Kris W. Thoemke, Ph.D., CEP
Senior Scientist
Coastal Engineering Consultants, Inc.
3106 South Horseshoe Drive
Naples, FL 34104-6137
(239) 643-2324
[email protected]
www.cecifl.com

Kris Thoemke’s 34 year career, all of which has been spent working in south Florida, encompasses land management, research, consulting, teaching and communicating the outdoor experience. After completing his PhD at the University of South Florida and a post-doctoral fellowship at Florida State University, Kris moved to Naples in 1979 to become the first manager of the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. In this capacity he established a long term water quality monitoring program and conducted research on benthic invertebrates, recreational fishing trends, and gopher tortoises. 

Eleven years later he changed focus and began a full time career as a freelance outdoor communicator. For the next six years he authored several hundred magazine and newspaper articles, wrote one book, hosted regional and national talk radio programs, and hosted and co-produced three seasons of Exploring Florida, a nationally syndicated program on PBS stations across the country.

Eventually he returned to full time work in the environmental field working for a national non-profit organization as their wetlands ecologist specializing in Everglades Restoration. During this time he also co-hosted a Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) television production on the Everglades with actor Ed Begley, Jr. 

Because of his interest in education and teaching, he moved on to accept a position as a professor and Chair the Master’s program in Environmental Management at Hodges University where he taught courses in Environmental Management, Field Ecology, Restoration and Mitigation, Environmental Permitting, Environmental Consulting and Natural Resource Management. He also worked on part-time basis as a marine environmental consultant working on coastal and estuarine related projects.

Eventually, utilizing his decades of experience with the ecosystems of south Florida, he made the shift from professor to full time environmental consultant. Currently, he is the Senior Scientist for Coastal Engineering Consultants, Inc. where he specializes in environmental assessments and permitting of complex projects in nearshore, estuarine and coastal wetland habitats. He is a recognized expert in these types of projects and has been selected to participate on Independent Peer Review Panels evaluating major public works projects in the coastal zone. 

In 2012, he added the additional role of adjunct faculty member at American Public University where he teaches undergraduate and graduate classes in fish and wildlife policy and management, fisheries biology and environmental management. He also continues a limited free-lance writing career, published a second book and was hired as the survival expert consultant for the Everglades episode of Man vs. Wild hosted by Bear Grylls.