Meet the Team

Eric Hess

President and Director of Homeland Security

Eric Hess, President and Director of Homeland Security

Board of Directors, Chairman

B.A. Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia
M.S. Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia

Eric Hess is co-founder, President, and Director of Homeland Security at SES. He has more than 35 years of consulting experience, including more than 30 years of emergency management and response experience.

Mr. Hess principal areas of expertise include agriculture and food emergency response planning and mitigation; exercise design and development; quality assurance and improvement; environmental investigation, remediation, emergency response, and compliance auditing; and verification system/program development. He successfully completed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Master Exercise Practitioner (MEP) Program in July 2010. Since 2005 he has been a safety officer for the National Veterinary Response Team.

Patrick Splichal

Chief Financial Officer, Vice President and Director of Natural Resources

Patrick Splichal, Chief Financial Officer, Vice President and Director of Natural Resources

Board of Directors, Board Member

B.S. Agronomy, Kansas State University
M.S. Soil Science, Kansas State University

Patrick Splichal is co-founder, Chief Financial Officer, and Director of Natural Resources at SES. Mr. Splichal has worked as a soil scientist and environmental chemist since 1991. He is an expert on the environmental issues surrounding agriculture and livestock production, including experience with private companies, trade organizations, and government agencies for projects involving greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation, air emissions, water quality, nutrient management, natural resource management, and hazardous waste management. Mr. Splichal is a Certified Professional Soil Scientist (C.P.S.S.) and an accredited lead offset verifier with the California Air Resources Board.

Rob Dobson

Vice President and Director of Carbon Verification Programs

Rob Dobson, Vice President and Director of Carbon Verification Programs

Board of Directors, Board Member

B.A. Anthropology, University of Virginia
M.S. Environmental Science, University of Virginia

Rob Dobson has been with SES, Inc. since the company was founded in 1998. Mr. Dobson is a Vice President of SES, and its Director of Carbon Verification Programs and an accredited lead offset verifier with the California Air Resources Board. He is an expert in air quality issues related to agriculture and food processing, including emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases, ammonia, particulates, and odor.

Amber Wilson

Vice President and Training Programs Manager

Amber Wilson, Vice President and Training Programs Manager

Board of Directors, Board Member

B.S. Animal Science, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, Kansas State University
M.S. Management, University of Saint Mary

Amber Wilson is a Vice President of SES, and she has more than 20 years of agricultural and emergency management consulting experience. Ms. Wilson plans, designs, and leads food defense exercises and emergency response planning at the federal, state and local levels. Her principal areas of expertise include emergency exercise development and training, program management, agriculture emergency response, and agriculture-critical infrastructure.

Bryan Deimeke

Senior Consultant

Bryan Deimeke, Senior Consultant

Board of Directors, Board Member

B.S. Animal Science, Missouri State University
M.S. Natural and Applied Sciences in Agriculture, Missouri State University

Bryan Deimeke has more than fifteen years of experience in Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP), project management, and program development. Mr. Deimeke has more than 20 years of production agriculture experience. He designs and leads, and implements food defense exercises, One Health planning initiatives, and emergency response planning, at the federal, state, and local levels. His principal areas of expertise include agriculture emergency management, production agriculture, training and education, oversight and evaluation, program development, and program management.

Beth Bader

Senior Consultant and Analyst

Beth Bader, Senior Consultant and Analyst

B.S. Journalism, University of Missouri

Beth Bader is a Consultant and Analyst at SES. She conducts business development and project management activities.

Ms. Bader has more than 20 years of consulting background in user experience, design thinking, product design, research, and analysis for industries including consumer products and food, agriculture, finance, and travel.

Ms. Bader’s areas of focus include agriculture and food policy, sustainability and climate change, food labeling compliance, project management, native plant initiatives, marine conservation, and consumer research.

Akara Regimand

Consultant and Human Resources Generalist

Akara Regimand, Consultant and Human Resources Generalist

B.S. Communication Studies, Kansas State University

Akara Regimand’s areas of focus include food labeling compliance and enforcement, consumer trends and research, and consulting and project management within the consumer products industry, sustainable agriculture, environmental sciences, and food brands. Ms. Regimand also serves as a HR Generalist to assist with employee relations, company payroll, expenses, hiring, onboarding, and continuous training at SES.

