Leadership
Adrienne Taylor, PMP, Head of Strategy & Execution
Adrienne has over 20 years of consulting experience in the environmental, energy, and sustainability domain
providing technical support to Federal agencies to conserve resources, maintain clean water and clean air
compliance, restore environmentally contaminated sites, achieve greater energy and water efficiency goals, and
meet sustainability targets. She has supported mission operations across the U.S. Government to include multimedia
environmental compliance, ISO 14001 and Environmental Management Systems (EMS) development and
implementation, and conservation projects that involve the protection of natural and cultural resources and mitigating
invasive species. Adrienne has developed strategies for improving solid waste management and recycling programs,
deployed renewable, resilient, and energy efficient projects across the Federal government, and created roadmaps
for Federal clients to be more sustainable and achieve net zero goals at the building and installation level. She has
also worked in alternative fuel production to include the review of international sustainable farming practices and
renewable sources of feedstock.
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Prior to starting Tellus, Adrienne was the Vice President of Energy and Environment at Redhorse Corporation where
she led a team of approximately 100 scientists, engineers, and analysts. She was responsible for client care, business
development and growth, overall successful execution of the practice area, and P&L of roughly $25M/annually.
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Ms. Taylor is passionate about delivering technical excellence to customers, while building teams of the best and brightest to solve complex scientific challenges. She fosters partnerships and employee growth to bring to bear leading solutions. She wakes up everyday with a commitment to do good for her community, nation, and planet; to be a thoughtful and inclusive leader; to foster diversity and advancement for the underserved; and to leave the world better than she found it.
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Hannah Thompson, PMP, Head of Programs & Operations
As a daughter of an immigrant mother from Ecuador, Hannah grew up visiting family in Manta and would bring several
100 pound suitcases of gently worn clothes, shoes, toys, "USA" candies for her and her Uncle Augusto to provide to
rural communities in ManabÍ Province. The smiles from the children and the kind and appreciative eyes of the
mothers stayed with Hannah into adulthood, as well as did the heart warming feeling of positive action. Another
forever imprinting experience was exploring the most gorgeous Ecuadorian beaches and witnessing a failure in waste
management education and infrastructure as she watched cars and trucks one after another dump their mixed waste
garbage over the cliff directly onto the beach. At this moment Hannah understood the incredible importance of
environmental education and the need to have positive impacts on nature and communities. This sense of
environmental responsibility continued through college and beyond as she pursued a BS in Environmental Science
from UC Santa Barbara, participated in environmental internship programs in Central America, served communities as
an environmental and social justice educator through AmeriCorps, and ultimately as an environmental and
sustainability consultant.
Over the last eighteen years, Hannah has supported a wide variety of Federal clients with their environmental,
sustainability, and community programs while maintaining a laser focus on her client’s mission, values, and priorities.
Her federal clients include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a multitude of DoD clients, as well as state and local entities such as the CA State Water Resources Control Board. She has helped her clients maintain regulatory compliance (water, air, waste, USTs, etc.); develop strategies and plans to restore and transfer environmentally contaminated sites; develop and implement conservation projects that involve the protection of natural and cultural resources including the drafting of the first Invasive Botanical Species Control Plan for Joint Readiness Training Center/ Fort Polk. She has planned, coordinated, and facilitated complex international forums working with international government officials (civilian and military), educational institutions, NGOs, and private sector subject matter experts focused on climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resilience; disaster mitigation and management; ecosystem preservation and restoration; national readiness; clean and alternative energies; and much more. Hannah has overseen solid waste management, air quality, and NetZero Programs and has developed sustainability strategies and plans for her Federal clients. Prior to co-founding Tellus, Hannah was the Director of Environmental Operations at Redhorse Corporation responsible for successful oversight of all environmental projects from award through closeout, financial performance of the Environmental Practice, curated client care and support; personnel recognition, development, and growth; and optimization of environmental programs.
Her greatest pride, her 5-year old son Levi, tells his teachers and friends how his "mama doesn't like plastic" and is spreading the word on making better choices to "help planet earth". Hannah believes that even the smallest acts, such as Levi educating his peers and community, multiplied by the billions of people there are in the world can truly create positive change for our planet and it is that belief that wakes her up before the rooster every morning.
Lynda Arakelian, PMP, LEED GA, Head of Sustainability & Innovation
Environmental and cultural stewardship has been a core component of Lynda’s life for as long as she can remember.
Raised in Oregon by an immigrant Armenian-Bulgarian father and eco-conscious mother, she developed a love for
wildlife through many hiking and camping excursions and became passionate about supporting humanitarian
missions through participating in events with the Armenian Community of Oregon. She pursued leadership roles by
serving on her high school student council, organizing tree planting events, and volunteering as an Outdoor School
Counselor to teach sixth-graders about earth science. This path led her to pursue a BA in Ecological Studies at
Seattle University, an MA in International Affairs at American University, and an MA in Natural Resources &
Sustainable Development from the United Nations University for Peace.
Lynda has over 20 years of domestic and international experience in environmental policy, compliance, and
sustainability with an emphasis on partnership-building, policy advocacy, project management, communications and
outreach, and strategic planning. She has supported the U.S. government in implementing sustainable building
practices, international environmental security forums, natural and cultural resources management programs,
hazardous waste management programs, clean-up of contaminated properties in environmental justice communities
in California, and youth empowerment and conflict mitigation in Lebanon.
Lynda has hands-on climate change mitigation experience, including international policy advocacy, emissions inventory development, home energy modeling, and clean energy project development. Throughout several roles with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), she advocated for climate change mitigation, clean energy, safe toxic chemicals, clean drinking water, natural resource conservation and restoration, circular economy, and sustainable fishing and farm policies.
Prior to joining Tellus, Lynda served as Environmental & Sustainability Manager for Redhorse Corporation. Lynda also served as volunteer COO for California’s Bioproducts Innovation Center, consultant on clean energy projects for the Biomass Users Network in Central America, volunteer for Armenian Women for Health and a Healthy Environment in Armenia, and volunteer mentor for Los Angeles Conservation Corps.
In her free time, Lynda enjoys hiking, biking, cooking, and playing music with her husband.
