red Running into the Water. Ms. Shaw has joined High Water Mark as the Vice President of Engineering to develop and establish the company’s engineering capacity and capabilities. Her experience includes project management, planning, design, construction administration, construction observation, and comprehensive mapping of water and wastewater projects. She has worked on multi-phased water and wastewater system improvements projects for local and tribal communities including applying for and securing funding, coordinating with regional stakeholders, implementing long-term planning, and securing water rights. She has assisted clients in securing and managing over $20 million in grant and loan funding from federal and state funding programs.
Ms. Shaw holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Northern Arizona University. She is from Tse’ii’ahi (Standing Rock) Chapter. She is passionate about Indian Education and STEM outreach to Native communities.
Karen Gutierrez, CPPP, CPO
Chief Financial Officer
Mrs. Gutierrez is an accomplished finance and accounting professional with an impressive career spanning over three decades. Her expertise covers both the public and private sectors, with a notable focus on capital project management. She began her career by taking on various roles within Federal contractors. She has honed her skills in critical areas such as cost accounting, federal funding, grant facilitation, and procurement. Karen's dedication to her field is further evident in her certifications as a NM Certified Public Procurement Professional (NMCPPP) and her role as a Chief Procurement Officer (CPO).
Prior to joining the High Water Mark team, Karen had a highly successful tenure as the Assistant Finance Director and Capital Projects Manager for the Village of Ruidoso. During this time, she managed an impressive portfolio of over forty projects, totaling more than $50 million in value.
Karen's decision to become a part of High Water Mark was motivated by the strong alignment between the company's mission and vision and her personal values and work ethic, which prioritize "Working with Respect and Integrity."
Outside of her professional life, Karen and her husband, Eric, reside in Tularosa, NM. She has a deep interest in learning about diverse cultures, particularly those represented within HWM. Her active involvement in the community reflects her commitment to making a positive impact. Above all, Karen takes great pride in her family and cherishes her role as a grandmother to five granchildren and a mother of four children.
Maxine N. Paul
Vice President, Sustainable Development
Maxine joins High Water Mark to assist in the leadership and implementation of the firm's sustainability strategy and development initiatives. For the last 15 years she has worked to build the clean energy economy, mitigate pollution, and grow local institutions. Maxine has managed dozens of projects including climate action plans, greenhouse gas inventories, air quality monitoring, fleet transition analysis, solar development, and formerly used defense site clean-ups. She has won over $10M in infrastructure, renewable energy, and environmental funding for New Mexican communities. Before joining High Water Mark, Maxine built a decarbonization line of business at Adelante Consulting, Inc. Previously, she stood up the Environmental Division at the Pueblo of Santa Ana. She has volunteered on the New Mexico Recycling and Illegal Dumping Grant Board, the National Tribal Air Association Executive Committee, and the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board. Maxine holds a M.W.R. in Water Resources from the University of New Mexico and a B.A. Environmental Science, Columbia College, Columbia University.
Berta Rodriguez
Office Administrator
Berta the Office Manager at High Water Mark and a Bernalillo native, has extensive experience in government contracting and procurement. Prior to joining the HWM team, Ms. Rodriguez worked with the Valles Caldera Trust as the Procurement Specialist and liaison; managing budgets, purchasing and contracting, as well as administrative tasks. She worked with a number of Federal Agencies, administering several different accounting software and programs to keep track of funds. Berta served as a staffer for US Senator Pete Domenici working on various projects; the purchasing of the Valles Caldera Trust, Silvery Minnow controversy, San Luis water project and numerous other land and water related issues. Berta also has experience in both land and water issues, and experience working with rural and Pueblo communities.
Kristine Smeltz
Senior Scientist / Engineering Analyst II
Kristine earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology from Colorado College, and her Master’s Degree in Environmental Policy and Management from the University of Denver. She has earned a professional certificate in Natural Resource Management from the University of Denver. Kristine has several years of experience in the area of environmental studies. She has a broad range of experience which includes water management, field investigations, review of technical documents, and working knowledge of federal and state regulations. She provided project team support for several years with the Department of Energy (DOE) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) projects in the area of environmental compliance and environmental remediation.
As a member of the High Water Mark team, Kristine continues to provide regulatory technical and management support for environmental remediation projects and issues. Kristine is from the Pueblo of San Felipe. She enjoys running and spending time with her husband and two boys.
Michael Griego, PhD
Environmental Specialist/NEPA Coordinator
Please click Michael's personal link to view his research, mentorship and education/CV. Thank you
https://ecophysbio.wordpress.com/
Teran Villa
Policy Analyst
Teran Villa is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico. He also has ties to the Pueblo of Acoma and the Concow Maidu Tribe of California. Teran has extensive experience in tribal cultural resources protection in federal and state undertakings. Additionally, he possesses skills in policy analysis, grant writing, community engagement, planning, strategy and coordination.
Teran holds a bachelor's in political science and economics and a Master of Public Administration from the University of New Mexico.
Joseph Grimley
Environmental Specialist/Hydrologist
Mr. Grimley is a multidisciplinary watershed practitioner with over a decade of experience in hydrology and hydraulics as it relates to restoration design, watershed management, and sediment transport. He specializes in post-wildfire hydrology and restoration projects throughout New Mexico and southern Colorado. Multiple projects within fire impacted watersheds illustrate his experience work with sediment management, debris flow and flood hazard assessment and mitigation and watershed planning. Grimley has been studying rivers and designing projects in New Mexico his entire career and focused on balancing design constraints to restore healthy and resilient landscapes.
Jacob Wilson
Environmental Specialist
Mr. Wilson is an interdisciplinary specialist and has spent decades in private sectors in part, assisting with public emergencies and public relations for local, state, federal, and tribal agencies. He more recently served as the Water Rights Coordinator for the Pueblo of Acoma, and as the Tribal Utility Authority Interim Director and Water Resources Coordinator for Santo Domingo Pueblo.
Jacob earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Davis, where formal education helped him to lead research initiatives that developed urban ecological studies, prescription burns for forests, and water resource management plans. He leveraged this educational experience to aid in water rights settlement negotiations for the Pueblo of Acoma and Santo Domingo Pueblo.
Jacob is a Tribal member from the Pueblo of Acoma, where he currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Acoma Water Commission. He loves to wander around the dunes, mountains, and forests with his family identifying flora to keep his botanical knowledge up to date. He is excited to bring his life experiences to High Water Mark where he hopes to engage local and tribal communities to continue his efforts integrating contemporary ideologies with traditional ecological knowledge.
Christel White
GIS Specialist
Christel provides technical, analytical, and design support for the operation of High Water Mark, LLC’s Geographic Information System (GIS). Her key competencies include IT skills, can build and update and manipulate complex databases, strong visualization skills, analysis, modeling, remote sensing, along with moderate python skills. Previously Christel co-taught and mentored for Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute’s (SIPI) Geographic Information Technology (GIT) program as well as for an environmental company, Kiksapa Consulting LLC, based out of Mandan, ND. The work for Kiksapa Consulting LLC was performed under a NASA Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in accordance with a NASA grant. Christel would mentor and teach tribal college students and faculty geospatial training and skills at Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU).
Christel holds a Bachelor of Science in Geography from the University of New Mexico. Christel is Haudenosaunee from the Onondaga Nation, but was raised on her father’s reservation, Cattaraugus Territory, south of Buffalo, NY. Her father is Seneca. She is very passionate about the beadwork skills that have been handed down to her through her Akso:d (grandmother) and her aunt.