About Us

We are highly motivated individuals who have come together for work that we find challenging, enjoyable, and purposeful. Our backgrounds include private sector, government, and non-profit work, with a focus on land use planning, design, and conservation. Our work has contributed to land being set aside in perpetuity for conservation, the restoration of public and private properties, and the creation of sustainable land use policy.

 

Learn more about our work in Conservation, Regional Analysis, Site Assessments, Web Geography, and Cartography.

Clients Include:
City of Austin – Office of Sustainability • City of San Antonio • The Contemporary Austin (@ Laguna Gloria) • Cullinan Park Conservancy • Devils River Conservancy • Hill Country Land Trust • Hill Country Conservancy • Hill Country Alliance • Pease Park Conservancy • Sustainable Places Project • Texas Land Conservancy • Texas Land Trust Council • Trust for Public Land • Victor Emanuel Nature Tours • Wilbarger Creek Conservation Alliance • Wimberley Valley Watershed Association • The Meadows Center for Water & the Environment • Katy Prairie Conservancy

Our Team

Jonathan Ogren, Principal, Ecological & Conservation Planner

Jonathan founded Siglo Group in 2006 to help clients integrate natural systems into land planning and design. He specializes in environmental assessment, regional analysis, conservation planning, mapping, and land use feasibility studies. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with an M.A. in Geography and the Environment and a B.A. in Biology. He is now on the faculty at the University of Texas School of Architecture, where he teaches graduate students to integrate geographic analysis into their research. One of his first professional jobs was with NASA. The experience changed his direction through the realization of how valuable and irreplaceable natural systems are here on this planet. Jonathan also worked at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and Sequoia National Park and has served on the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan Advisory Task Force. Outside of work, Jonathan can be found running around Lady Bird Lake or hiking the Hill Country with his sons.

Haley Wagoner, Ecological Designer

Haley joined Siglo Group in 2018 shortly after receiving her Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin. Her background includes a B.S. in Regional Development with minors in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Spanish from the University of Arizona as well as a Certificate in GIS from Portland State University. Before moving to Austin for graduate school, she worked in Portland, Oregon where she was involved in restoration efforts for the endangered juvenile salmonid population passing through the Lower Columbia River Watershed. Her academic and professional experience includes GIS analysis, cartography, environmental design, planning, land survey, on the ground restoration, community engagement and environmental education. Haley loves to spend time outside getting her Vitamin D fix whether she is biking, hiking, running, skiing, or most importantly, floating a beautiful Hill Country River.

Miles Payton, Ecological Designer

Miles Payton joined Siglo Group in 2021 following three years in commercial landscape design in Austin. Miles received his Masters in Landscape Architecture from The University of Texas at Austin in 2018 and his BA in Environmental Studies from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 2011. His skills include landscape design, planting and restoration strategies, construction observation, and construction best practices. He is driven by the need to create biodiverse and resilient ecosystems within our cities for the health and well-being of all. Before moving to Austin, Miles managed an organic farm on the central coast of California, helping supply the Bay Area with organic flowers and vegetables. Miles is convinced two wheels is better than four, and his greatest achievement remains cycling the continental divide from New Mexico to Alberta.

Chris Garza, Ecologist

Chris Garza joined Siglo Group in 2021. Chris is a Certified Ecologist, ISA Certified Arborist, and Certified Ecosystem Restoration Practitioner in Training. He also holds a GIS certificate from Texas A&M University where he received a M.S. in Forestry. Chris also has a B.S. in Biology from St. Edward's University. Prior to working at Siglo Group, Chris worked as an environmental scientist and GIS specialist for over 2.5 years at Hollaway Environmental in Houston, Texas. Chris also worked as an applied ecologist for over 3.5 years at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center during the design and implementation phases of their master plan. Chris has experience in wetland delineation, threatened & endangered species surveys, phase I environmental site assessments, wetland mitigation/restoration, ecosystem restoration, tree surveys, land/ecosystem management, invasive plant removal, herbicide application, and other biological surveys. Some of Chris' other interests include botany, entomology, mycology, foraging, and fermentation. Outside of work, you can usually find Chris rock climbing at some of the local crags.

