HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAPA SOQ_Department of Research Development_County of Hawai'i_062725
Portland, Oregon USA
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CAPA Statement of Qualifications, County of Hawai’i
1
To: Mr. Benson Medina
Director of Research & Development
County of Hawai‘i
25 Aupuni Street, Suite 1301
Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720
From: Joey Williams
Program Manager
CAPA Strategies
107 SE Washington St.
Portland, OR 97214
Subject: CAPA Strategies’ Statement of Qualifications, Professional Services for County of Hawai’i, Department of
Research and Development: RD.1) Community Planning (Community and Economic Development, Community
Engagement, Culture and Indigenous Data Science, Strategic Planning, Sustainability Systems)
Date: June 27th, 2025
Dear Mr. Benson Medina,
I am writing on behalf of CAPA Strategies, LLC to apply to serve the County of Hawai’i Department of Research and
Development with professional services pertaining to Community Planning (RD.1). Within this letter are
descriptions of CAPA’s qualifications as requested according to the Notice to Providers of Professional Services
(HRS 103D-304). If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact Joey Williams at his
provided details below.
(1) The name of the firm or person, contact information including email address, the principal place of
business, and location of all of its offices;
Firm: CAPA Strategies, LLC
Contact: Joey Williams (Program Manager)
Email: jw@capastrategies.com
Phone: 281-743-0543
Place of Business: 107 SE Washington St. Suite 410, Portland OR 97214
Additional Address: PO Box 42223 Portland, OR 97242
(2) The age of the firm and its average number of employees over the past five years;
CAPA has operated as a business since 2018 with an average of 6 employees per year over the past five
years.
Portland, Oregon USA
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CAPA Statement of Qualifications, County of Hawai’i
2
(3) The education, training, and qualifications of the individual, or if a firm, its key employees in accordance
with HRS 103D-304 and/or the professional and scientific occupation series contained in the United
States Office of Personnel Management’s Qualifications Standards Handbook.
CAPA is a team of social and environmental scientists who share an urban and regional planning
perspective and are deeply committed to supporting more sustainable, equitable, and resilient places to
live. Attached to this letter are the CVs for primary members of the CAPA team, along with brief
descriptions of the team below.
Dr. Vivek Shandas, CEO & Advisor
Vivek Shandas is the founder of and advisor to CAPA Strategies. He brings over 25 years of
interdisciplinary research, practice, and community engagement to this role, and has been supporting
cities on heat management for over 10 years. Vivek’s approach to urban heat management focuses on
direct community involvement in the understanding and response to extreme heat, particularly in terms
of building resilient systems and protocols for reducing negative impacts to human health and
infrastructure. Vivek holds a PhD in Urban Design and Planning and Master’s degrees in Environmental
Policy, and Economics.
Dr. Dana Hellman, Resilience Program Manager
Dana leads the development and implementation of CAPA’s Resilience Program. She is an experienced
social scientist and has been working in the field of climate resilience for over seven years. At CAPA, Dana
coordinates with clients on resilience projects, designs and administers instruments for community and
stakeholder engagement (including surveys, interviews, and workshop and focus group protocols),
designs tailored approaches to characterize vulnerability and risk, assesses policies and codes, and
develops frameworks that support implementation. She specializes in the integration of social data with
contextual information and best practices to guide clients toward resilience strategies that are locally
resonant. She has worked on planning and intervention guidance for multiple clients including
Longmont, CO; Multnomah County, Portland, and Gresham, OR; Clark County, WA; Sedona, AZ;
Oklahoma City, OK; and Los Angeles, CA. Dana holds a PhD in Earth, Environment & Society (resilience
focus) and a Master’s degree in Community Planning, and is a trained practitioner and facilitator of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Steps to Resilience Toolkit.
Mr. Joey Williams, Campaign Program Manager
Joey serves as Campaign Program Manager and directs operations of CAPA’s heat mapping program,
Heat Watch, and other heat and air quality monitoring services. He has supported over 125 heat
mapping campaigns over the past seven years, and continues to advance the technical quality and
impact of CAPA’s heat data products using his knowledge of sensor technology and monitoring. He and
the Campaign Team are adept at supporting client cities with spatial analysis of heat data and examining
relationships with land use and land cover, sociodemographics, and health data. With his background in
Urban Planning, Joey is able to work with client cities to leverage environmental data towards mitigation
and adaptation solutions. Joey has worked on heat mapping projects in San Bernardino, Los Angeles,
Portland, Oregon USA
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CAPA Statement of Qualifications, County of Hawai’i
3
and Calexico / Mexicali. Joey holds a Master’s degree in Urban & Regional Planning (MURP) and
Bachelor's of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
Dr. Bradley Wilson, Lead Analyst
Bradley is the lead analyst at CAPA strategies and oversees the technical execution and scientific
development of CAPA products and services. He has broad experience in the climate services industry,
with expertise in spatial modeling and statistics, satellite imagery analysis, and climate data processing.
