Our Team
We will continue to invest in our company, our benefits, and applied employee training to hone our applications, techniques, company dynamic, and breadth of services. We are here to answer any questions you may have and create an effective solution for your clean water initiative.
RYAN C. GAUJOT P.H.
President
Mr. Gaujot is president and principal geologist with Green Rivers. Born and raised in West Virginia, Ryan first learned to appreciate natural beauty through family camping and fishing adventures to high elevation Appalachia with his parents and older brother. Ryan grew up in Charleston and Morgantown, WV. After studying and graduating BS in Geology at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Ryan took a Geologist position with Marshall Miller & Associates (MMA) of Bluefield, WV. At MMA he had the opportunity to work with some of the finest scientific professionals in the business. MMA showed Ryan what it takes to make an effective, professional consulting company. Ryan continued his study and obtained his MS in Geology at West Virginia University completing a thesis entitled “Geology, hydrology, and fish habitat relationships in the upper Shavers Fork, WV.” After graduate school, Ryan briefly worked as a Geomorphic Survey Technician for the WV Division of Natural Resources before moving to a Geologist position at the Canaan Valley Institute (CVI). At CVI, Ryan had the opportunity to study streams and wetlands for many years, as well as work as a course instructor for Dave L. Rosgen of Wildland Hydrology. Looking for a means for highly efficient and effective clean water projects for Appalachia, Ryan founded Green Rivers in 2008. Ryan enjoys recreating in the streams, mountains, and oceans of the world. Ryan resides near Thomas, West Virginia with his wife Jocelyn and two sons Arden and Asa.
CATHERINE PATTERSON MCELROY
Geologist & GIS Analyst
Catherine, or Cat, is originally from Roanoke, Virginia and grew up camping and skiing in the beautiful state of West Virginia. She graduated from James Madison University in 2012 with a B.S. in Geology. There she completed research mapping large and small scale folds and faults, assisted in Google Earth tectonic reconstruction animations, and compiled a Page County, VA geologic bedrock map for the 42nd Annual Virginia Geological Field Conference. Cat moved to West Virginia in 2013 to pursue her masters in Geology at West Virginia University with a focus in geomorphology at West Virginia University. Her thesis is characterizing and analyzing algific talus slopes in the Valley and Ridge physiographic province in Pennsylvania, using LiDAR. Cat joined Green Rivers in July 2016. In her free time, she enjoys homesteading with her husband in their new house, throwing pottery of all shapes and sizes, hiking, road trips, and always looks forward to skiing every winter.
COURTNEY PETRACCA
gEOLOGIST & cULTURAL rESOURCE sPECIALIST
Courtney obtained her bachelor’s education at WVU for geology and anthropology in 2014. After joining the environmental career field for a few years, she set off to Kent State University to complete her master’s degree in sedimentology and geomorphology in 2021. Overall, Courtney has over 5 years in environmental works where she has taken on field responsibilities such as water oversight, water chemical testing, river geomorphic surveys, wetland delineations, soils collections, and archaeological Phase I investigations. Courtney also has experience in creating mitigation plan, spill response plans, stream and wetland delineation reports, as well as ArcGIS experience and Cultural Resource Laboratory work. On her spare time, she enjoys the outdoors with her husband and dogs. She also enjoys many fabric crafts but don’t let that fool you. On most weekends, she enjoys putting on armor and reenacting medieval battles with her friends.
BEN STAUD P.E.
pROJECT eNGINEER
Mr. Staud has 18 years of professional experience as an engineer in the environmental, geotechnical, and natural gas site development fields. Mr. Staud has managed environmental remediation/restoration and natural gas site development projects in addition to providing technical assistance with a wide array of investigation and design components. Field experience includes construction inspection and field oversight of various projects including: contaminated soil and sediment removal, stream restoration, industrial and municipal construction projects, deep foundation installations, synthetic liner installations, and steel sheet pile barrier wall installations. In addition, Mr. Staud has experience with oversight of environmental and geotechnical drilling operations.