Frank Bryant

Retired

Frank Bryant, Retired

Board of Directors Adviser

United States Navy
B.S. Biology
M.S. Environmental, University of Tulsa

Frank Bryant is co-founder of SES. Mr. Bryant retired from SES in October 2019; however he still advises the Board of Directors and works part-time on business development activities, in addition to other special projects. He has more than 30 years of experience with hazardous waste management, SARA Title III reporting and surface water quality.

Mr. Bryant is an expert in the areas of regulatory compliance, incentive-based program development, environmental management system development and ecology.

Laura Matlock

Associate Consultant and Analyst

Laura Matlock, Associate Consultant and Analyst

B.A. English, Florida Atlantic University

Laura Matlock is an Associate Consultant and Analyst at SES whose experience is in research, analysis, and professional writing. At SES, Ms. Matlock’s main focus is the National Organic Program, where she specializes in research, compliance, and enforcement within the food and agricultural industries.

Alicia Walker

Associate Consultant and Analyst

Alicia Walker, Associate Consultant and Analyst

B.S. Food Science, Kansas State University

Alicia Walker is a compliance analyst at SES whose experience is in food science involving research and development, quality assurance, and food safety. She currently holds a HACCP certification. At SES, Alicia’s main focus is the National Organic Program, where she specializes in research, compliance, and enforcement within the food and agricultural industries

Matt Janorschke

Associate Consultant and Analyst

Matt Janorschke, Associate Consultant and Analyst

B.S. Environmental, Soil, and Water Science, University of Arkansas

M.S. Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science, University of Arkansas

Matt Janorschke is an Associate Consultant and Analyst at SES. Matt’s educational background is within environmental science, having an emphasis on soil science. Matt’s previous work experience includes academic research focused in areas of plant science, soil health, and sustainable land management practices. Matt’s skill set covers areas of experimental design, data analysis, technical writing, and communication of results. At SES, Matt focuses on sustainability including life cycle analysis and carbon verification projects.

Lindsey Mott

Associate Consultant

Lindsey Mott, Associate Consultant

B.S. Animal Science, Missouri State University

Lindsey Mott is an Associate Consultant at SES, Inc. She has worked in multiple business sectors including agriculture, sales, and recruitment. Lindsey brings experience in foreign animal disease preparedness, team management, business to business sales, and business development. At SES, she is part of a planning team that designs and implements food defense exercises and emergency response planning at the federal, state, and local levels.

Erin Manville

Associate Consultant and Analyst

Erin Manville, Associate Consultant and Analyst

M.S. Food Science, specializing in Food Microbiology and Food Safety, Kansas State University

B.S. Food Science, Kansas State University

Erin Manville is an Associate Consultant and Analyst at SES. Erin’s educational background is in food microbiology and food safety. Erin’s previous experience includes community development, food and beverage processing, and academic research focused on the characteristics of biofilm development and the genetic diversity of pathogenic microbes. Erin brings experience in experimental design, data analysis, technical writing, and communication. At SES, Erin’s main focus is the National Organic Program, where she specializes in research, compliance, and enforcement within the food and agricultural industries.

Rita Leavitt

Associate Consultant and Analyst

Rita Leavitt, Associate Consultant and Analyst

B.S. Biology, University of Oklahoma
B.A. Mathematics, University of Oklahoma
M.S. Biological Engineering, University of Arkansas

Rita Leavitt is an Associate Consultant and Analyst at SES. Rita’s educational background is in biology, math, and biological engineering, with an emphasis on sustainable agriculture. Rita’s professional history includes research focused on nitrogen use efficiency in agriculture and greenhouse gas emissions and heavy metal uptake in rice. Rita has experience in data analysis and modelling, literature review, scientific writing, and communication. At SES, Rita’s primary focus is sustainability, including research, life cycle analysis and carbon verification.