He has led the development of several extreme heat models at both local and national scales, and
continues to oversee the CAPA Heat Watch modeling pipeline. Bradley is adept at integrating a wide
range of environmental and social datasets into tailored analyses informing climate adaptation
solutions. He holds a PhD in Geosciences and a Master’s degree in Geography.
Ms. Eliza Amstutz, Program Associate
Eliza manages client relations, project planning, and logistics for CAPA’s Heat Watch program. At CAPA,
Eliza supports community based monitoring projects, primarily managing CAPA’s Heat Watch mapping
campaigns. She specializes in community engaged data collection and interpretation. She has worked
with a number of communities to facilitate research and discussion on wildfire adaptation, drinking water
quality, and extreme heat scenarios including Los Angeles, Paradise, and Santa Rosa through focus
groups, interviews, and reporting. Eliza holds a Master’s degree in Geography.
Mr. Zachary Boyce, Program Associate & Communications Lead
Zachary leads geospatial analysis, mapping, and data visualization across CAPA programs and projects.
He specializes in complex analyses including quantitative social, environmental, and physical data, as
well as the adaptation of analytical outputs into accessible graphics, presentations, and reports. Zachary
holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geography and is currently completing a Master’s degree in emergency
management and Community Resilience.
(4) A list of recent projects and the names of up to five clients who may be contacted, including at least two
for whom services were rendered during the preceding year;
(A) Project: Longmont, Colorado: Heat Mapping, Community Engagement & Heat Action Planning, 2023-
2024
Description: In Longmont, Colorado, CAPA conducted comprehensive heat assessments, culminating in
the Longmont Heat Action Plan. CAPA initiated the project with a Heat Watch mapping campaign to
gather hyperlocal temperature data and concurrently developed a community engagement framework.
CAPA designed and administered a citywide "Longmont Summer Heat Survey" and, based on Heat
Watch data and City staff input, developed materials and protocols for targeted engagement in three
priority neighborhoods. CAPA designed and facilitated neighborhood workshops, yielding community-
driven cooling solutions. Building on these outputs, CAPA created the Longmont Heat Action Plan, which
involved deep assessment of existing datasets, thorough review of planning documents, and an
assessment of the municipal code to identify heat adaptation levers, ultimately recommending diverse
heat mitigation and adaptation strategies, policy suggestions, and success metrics.
Portland, Oregon USA
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CAPA Statement of Qualifications, County of Hawai’i
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Contacts:
-Zachary Lance, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Longmont, zachary.lance@longmontcolorado.gov;
-Lisa Knoblauch, Sustainability Manager, City of Longmont, Lisa.Knoblauch@longmontcolorado.gov;
Office Phone: 303-651-8403
(B) Project: Gresham Heat Strategy, 2024-2025
Description: In 2024 CAPA was contracted by the City of Gresham to examine current policy conditions
and establish a foundation for a local Heat Strategy. CAPA reviewed existing planning documents and
municipal code to identify heat-relevant themes as well as heat mitigation/adaptation levers that are
supported by planning and code language. CAPA identified 56 heat-related action items in existing
planning documents and reframed them into 15 summary heat strategies such as tree planting,
workforce development, renewable energy systems, and multimodal transportation. These strategies
were scored by implementation potential, cost, timeline, and impact to provide a prioritization structure
for the City. This prioritization sheds light on what strategies may be the most feasible to implement
given current conditions while recognizing that all the strategies are important for heat resilience. CAPA
provided specific recommendations for code amendments and policy directions to best provide a
comprehensive set of options for heat adaptation, mitigation, and emergency response. For 2025, CAPA
is organizing a workshop focused on heat action planning; in 2021 and 2022 CAPA also provided heat
mapping and GIS services for Gresham.
Contacts:
-Tina Núñez-Osterink, Natural Resources and Parks Planner, City of Gresham
Tina.Osterink@GreshamOregon.gov; 503-618-2392;
-Denise Lopez, Climate Action Analyst, City of Gresham, Denise.Lopez@GreshamOregon.gov,
503-618-3000.
(C) Project: Multnomah County, Oregon: Tri-County Heat Assessment & Jurisdictional Scan, 2023
Description: In 2023, CAPA conducted a Heat Watch mapping campaign for the Portland metropolitan
tri-county area (Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties), gathering over 250,000
temperature and humidity measurements from 125+ volunteers to generate high-resolution heat maps
and inform future land use planning and emergency response. Concurrently, CAPA performed a
Jurisdictional Scan, reviewing existing documents and conducting interviews with 28 county staff and
11 CBO representatives to understand current heat preparedness roles, coordination, barriers, and
potential strategies, revealing areas of alignment and gaps. This led to a workshop where county staff
brainstormed "heat actions roadmaps" and discussed preferences for local versus regional planning,
culminating in a report detailing existing operations, shared goals, limitations, and recommendations
for a comprehensive regional heat strategy.