Rita Johansen, Conservation Planner

Kathryn (Rita) Johansen joined Siglo Group in 2021. She is a recent graduate from UT's MSCRP program, and has a passion for sustainability, bicycling, and a zero-waste lifestyle. Rita spent a year as a Geospatial Analyst at the City of Austin's Watershed Protection Department, where she played with aerial imagery and LiDAR to extract Austin's latest tree canopy dataset. She joined Austin's Bicycle Advisory Council (BAC), in hopes of using her Planning chops to make cycling a more viable and safe option for everyone in the city. In the evenings and on the weekends, you can find Rita playing with garbage by creating chalk bags from salvaged fabrics and findings and making jewelry and accessories from discarded bike tubes.

Joe Berek, Ecological Designer

Joseph Berek joined the Siglo Group team in 2021 after graduating from The University of Texas at Austin. His background includes a B.S. in agriculture business and management with a horticulture specialization from Texas State University, as well as a degree in welding technology from Austin Community College. Joseph was born and raised in Austin, TX, just a stones-throw from the Barton Creek Greenbelt. Growing up surrounded by access to nature instilled Joseph with an appreciation of natural systems that has carried over into both his professional career and personal life. His experience includes natural area management, environmental design, organic gardening, and community education. When he’s not saving the planet at work, Joseph can usually be found exploring the outdoors, playing music, and spending time with his family and friends.

Karina Gonzalez, GIS Associate

Karina joined Siglo Group in 2018 while acquiring a B.A. in Sustainability Studies, Natural Resource Management from the University of Texas at Austin. Concerned with the intersection of natural resources and the built world, Karina’s academic experience includes studies in ecology, hydrology, physical and human geography, GIS analysis, cartography, energy based policy, and sustainable development. She has professional experience as a laboratory assistant analyzing soil particle size texture and distribution as a means to identify patterns in geomorphic response to extreme weather events in the Carribean. Her personal interests center on the spatial analysis of physical geography, climate change, and development through spatial statistical methods and pattern recognition. Karina likes to spend her free time looking at memes about philosophy and the economy, consuming sci-fi media, and learning obscure trivia.

Michael Eason, Botanist & Ecologist

Michael is a conservation botanist with previous work experience with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the Millennium Seed Bank Project. He volunteers his time for organizations like the Wildflower Center, the Native Plant Society of Texas, and the Nature Conservancy.

Dave Pietruszynski, Planning Associate

Dave joined Siglo in 2019 after graduating from the Duke University’s Nicholas School with a Master of Environmental Management degree. Prior to 2016 he was a high-tech entrepreneur in communication and consumer electronics, founding and growing companies. He transitioned to environmental sustainability and land use by initially working along the Texas Coastal Bend bays and estuaries focused on restoration, coastal sustainability, carbon markets for coastal wetlands, and education. In his academic work, he concentrated on GIS-based analysis of the ecosystem services value provided by restored oyster reefs in Texas. Dave’s love of the outdoors—hiking, cycling, fishing, hunting, and sailing, drives a passion for finding ways that technology can support good stewardship and help us sustain the earth for future generations.

Ben Labay, Conservation Planner

Ben has worked as a biologist and conservation scientist for over 10 years. He received a B.S. in Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior from the University of Texas at Austin and a M.S. in Aquatic Resources and Biostatistics in 2010. Ben’s academic and professional experience started in stream fish ecology and has transitioned to studies involving spatial patterns and modeling species occurrences and distributions. Over the last few years, his research has focused on systematic conservation assessments at regional and national scales, with an emphasis on communication and mainstreaming of planning products for effective conservation implementation among diverse stakeholders and priorities. Having spent many years in Austin, Ben now splits his time between Austin and France; inspiring jealousy and awe among his coworkers.

Carly Choi, Intern

Carly Choi joined the Siglo Group team in Fall 2021. She is currently finishing her final semester in the Masters of Landscape Architecture program at the University of Texas at Austin. She received her BA in Environmental Sustainability Studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where she strived to discover ways to better our environment for future generations. The ethos of Carly’s work is to find the innate connections between people, culture, and nature. When she's not at school or work, she enjoys exploring the trails and parks in Austin with her family, practicing yoga, painting, and photography.

Kate Shirley, Intern

Kate joined Siglo Group in 2021; she is currently pursuing a Masters of Landscape Architecture from the University of Texas and will be graduating in 2023. She graduated from UT-Austin with her BA in Geography in 2019, where she developed a love for cartography, especially critical practices and methods. She considers herself a “plants person” and has a background in sustainable agriculture and Texas ecosystems. When she’s not troubleshooting GIS error codes, she enjoys road trips, sewing new things to wear, and walks around the neighborhood with her dog.