GALILEO PROJECT - Key Persons


Ellen Hopp - CEO

Job Titles:
  • Managing Partner
  • Project Director
  • Managing Partner and Project Director With over 26 Years of Experience in Project Management and
Managing Partner and Project Director with over 26 years of experience in project management and public relations. Ellen has served as the Project Management and Assistance Coordination (PMAC) project manager on numerous National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) projects including the Lava Ridge Wind Farm Project, the Clear Spot Wind Farm Project, the Ten West Link Transmission Line Project, the Greater Crossbow Oil and Gas Project, the Lake Powell Pipeline Project, the Southline Transmission Line Project, the Sonoran Solar Energy Project, and the Buffalo Field Office Resource Management Plan Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Project. Ellen worked as a key PMAC technical advisor for the Ruby Pipeline Project and the Maricopa Solar Park Project. Ellen has extensive experience working on NEPA and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) projects for federal and state agencies including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Bureau of Reclamation, the Western Area Power Administration, the Department of Defense, the National Park Service, the California Public Utilities Commission, and multiple State Land Departments. Ellen's project management skills include facilitation, project start-up, environmental and recreation planning, public outreach, team development, and strategic planning. Ellen is also an invited trainer for BLM managing major rights-of-way courses. Prior to joining Galileo, Ellen's project work included statewide and regional public outreach programs for the Arizona Department of Transportation Community and Communications Partnership division, the City of Phoenix, and the BLM. In the private sector, Ellen managed projects internationally for several Fortune 500 companies. She is a member of the International Association of Facilitators and is certified by the International Association for Public Participation.

J. Grace Ellis - CEO

Job Titles:
  • Managing Partner
  • Project Director
  • Project Manager
  • Managing Partner and Project Director With over 25 Years of Experience in Environmental Compliance, Both As
Managing Partner and Project Director with over 25 years of experience in environmental compliance, both as a consultant and as a National Park Service National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Specialist. Grace has served as the Project Management and Assistance Coordination (PMAC) project manager on numerous multi-agency NEPA projects, including the Ruby Pipeline Project, the SunZia Transmission Project, the Centennial West Clean Line Transmission Line Project, the Zephyr Transmission Line Project, the Lobos CO2 Project, the Mountain Valley Pipeline Project, the Blackrock Land Exchange Project, MAPL WEP III Pipeline, and the Sagebrush Focal Area Mineral Withdrawal Project. She has also been the PMAC project lead on several construction projects, including the Gateway South Transmission Line, Ruby Pipeline, and MAPL WEP III. Grace is a skilled project manager and facilitator with specific expertise in cultural and natural resource compliance, public outreach, development of decision documents, and tribal consultation. Prior to her work with Galileo, Grace served as an Environmental Protection Specialist for the Grand Canyon National Park where she was the project manager for the Grand Canyon Overflights Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and served on the EIS team for the Colorado River Management Plan and the Grand Canyon Fire Management Plan. Grace is a Faculty Associate at the Arizona State University School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, where she teaches introduction to NEPA. Her formal training is in archaeology, public policy, and culinary arts.

Maria Martin

Job Titles:
  • Managing Partner and Records Manager With over 30 Years of Experience in Environmental Consulting. Maria Has
Managing Partner and Records Manager with over 30 years of experience in environmental consulting. Maria has served as the Project Management and Assistance Coordination (PMAC) project manager on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline Project and as deputy project manager and technical advisor on the Ruby Pipeline Project, the Mid- America Pipeline WEPIII Project, the Lobos CO2 Pipeline Project, the Southline Transmission Line Project, the Lake Powell Pipeline Project, and the Lower Sonoran-Sonoran Desert National Monument RMP Project. Maria oversees development of information management tools and systems for Galileo and specializes in assisting government agencies with project- specific custom databases for decision files and tribal consultation documentation. Prior to her work with Galileo, Maria served for 19 years as the laboratory director for a cultural resources consulting firm where she maintained project databases and supervised laboratory staff in processing and analyzing artifacts and preparing archaeological collections and project documentation for curation. Maria has a Master's Degree in Anthropology from Colorado State University.

Meredith Griffin

Job Titles:
  • Managing Partner, Project Manager, and Licensed Attorney With Experience in Environmental Litigation and Freedom of Information Act Coordination for Energy Projects.
Meredith has worked as the Project Management and Assistance Coordination (PMAC) project manager for the Maricopa Solar Park Project and the Lower Sonoran-Sonoran Desert National Monument Resource Management Plan Project. Meredith has worked as a deputy project manager and/or technical advisor on the Ten West Link Transmission Line Project, the Greater Crossbow Oil and Gas Project, the Lake Powell Pipeline Project, the APS Sun Valley to Morgan Transmission Line Project, the Southline Transmission Line Project, the Sonoran Solar Energy Project, and the Ruby Pipeline Project. She is Galileo's lead PMAC developer of inter- agency agreement documents for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) projects and has worked closely with several federal and state agencies. Prior to becoming a partner with Galileo, Meredith worked as a private sector attorney specializing in environmental cases involving NEPA, the Endangered Species Act, and the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). Meredith is also a guest lecturer at the Arizona State University for the Environmental Studies Program.