Contacts:
-Brendon Haggerty, Manager at Multnomah County Health Department, brendon.haggerty@multco.us;
-Jairaj Singh, Climate & Health Program Specialist Senior, Multnomah County, jairaj.singh@multco.us.
(D) Project: Los Angeles, California: Urban Forest Equity Collective (UFEC), 2024, 2021
Portland, Oregon USA
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CAPA Statement of Qualifications, County of Hawai’i
5
Description: CAPA was the lead consultant for the two-phase Urban Forest Equity Collective (UFEC)
project in Los Angeles, focusing on urban canopy expansion for multiple benefits including heat
mitigation. CAPA's role encompassed systematic document and data review, stakeholder interviews, and
the creation of reports like the Urban Forest Equity Assessment Report and the Urban Forest Equity Streets
Guidebook. They also developed a neighborhood selection framework, led community engagement
through surveys and workshops in priority neighborhoods (Central Alameda and Sylmar), and
contributed to policy review, tree preservation, optimal planting guidance, and equity metric
development.
(E) Project: Clark County, Washington Climate Resilience Planning, 2023-2025
Description: Since late 2023, CAPA has been the lead consultant for climate change planning in Clark
County, Washington, tasked with incorporating greenhouse gas reduction and climate resilience into
Comprehensive Plan updates as mandated by state legislation. This ongoing project includes exploring
climate change projections and impacts, reviewing existing plans and policies for climate resilience, and
assessing vulnerability and risk, particularly regarding extreme heat. CAPA staff actively engage with
public advisory groups, assisting in the development and prioritization of resilience goals and policies
for the County's Comprehensive Plan. Additionally, CAPA conducted a Heat Watch mapping campaign
in summer 2024 and completed a Heat Health Trends & Thresholds Assessment to deepen
understanding of heat-related vulnerabilities, with future plans to model anticipated hospitalizations
and conduct a county-wide heat health survey.
Contact: Jenna Kay, Community Planner III, Clark County Washington jenna.kay@clark.wa.gov
(F) Project: Portland Bureau of Emergency Management, Indoor Heat Monitoring, 2022-2024
Description: In response to Portland’s deadly 2021 heat dome, the City of Portland partnered with
Home Forward to investigate indoor heat risks in public housing. CAPA Strategies was contracted to lead
the Home Forward Indoor Temperature Assessment, designing and executing an 8-month study across
three public housing properties in 2022. CAPA combined environmental monitoring—tracking indoor
temperatures in 53 homes—with social science methods, including resident surveys and workshops, to
explore lived experiences and adaptive behaviors. CAPA’s participatory approach not only uncovered key
insights—such as the limited effectiveness of portable AC units—but also empowered residents to help
interpret findings and co-develop context-specific cooling strategies. The project produced actionable
recommendations grounded in both data and community input, developed collaboratively with PBEM,
Home Forward, and the Multnomah County Health Department. A second phase of the project was
conducted and completed in 2023-2024.
Contact: Jonna Papaefthimiou, Resilience Office, State of Oregon, jonna.papaefthimiou@oregon.gov,
503-373-1558
(G) Any promotional or descriptive literature which the individual or firm desires to submit.
See attached.
Portland, Oregon USA
www.capastrategies.com
CAPA Statement of Qualifications, County of Hawai’i
6
Thank you for considering CAPA’s qualifications to serve the County of Hawai’i with professional services in
community planning. Please do not hesitate to reach out for further information.
Sincerely,
Joey Williams
Program Manager
jw@capastrategies.com
281-743-0543
June 27th, 2025
CAPA Strategies LLC
Dr.Vivek Shandas, Principal Investigator
i. Professional Preparation
•University of Washington, Seattle (WA), Ph.D., Urban Studies and Planning (2005)
•Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy (NY), MS, Environmental Management & Policy (1999)
•Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy (NY), MS, Economics (1999)
•University of California, Santa Cruz (CA) BS, Biology (1994)
ii. Appointments
•Principal Investigator, CAPA Strategies, 2018 – present
•Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor, Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University, 2005 –present
•Research Associate, Center for Urban Studies, Portland State University, 2005 – present
•National Science Foundation, IGERT Fellow, University of Washington, 2001 – 2004
•Environmental Policy Analyst, New York State Governor’s Office, Albany (NY) 1998 – 2000
•Science Teacher, Washington County Educational Service District, Portland (OR), 1995 – 1996
iii. Select Peer-Reviewed Publications
•Hoffman JS, Shandas V., Pendleton N. The Effects of Historical Housing Policies on Resident Exposure toIntra-Urban Heat: A Study of 108 US Urban Areas. Climate. 2020; 8(1):12.
