Our team

Applied Natural Sciences is a woman-owned small business committed to meeting our clients’ unique remedial challenges. As pioneers in our field, we have been applying agronomic processes to environmental remediation problems of soil and water for decades.

Paul Thomas, M.S.
Co-owner, Chief Science Officer

Mr. Thomas has over forty years of professional consulting experience and has conducted environmental characterization and remedial actions at major industrial facilities throughout the United States and in Europe. His work has resulted directly in the completion of full-scale design-build remediation projects including CERCLA, RCRA, brownfields and voluntary actions. He has also been involved in all aspects of due diligence, ecological characterization/mitigation, remediation, and regulatory compliance.

His early work experience included geologic mapping, geophysical methods, geological software development, and modeling of groundwater and surface water.

Beginning in 1987, Mr. Thomas was among the pioneering practitioners of vegetation-based remediation and waste management (Phytotechnologies). He founded Thomas Consultants, Inc. in 1989 and has worked to develop applications for phytotechnologies over the past 35 years. In the early 1990's Mr. Thomas collaborated with Dr. Edward Gatliff on the development of phytoremediation methods to overcome the limitation of traditional phytoremediation to relatively shallow groundwater. Dr. Gatliff patented the TreeWell technology, and it was provided as a service through his company, Applied Natural Sciences, Inc. A close working relationship developed between Thomas Consultants and Applied Natural Sciences.

Upon Dr. Gatliff's passing in early 2021, Mr. Thomas assumed the role of President of Applied Natural Sciences. He has since transitioned to Chief Science Officer, passing day-to-day scientific leadership to Chris Gale, while remaining actively involved in the company's technical direction. Applied Natural Sciences has continued to grow and is currently providing TreeWell-based remediation services throughout the United States and European Union.

Specialties: Phytotechnologies, TreeWell technologies, phytoremediation, alternative cover technologies, wetland treatment, stormwater management, groundwater modeling, surface water modeling, sediment transport modeling, groundwater remediation, soil remediation

Tara Gatliff Hail, M.S.
Co-owner, Chief Operating Officer

As Chief Operating Officer and owner of Applied Natural Sciences, Inc., Tara Gatliff Hail brings more than two decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of scaling organizations through strategic growth, innovation, and team development. Since stepping into executive leadership in 2021, Tara has guided the company through a pivotal transition, doubling its size and driving significant revenue increase. Under Tara's direction, Applied Natural Sciences expanded its international footprint, secured multiple patent-pending technologies, and strengthened its intellectual property portfolio across North America and Europe. Known for a pragmatic yet visionary leadership style, Tara has restructured operations, established employee ownership initiatives, and built a culture centered on excellence, collaboration, and sustainability.

Before assuming executive leadership, Tara spent nearly a decade managing environmental remediation projects across North America, honing expertise in operations, client relations, and project execution. Tara holds a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Colorado State University and is committed to advancing the company's mission of delivering practical, science-driven solutions that restore and protect natural environments worldwide.

Chris Gale, M.S., P.G.
President

Mr. Gale has over 20 years of professional environmental consulting experience. He has substantial experience managing and implementing a wide variety of environmental site investigation, characterization, and remediation projects, including all aspects of building and leading successful teams on large-scale complex projects. Mr. Gale has expertise in a variety of remedial technologies including Electrical Resistance Heating (ERH), Dual Phase Extraction (DPE), Soil Vapor Extraction (SVE), Enhanced In-Situ Bioremediation (EISB), In-Situ Chemical Reduction (ISCR), In-Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO), and soil excavation and how these technologies can be combined with ANS' engineered phytoremediation technologies to optimize remedial strategies to meet client objectives.

As President, Chris leads ANS's science-based initiatives, strategic vision, business development, and R&D, working alongside Tara Gatliff Hail, Chief Operating Officer, who oversees day-to-day operations.

Specialties: Phytoremediation, combined remedies, groundwater remediation, soil remediation, vapor intrusion

Robin McLamb, M.A.
Vice President of
Operations and Growth

Robin McLamb has nine years of experience in interdisciplinary project management and leadership at an international publicly traded corporation, where she managed relationships with other subsidiaries and the parent organization in Japan. She has also worked as a freelance editor and content generator for financial and corporate events in the Middle East. Prior to those roles, Robin spent six years as a non-profit program manager, creating alliances with stakeholders, driving community-wide research, and managing evidence-based programming. In addition to her professional experience, she founded a 501 (c) 3 charity focused on supporting female entrepreneurs in the Global South.

