Principal Biologist

Randi McCormick — Principal Biologist and Founder of MBI

Ms. McCormick founded McCormick Biological, Inc. (MBI) in January 2001 with only two biologists and an administrative assistant. Since then, MBI has grown to a staff of over 25 biologists and additional support staff. During peak periods, MBI may staff up to 65 biologists and field technicians for seasonal work or in response to client needs.

Ms. McCormick has over 30 years of experience conducting and designing field surveys, biological resource education programs, monitoring, report writing, biological resource permit preparation, regulatory agency coordination and compliance, as well as experience in all phases of biological inventory, documentation and permitting in the state of California. She is an advocate for increasing the knowledge of others in the field of biology and has designed educational materials and programs for clients, instructs as a volunteer for field biology workshops, and mentors students and recent college graduates in the biological sciences. Having supervised and designed hundreds of surveys for the detection of San Joaquin kit fox (SJKF) and other small mammals and reptiles, she has been included as an instructor for related workshops sponsored by the San Joaquin chapter of The Wildlife Society including: Sensitive Small Mammal Species of the San Joaquin Valley (2010 and 2012), and blunt-nosed leopard lizard (BNLL) in 2007, 2009, 2013, 2016, & 2018. Her current duties consist of designing and overseeing field surveys, coordinating all phases of project completion, quality control, and communication and coordination with agency personnel on behalf of clients. Ms. McCormick studied engineering and geology at Texas A&M University and received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from California State University, Bakersfield in 1990.

Senior Biologists

Ashleigh Pryor — Senior Biologist / Team Lead

Ms. Pryor assisted in research involving the use of pesticides on mites in cotton and corn while pursuing her bachelor’s degree, as well as a separate study focusing on aphid pheromones. Later, she gained experience in the field, specializing in inventory, field evaluation, construction monitoring, and documentation of biological resources of the southern San Joaquin Valley, before joining MBI in April 2013. Currently, she coordinates, conducts and supervises field survey and monitoring activities for several oil and gas production projects. Working both as an independent field biologist as well as a crew leader, she participates on teams conducting inventory and monitoring tasks associated with biological consulting activities, and is responsible for documenting observations and completing reports summarizing field activities, and client communication. In 2018, Ms. Pryor was authorized by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to independently conduct activities covered under MBI’s federal recovery permit for federal-listed endangered and threatened vernal pool branchiopods. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences with a minor in entomology from the University of California, Davis and a Master’s degree with Johns Hopkins University with a focus on Environmental Science and Policy.

Christine Van Horn Job — Senior Biologist / Team Lead

Ms. Van Horn Job joined MBI in December of 2018 bringing 20 years of wildlife biological experience to the firm. Prior to joining MBI, she worked as a Wildlife Biologist with the California State University, Stanislaus Endangered Species Recovery Program conducting novel field research of threatened and endangered mammals, reptiles, and plants including San Joaquin kit fox, giant kangaroo rat, Tipton kangaroo rat, Fresno kangaroo rat, Buena Vista Lake shrew, blunt-nosed leopard lizard, and Bakersfield cactus.

With the Endangered Species Recovery Program, Ms. Van Horn Job was involved in various projects to study the ecology, demography, behavior, and response to development of the San Joaquin kit fox in urban Bakersfield and exurban core population in California. These projects involved extensive experience in trapping and handling, monitoring via VHF and GPS telemetry, remote camera stations, direct observations of foxes, den site characteristics and monitoring, den excavation, scat identification, collection and analysis, reproductive success, mortality rates and cause of mortality, behavioral assessments for relocation potential, and construction of artificial dens.

Ms. Van Horn Job’s current duties include project management, field survey coordination and leadership. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from California Polytechnic State University.

Erika Noel — Senior Biologist / Team Lead

Ms. Noel has 9 full seasons of experience as a field biologist and has steadily advanced in her level of responsibility since joining MBI in June of 2013. Currently, she coordinates, conducts and supervises field survey and monitoring activities for several road improvement projects located in Kern County, and provides biological survey support on oil and gas development, linear, solar, and other urban development projects. Ms. Noel has expertise in bat species ecology, identification, monitoring, and mitigation; and is the MBI field lead for roost-assessment and emergence surveys conducted by MBI staff. She also provides rehabilitation care and long-term care for non-releasable bats, as a satellite bat rehabilitation care provider for the California Living Museum. Ms. Noel earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from California State University, Bakersfield in March of 2016 and her master’s degree at the same institution in 2021, focusing her thesis research on Western red bat roosting ecology and seasonality.