•Shandas V., Voelkel J, Williams J, Hoffman J. Integrating Satellite and Ground Measurements for
Predicting Locations of Extreme Urban Heat. Climate. 2019; 7(1):5.
•Voelkel J, Hellman D, Sakuma R, Shandas, V. Assessing Vulnerability to Urban Heat: A Study ofDisproportionate Heat Exposure and Access to Refuge by Socio-Demographic Status in Portland,
Oregon. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2018; 15(4):640.
•Voelkel J, Shandas V. Towards Systematic Prediction of Urban Heat Islands: Grounding Measurements,
Assessing Modeling Techniques. Climate. 2017; 5(2):41.
•Voelkel, J., Shandas, V.; Haggerty, B. Developing High-Resolution Descriptions of Urban Heat Islands: APublic Health Imperative. Prev. Chronic Dis. 2016.
•Makido Y, Shandas, V., Ferwati S, Sailor D. Daytime Variation of Urban Heat Islands: The Case Study ofDoha, Qatar. Climate. 2016; 4(2):32.
•Mills, A., T Francis, Shandas, V., K Whittaker, and J Graybill, “Challenges in the Use of Best AvailableScience for the Protection of Critical Areas in Washington State”, Urban Ecosystems (in press).
•Shandas, V., and M Alberti, “Multi-Scalar Coupling of Vegetation Patterns and Functions: Empirical
evidence from the Puget Sound lowland”, Environmental Management (in press).
•Shandas, V., 2007. “Motivations for and Interest in Urban Riparian Conservation: An empirical study of
streamside landowners in the Puget Sound lowland”, Journal of the American Planning Association 73(2).
•Graybill, J.K., S Dolling, Shandas, V., J Withey, A Greve, G.L. Simon, 2006. “A Rough Guide toInterdisciplinarity: Graduate Student Perspectives”, BioScience 56(9): 757-763.
•Francis, T., K Whittaker, Shandas, V., A Mills, and J Graybill, 2004. “Using science in the environmentalpolicy process: A case study from Washington State”, Ecology and Society 10(1).
•O'Hara, S., Shandas, V., and E Wright, 2000. "The Cost of Technology Intensive Education: A preliminaryanalysis of studio physics", Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching 19(4): 379-396.
•O’Hara, S., Shandas, V., and J Vazquez, 2000. “Communicating Sustainable Development Options - WhoEvaluates the Trade-Offs?” in: I. Ring, B. Klauer, F. Waetzold, B. Mansson (eds.) Regional Sustainability:Applied Ecological Economics Bridging the Gap between Natural and Social Sciences. Physica Verlag.Heidelberg, Germany.
Dana Elyse Hellman
dh@capastrategies.com
Environmental social scientist, planner, and manager with a passion for applied research, community
and stakeholder engagement, and climate change preparedness.
Education
June 2021 PhD Earth, Environment & Society Portland State University
Areas of expertise: Socio-ecological resilience studies, Environmental anthropology, Political ecology, Sense of place
May 2015 Master of Community Planning
University of Cincinnati
Foci: Environmental planning; Geographic information systems (GIS)
Sept
2010
Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology
University of Cincinnati
Professional Experience
2021 – Present
Portland, OR
Resilience Manager
CAPA Strategies
Climate adaptation consulting and research with an emphasis on social-scientific methods, place-based solutions, and community engagement.
2017 – 2021 Portland, OR UREx Sustainability Research Network Fellow National Science Foundation; Portland State University
Research on climate events and resilience strategies, as well as cross-sector
collaboration in an international network of academics and practitioners.
2017 Portland, OR Consultant Oregon Public Health Institute; Multnomah County Child Care Resource & Referral
Health-oriented programming and education for low-income, unlicensed child care providers.
2016 – 2017 Portland, OR Community Child Care Outreach Specialist Multnomah County Health Department: Racial & Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) Program
Engagement with and culturally-appropriate resource development for low-income, unlicensed, African-American/Black child care providers.
2014 – 2015 Cincinnati, OH Environmental Planning Assistant City of Cincinnati: Office of Environment & Sustainability
Research and programming for municipal environmental initiatives including heat exposure assessment, urban agriculture, and open space preservation.
Additional Training
2024 Climate Service Provider, certified by American Society of Adaptation Professionals
2023
2017
NOAA ‘Steps to Resilience’ Practitioner Training
Human Subjects Researcher, certified by CITI Program
Select Publications
[1]Hellman, D., deGuzman, E. & O’Leary, R. (2024) Los Angeles Urban Forest Equity: Assessment,
Tools, and Recommendations. UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation.