Kevin Bamber, M.S.
Project Scientist II

Mr. Bamber has over 12 years of experience in agricultural and environmental research. He has extensive experience in applied agronomics and the management and implementation of projects that investigate the environmental impacts of agriculture in numerous cropping systems. His focus areas have included mitigating nutrient losses from organic and inorganic fertilizers to the atmosphere, groundwater and surface waters, expanding agricultural uses of existing organic waste-based fertilizers, developing new organic waste-based fertilizers for agricultural and urban use, and reducing herbicide use through crop rotation, cover cropping, and harvest weed seed control. As a part of the ANS team, Mr. Bamber draws from his data-driven approach to applied soil science to assist clients in achieving their remedial goals.

Bryan Fischer
Project Scientist II

After graduating from Oklahoma State University, Bryan Fischer pursued a career in the environmental and energy industry. He is COO and co-owner of Whiterock Resources, an alliance of environmental professionals dedicated to providing support activities to corporations and consultants in the Energy and Environmental Industries. Bryan’s work ethic, along with over 15 years of experience on extensive remediation projects, has allowed him to gain industry insight from a diverse group of colleagues and peers. Due to his work with large corporations and independent operators, he has a broad understanding of remediation and a strong desire to return the land to its natural state. Bryan has extensive experience in phytoremediation, multi-phase extraction, in situ bioremediation, groundwater treatment systems, and soil/groundwater monitoring. He also provides licensed oversight for the decommissioning and removal of Underground Storage Tank (UST) systems, pre-construction compliance for pipeline Right of Way (ROW) projects, site restoration, and maintenance project management. In addition, he has performed the installation, planting and site maintenance of over 2,600 TreeWell ® Units at 41 project sites in 24 States.

Hayden Beck
Project Scientist I

After graduating from Sewanee: The University of the South, Hayden Beck began his career as a geologist. Starting in the geotechnical industry, he served multiple roles as a soil scientist and materials specialist, assisting and supporting a wide portfolio of civil and geotechnical projects. Transitioning into the environmental industry as a consulting geologist, Hayden built a strong foundation and skill set in environmental site characterization, remedial design investigation, and data collection. With over six years of experience in the industry, Hayden provides success in extensive field implementation and operations management. Hayden Beck has experience in both passive and active remediation practices (such as Phyto, SVE, EISB, ISCR, ISCO), working on sites with VOC, heavy metal, and petroleum contamination. As an addition to the ANS team, Hayden provides his detailed and data-focused work ethic to assist clients in their remedial goals.

Edward Gatliff, Ph.D.
Founder

Dr. Gatliff began working in the environmental industry in 1987, primarily applying his understanding of vegetation and agronomic principles to remediate contaminated soil and groundwater. In the fall of 1990 he conceived an engineered approach for utilizing trees to remediate deep soil and groundwater, now known as the TreeMediation® approach. With the implementation of a TreeMediation approach program in the fall of 1991, he became the pioneer in the use of phytoremediation to clean up deep soil and groundwater. In 1993, Dr. Gatliff founded Applied Natural Sciences, Inc. through which he continued to lead the nation in the commercial implementation of phytoremediation programs, with dozens of successful projects throughout the world. Dr. Gatliff earned his Ph.D. in Agronomy from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He was formerly the Research Director for Servi-Tech, Inc., the world’s largest agricultural consulting and testing firm; as well as the Analytical Sciences Division Director for Bowser-Morner, Inc., an environmental and geotechnical engineering and testing firm. Dr. Gatliff passed away in February of 2021, but his work in the field of phytoremediation lives on.

Beverly Gatliff
Founder

Beverly Gatliff is an accomplished professional with experience in operational management and strategic decision-making. In her present role, Beverly oversees employee management, guides corporate vision, and manages intellectual property. Beverly and Dr. Edward Gatliff worked together to establish the pioneering phytoremediation business in 1993 and grew it into one of the country's most respected environmental remediation firms, amassing a portfolio of patents and establishing national and international clients and sites. Their collaborative efforts have played a vital role in the company's growth and global reach. With a career steeped in education and corporate leadership, Beverly's pragmatic approach to management remains pivotal in steering Applied Natural Sciences, Inc. towards growth and maintaining its position as a corporate leader in the remediatoin field.