Associate Biologists

Blaine Grant — Associate Biologist / Project Manager

Mr. Grant earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from California State University, Bakersfield in 2012, where he gained valuable knowledge and experience in animal identification and trapping procedures. He joined MBI in May 2013, to assist as a member of field crews for the inventory and documentation of biological resources of the southern San Joaquin Valley. Currently, he provides support on oil and gas development, linear, solar, and urban development projects, to conduct inventory and monitoring tasks associated with biological consulting activities.

Craig O’Neill — Associate Biologist / Project Manager

Mr. O’Neill joined MBI in December of 2018, and currently provides support on projects including oil and gas development, utility construction and maintenance projects, solar projects, and urban development. He participates on teams of biologists conducting inventory and monitoring tasks associated with biological consulting activities. Previously, Mr. O’Neill conducted wildlife modeling research targeting the Western black-legged tick with the University of California, Santa Barbara, directed research efforts as a graduate student researcher for the Sierra Resource Conservation District aimed at targeting vegetative fuel reduction treatments, and has spent time volunteering with the Center for Natural Lands Management and the Endangered Species Recovery Program assisting with capture and release research activities targeting federal- and state-listed mammals. In addition to earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, Mr. O’Neill holds a master’s degree in environmental science from the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Biological Staff

Megan McCormick — Staff Biologist II / Team Lead

Ms. McCormick earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Humboldt State University in May of 2018, and joined MBI as a staff biologist in February of 2019. Prior to this, she gained biological field experience over seven blunt-nosed leopard lizard survey seasons as a biological field technician (2011–2016 and 2018). In 2011 and 2012, Ms. McCormick worked year round for MBI as a biological technician gaining experience on other resources in the San Joaquin Valley. She also worked as a biological field technician in Arcata, California conducting marbled murrelet protocol surveys for two seasons (2017–2018). Currently, Ms. McCormick serves on teams of biologists providing biological survey support on oil and gas development, linear, solar, and urban development projects; and participates on teams of biologists conducting inventory and monitoring tasks associated with biological consulting activities including focused blunt-nosed leopard lizard surveys, pre-activity/pre-construction surveys, nesting bird surveys and monitoring, and San Joaquin kit fox den monitoring.

Rainey Davis — Staff Biologist II / Project Manager

Prior to joining MBI in December of 2018, Ms. Davis gained 2 years biological field experience during the 2017 and 2018 BNLL survey seasons. Currently, Ms. Davis serves with teams of biologists conducting inventory and monitoring tasks associated with biological consulting activities. She participates in inventory, field evaluation, and documentation of biological resources in the southern San Joaquin Valley, California, providing support on projects including oil and gas development, utility construction and maintenance projects, solar projects, and urban development. In addition to her role at MBI, Ms. Davis is currently serving as the President of the Wildlife Society Western Section, San Joaquin Valley Chapter. Ms. Davis earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from California State University, Bakersfield in December of 2018.

Alex Welch — Staff Biologist II / Project Manager

Prior to joining MBI in February of 2019 as a Biological Technician, Mr. Welch served as a seasonal employee during the previous BNLL adult and hatching survey seasons. Currently, he provides support on oil and gas development, linear, solar, and urban development projects, working with a team of biologists conducting inventory and monitoring tasks associated with biological consulting activities. Having completed more than 50 survey days for the detection of BNLL, and independently identifying BNLL, Mr. Welch is classified as a level II surveyor per the agency-approved methodology for the species. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2014 and holds a master’s degree in biology from Cal State University, Bakersfield.

Office Staff

Employment Opportunities - MBI hires seasonal staff such as recent graduates and college students to help when needed with blunt-nosed leopard lizard surveys, bird surveys, etc. Please visit our Employment page to view our available positions.