[2]Hellman, D. & Shandas, V. (2024) Housing, Heat, and Health: Community-Informed Adaptations
for Climate Safety. In Egger K. et al. (Eds.), What's Possible: Investing Now for Prosperous,
Sustainable Neighborhoods (pp. 114-120). Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
[3]Shandas, V. & Hellman, D. (Eds.) (2022) Collaborating for climate equity: Researcher-practitioner
partnerships in the Americas. Routledge.
[4] Haeffner, M., Hellman, D., Cantor, A., Ajibade, I., Craver, V., Kelly, M., Schifman, L., & Weasel, L.
(2021) Representation justice as a research agenda for socio-hydrology and water governance.
Hydrological Sciences Journal.
[5]Hellman, D. & Shandas, V. (2021) Healthy environment: Toward environmental health for all.
Oregon 2050. Portland State University College of Urban & Public Affairs.
[6]Hellman, D., & Haeffner, M. (2020) Book review: Blue infrastructures: Natural history, political
ecology and urban development in Kolkata. Frontiers in Water, 2(599603).
[7] Haeffner, M., & Hellman, D. (2020) Social geometry of collaborative flood risk management: A
hydrosocial case study of Tillamook County, Oregon. Natural Hazards, 103.
[8] Makido, Y., Hellman, D., & Shandas, V. (2019) Nature based designs to mitigate urban heat: The
efficacy of green infrastructure treatments in Portland, Oregon. Atmosphere, 10(5).
[9] Voelkel, J., Hellman, D., Sakuma, R., & Shandas, V. (2018) Assessing vulnerability to urban heat:
A study of disproportionate heat exposure and access to refuge by socio-demographic status in
Portland, Oregon. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(4).
Joey Williams, Program Manager
i. Professional Preparation
●Portland State University, MA, Urban and Regional Planning, Focus in Climate
Adaptation (2019)
●University of Maryland, College Park, BS, Mechanical Engineering (2012)
ii. Appointments
●General Manager, CAPA Strategies LLC, 2019 – present
●Program Manager, CAPA Heat Watch, in partnership with NIHHIS Urban Heat Island
Mapping Campaign project, 2019 – present
●Graduate Research Assistant, Canopy Continuum: Urban heat island mapping, air quality
monitoring, and human health across 5 US cities, Sustaining Urban Places Research Lab,
Portland State University, 2018-19
●Community Service Aide II, Climate Action Plan Team, City of Portland, 2018
iii. Peer-Reviewed Publication(s)
●Shandas, V., Voelkel, J., Williams, J., & Hoffman, J., (2019). Integrating Satellite and
Ground Measurements for Predicting Locations of Extreme Urban Heat. Climate, 7(1), 5.
iv. Presentations
●“Community-Based Urban Heat Field Campaigns: Adaptation actions through collective
action”, Special panel session, Northwest Climate Conference, 2021.
●“Urban Heat Analysis of Large-Scale Urban Development: Opportunities for improving
thermal comfort through alternative building designs”, Northwest Climate Conference,
2018; Annual Sustainability Celebration, Portland State University, 2018.
●“Assessing Collaborative Tree Planting Efforts to Enhance Community Health
Outcomes”, School of Public Health Annual Conference, Portland State University, 2019.
Bradley Steven Wilson
bw@capastrategies.com
i. Professional Preparation
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
2019 Ph.D.Geosciences
2016 M.S.Geography
Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO
2015 B.S.Geophysical Engineering
ii. Appointments
●CAPA Strategies, Lead Analyst, (2024-present)
●First Street Foundation,Director of Research & Development (2022-2023), Senior Research Scientist
(2021-2022)
●University of Central Florida, Department of Public Administration,Postdoctoral Scholar, (2020-2021)
●SESYNC Graduate Research Fellow,National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, Annapolis, MD
(2020)
●U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Hazards Science Center, Research Intern (2019)
iii. Select Peer-Reviewed Publications
(2022)Wilson, B. Pope, M., Porter, J., Kearns, E., Shu, E., Bauer, M., Freeman, N., Amodeo, M.,
Melecio-Vazquez, D., Hsieh, H., Tarasovitch, M. Characterizing changes in extreme ozone levels under 2050s
climate conditions: An extreme-value analysis in California.Atmospheric Environment X 16
(2022)Wilson, B. Porter, J., Kearns, E., Hoffman, J., Shu, E., Lai, K., Bauer, M. High Resolution
Estimation of Monthly Air Temperature from Joint Modeling of In Situ Measurements and
Gridded Temperature Data.Climate 10(3), 47.
(2022) Benzeev, R.,Wilson, B.,Butler, M., Massoca, P., Paudel, K., Redmore, L., Zarbá, L. What’s governance
got to do with it? Examining the relationship between governance and deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon.
PLOS ONE 17(6).
(2021)Wilson, B.Tate, E., Emrich, C. Flood recovery outcomes and disaster assistance barriers for
vulnerable populations.Frontiers in Water 3.
(2021)Wilson, B.,Allstadt, K, and Thompson, E. A Near-Real Time Model for Estimating Probability of Road
Obstruction from Earthquake-Triggered Landslides.Earthquake Spectra 37(4).
(2020)Wilson, B.A Bayesian Modeling Approach for Estimating Earthquake Reconstruction Behavior.Annals
of The American Association of Geographers 111(1): 283-299.
2019 Wilson, B.Overrun by Averages: An Empirical Analysis into the Consistency of Social Vulnerability
Components Across Multiple Scales.International Journal of Risk Reduction 40.
2018 Wilson, B.,and Paradise, T.R. Assessing the Impact of Syrian Refugees on Earthquake fatality
Estimation in Southeast Turkey.National Hazards and Earth System Sciences 18(1): 257-269.
Bradley Wilson, Lead Analyst
Eliza S. Amstutz, Program Associate
i. Professional Preparation
•Oregon State University, MS, Geography, Graduate Certificate in Geospatial Information
Science, Focus on Drinking Water Resilience in the Wildland Urban Interface (2023)
•University of California, Los Angeles, BA, International Development Studies, Minor in
Geographic Information Systems & Technology (2020)
ii. Appointments
•Program Associate, CAPA Strategies LLC, 2024 – present
•Faculty Research Assistant, Sensor Technology for Improved Wildland Urban Interface Fire
Resilience, Wildfire Resilience Social Media Study, Oregon State University, 2023 – 2024
•Graduate Research Assistant, Sensor Technology for Improved Wildland Urban Interface Fire
Resilience, Oregon State University, 2022 – 2023
•Graduate Teaching Assistant, College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, Oregon State
University, 2021 – 2023
•Undergraduate Research Assistant, UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, 2019 – 2020
•GIS Intern, Nepal Fish Biodiversity Project & Biovac Nepal, CMDN, 2018 – 2019
•Social Engagement Intern, Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Dakar
Senegal, 2018
iii. Peer-Reviewed Publications
•Pierce, G., González, S. R. & E. Amstutz. (2020). “Reducing Lead in Drinking Water in
California’s Childcare Facilities: Implications for AB 2370 Program Development from Los
Angeles County.” First 5-Los Angeles, UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation.
•Tilt, J. H., Gough, M., Schmidt, A., Amstutz, E., & Ellsworth, L. M. (submitted). Using Fuzzy
Logic to Visualize Vulnerability to Hazards. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction.
iv. Presentations
•Amstutz, E., Tilt, J., Schmidt A., Gough, M. Identifying Community Adaptive Capacity
Indicators in Santa Rosa and Paradise in the wake of the 2018 Camp Fire and 2017 Tubbs Fire.
American Association for Geographers Annual Conference, Denver, CO. Oral Presentation.
•Amstutz, E., Tilt, J. Building WUI Water Distribution Resilience; Social vulnerability, Response,
and Recovery to the 2018 Camp Fire and 2017 Tubbs Fire February 2023. Wildfire Resilient
Structures Conference and Tradeshow. Oral Presentation.
•Amstutz, E., Building WUI Water Distribution Resilience; A Mixed Methods Approach to
Assessing Social Vulnerability, Response, and Recovery to the 2018 Camp Fire. International
Association of Society and Natural Resources Conference. June 2022. Poster.
•Amstutz, E., Building WUI Water Distribution Resilience; A Mixed Methods Approach to
Assessing Social Vulnerability, Response, and Recovery to the 2018 Camp Fire. Disaster
Research Response Workshop, Seattle. August 2022. Poster.
•Amstutz, E., Sustainability Education for Future Urban Leadership. United Nations Day of
Cities. April 2019. Panelist & Oral Presentation.
Zachary Boyce, Graphic Design & Cartography
i.Professional Preparation
•Portland State University, B.S. Geography; Minors: GIS, Climate Change Adaptation,Water Resources (2018 – present)
ii.Appointments
•Graphic Designer, Cartographer, CAPA Strategies, 2020 – present
•Trainee, GIS & Reporting, Superfund and Emergency Management Division, U.S.Environmental Protection Agency, 2021
•Graphic Designer, Mitigation Planning Natural Hazards Analyst, Institute for Sustainable
Solutions at Portland State University, 2021
•Community Service Aide II, Surface Water Management Team, Portland Bureau ofEnvironmental Services, 2019 – present
•Natural Hazards Intern, Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization, U.S.Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2020
•Researcher, Data Science for Public Good, Oregon State University, Oregon, 2020
•Researcher, Water for the River Portland State University, 2019
Heat Watch
Add-Ons
Products & Services
Heat Watch Add-Ons | Overview
Heat Watch provides a unique
opportunity for stakeholders across
governance levels to assess heat risk
and advance collective action
towards heat resilience. Through
partnering with over 120 cities on
Heat Watch, CAPA has identified
specific activities (“Add-Ons”) that
leverage this opportunity and
strengthen the impact of the Heat
Watch program with additional
monitoring and engagement
components, analytical insights, and
planning and policy strategies.
Heat Watch
Add-Ons span four categories:
Hazard Monitoring, Heat Insights,
Resilience Planning, and
Neighborhood Scale. The following
pages present relevant information
about each product with estimated
cost ranges.
If you are interested in any
of these services, please
contact Joey Williams at
jw@capastrategies.com to learn
more or request a quote.
Heat Watch Add-Ons
≤ $10,000
≤ $20,000
≤ $30,000
> $30,000
$
$$
$$$
$$$$
Cost Key
Hazard Monitoring
Heat Insights
Resilience Planning
Neighborhood Scale
Heat Watch Sensor
Heat Monitoring Plan
Air Quality Monitoring
Climate Projections
Land Cover & Canopy Assessment
Health & Social Risk Assessment
Intervention Guidebook
Jurisdictional Scan
Community Survey
Community-Informed Cooling Solutions
Neighborhood Thermal Comfort
Purchase your own set of
Heat Watch sensors to
conduct future mapping
campaigns and heat
monitoring research. The
sensor mounts to any moving
vehicle and measures air
temperature, relative
humidity, latitude and
longitude, and velocity while
responding quickly to the
nearby environment.
Description
Heat Watch sensor, user
manual, data transmission
app, and charging accessories
Deliverable
$
Cost
As used in 120+ Heat Watch
campaigns around the world.
Technical specifications:
Link (PDF)
Monitoring
Engagement
Capacity building
Impacts
International
Project ExampleHeat Watch Sensor
Measure particulate matter
(PM) concentrations through
mobile and stationary
monitoring approaches in
tandem with your Heat Watch
campaign. Identify pollution
hot-spots and areas facing
prolonged exposure to poor
air quality.
Description
Mobile and stationary PM
data and maps; summary
report with data visualizations
and findings
Deliverable
$$
Cost
Deployed 10 low-cost air
quality sensors to measure
PM2.5 along mobile routes and
select residential locations.
Asess exposure
Build awareness
Site selection
Impacts
Bloomington, IN
Project ExampleAir Quality Monitoring
Report sample:
Link (PDF)
Develop a tailored strategy for
comprehensive heat data
collection. Connect heat data
to key decision-makers. Assess
existing heat data sources and
applications by sector, identify
gaps, and develop a targeted
implementation plan.
Description
A CAPA-led workshop identifies
data needs, applications, and
resources. CAPA develops a plan
outlining best practices, tailored
goals, and recommendations.
Deliverable
$$$
Cost
Goal Setting; In-Situ Stationary
Networks, Remote Sensing,
Low Cost & Community-Based
Monitoring; Data Qa/Qc,
Sensor Maintenance and
Recommended Tools.
Long-term planning
Track progress
Reduce data gaps
Impacts
Your city or region
TopicsHeat Monitoring Plan
2
1
3
Hazard Monitoring
Heat Watch Add-Ons
Visualize the impacts of a
changing climate on extreme
heat in your area through
2100 using the latest
generation of Global Climate
Models. Evaluate multiple
climate scenarios for resilient
extreme heat planning.
Description
Report describing impact of
climate change on extreme
heat, raster assets for
projected heat scenarios,
tabular data files with
bias-corrected heat statistics.
Deliverable
$
Cost
Integrated Heat Watch data
and CMIP6 projections to
evaluate future heat risks in
Bloomington.
Climate knowledge
Scenario planning
Adaptation insights
Impacts
Bloomington, IN
Project ExampleClimate Projections
Report sample:
Link (PDF)
Characterize heat
vulnerability through the lens
of socio-demographic and
health components.
Understand the social
composition of the areas
most and least exposed to
extreme heat to assist with
prioritizing heat adaptation
activities.
Description
Report detailing relationship
between socio-demographics,
health risk factors, and heat,
spatial assets with metadata.
Deliverable
$$
Cost
Analyzed the relationship
between two Heat Watch
campaigns in Dallas Texas and
CDC/Census heat vulnerability
indicators.
Evidence base
Vulnerability insights
Response planning
Impacts
Dallas, TX
Project ExampleHealth & Social RiskAssessment
Report sample:
Link (PDF)
Generate summaries of heat
by land cover, tree canopy, or
land use to examine trends
and opportunities to influence
land development and zoning
policy. Understand how
vegetation and surface
materials influence heat
trends in your area.
Description
Report detailing relationship
between land cover, tree
canopy, and heat, spatial assets
with metadata.
Deliverable
$$
Cost
Worked with high-resolution
canopy and impervious surface
data from Pierce County, WA to
assess trends between heat
and surface cover.
Evidence base
Development targets
Adaptation insights
Impacts
Pierce County, WA
Project ExampleLand Cover &Canopy Asessment
Report sample:
Link (PDF)
Heat Insights
Heat Watch Add-Ons
Identify heat mitigation and
adaptation best practices that
are right for your region and
climate. Learn what strategies
are available, how they work,
and how to implement them
for maximum benefit.
Description
Guidebook detailing
intervention strategies
including (1) relative timeline
and environmental impact of
each, (2) special
considerations for
implementation, and (3) case
study examples.
Deliverable
$$
Cost
Combined best practices, case
studies, and City staff input to
identify heat inerventions for an
arid desert climate.
Planning guidance
Action direction
Foundation for engagement
& funding
Impacts
Sedona, AZ
Project ExampleIntervention Guidebook
Report sample:
Link (PDF)
Gather key insights into how
local communities are
experiencing heat. Explore
topics such heat exposure,
impacts, coping strategies,
knowledge and risk
perception, and desired
solutions.
Description
Survey data report detailing
heat experiences at the
citywide, ZIP code, or
neighborhood scale,
including recommended next
steps based on results.
Deliverable
$$
Cost
Collected 2,000+ surveys and
used a targeted analysis
comparing the highest and lowest
heat vulnerability ZIP codes.
Impacts
Oklahoma City, OK
Project ExampleCommunity Survey
Planning guidance
Action direction
Foundation for engagement
& funding
Report sample:
Link (PDF)
Systematically review existing
local plans, City/County code
chapters, and policies. Identify
heat adaptation levers that
advance desired resilience
strategies as well as barriers
that limit action.
Description
Spreadsheet including all
details identified during the
scan. Summary report
explaining major themes, areas
of alignment, and gaps; list of
stakeholders; and specific
recommendations to advance
heat action based on results.
Deliverable
$$
Cost
Reviewed 13 local plans, 1
research report, and 13 code
chapters and developed 10
specific recommendations to
advance heat action.
Planning guidance
Code/policy guidance
Action directions
Impacts
Dallas, TX
Project ExampleJurisdictional Scan
Develop strategic heat action
plans. We guide the creation
of effective heat mitigation
and adaptation strategies,
from identifying best
practices to assessing policy
effectiveness, ensuring a
comprehensive approach to
resilience.
Strategic Planning
Strengthen policies and
implementation. We focus
on providing practical
guidance to translate plans
into action, addressing both
the regulatory and
on-the-ground aspects of
resilience.
Policy and Implementation
Design community-centered
solutions. We prioritize
engagement and
understanding of
community needs, using
surveys and other tools to
inform resilience plans that
are equitable, effective, and
supported by residents.
Community Centered
Resilience Planning
Heat Watch Add-Ons
Report sample:
Link (PDF)
Engage high-risk
communities to increase heat
awareness, build knowledge
of cooling solutions, and
learn what strategies are right
for specific locations (e.g.,
neighborhoods).
Description
Educational materials,
engagement protocols
(workshops, surveys, etc.),
and analysis report, including
recommendations for
place-based interventions.
Deliverable
$$-$$$
Cost
Partners deployed a survey,
event tabling, door-to-door
visits, and workshops to receive
input on heat strategies for
three high-risk neighborhoods.
Planning guidance
Action directions
Community engagement
Impacts
Longmont, CO
Project ExampleCommunity-Informed Cooling Solutions
Go beyond air temperature
with a mean-radiant
temperature model that takes
into account factors like urban
geometry, shadows, and
surface materials. Understand
how potential heat solutions
impact thermal comfort at a
micro-scale.
Description
Report characterizing
baseline and/or modified
mean-radiant temperature for
your neighborhood. Spatial
assets with metadata.
Deliverable
$$-$$$
Cost
Using SOLWEIG model,
models areas up to 12 square
kilometers, 1-3 meter
resolution, UTCI assessments
at points of interest.
Human comfort insights
Scenario planning
Climate-resilient design
Impacts
Your neighborhood
Technical SpecsNeighborhood Thermal Comfort Assessment
Heat Watch Add-Ons | Neighborhood Level
Implement localized
interventions. We focus on
addressing heat challenges
at the neighborhood level,
tailoring solutions to specific
contexts and fostering
community participation for
maximum impact.
Localized Intervention
Analyze heat at a micro-scale.
We go beyond city-wide
averages to understand the
nuances of heat exposure
within neighborhoods, using
detailed monitoring,
modeling, and thermal
comfort assessments.
Micro-Scale Analysis
Engage with residents to
shape local solutions,
fostering collaboration and
ensuring that heat resilience
strategies are responsive to
the unique needs and
priorities of each
neighborhood.
Community Driven
Neighborhood Level
Heat Watch Add-Ons
Report sample:
Link (PDF)
If you are interested in any of these services,
please contact Joey Williams at jw@capastrategies.com
to learn more or request a quote.