- Employee Spotlight
- Environmental Resource Assessment & Management
NOAA Diversity in External Services Award Winner

Congratulations to Melis Ӧkter for receiving the first, annual NOAA Diversity in External Services Award. Melis is one of our coastal management specialists supporting our subcontract with NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management. This award recognizes Melis’ work establishing partnerships and networks to create a safe space to learn and share about diversity and equity issues. Melis provided information and resources, such as risk communication and nature-based solutions, from the client to underserved communities. In addition, Melis is a leader of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, whose staff work closely with local communities. A big congratulations to Melis on this well-deserved award!
See More CSS Insights
Assessing Methylene Chloride Levels in Laboratories
CSS employee owners supporting the University of Kentucky have started sampling campus laboratories with high use of methylene chloride to assess levels of employee exposure. This effort is in response to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issuing methylene chloride regulations under Section 6(a) of the Toxic Substance Control Act in the Federal Register on May…
Hosting a Back-to-School Drive for Refugee Children in North Carolina
In August 2025, CSS hosted a back-to-school drive for child refugees in the North Carolina Triangle through CWS Durham, a non-profit specializing in refugee resettlement. With the help of many generous friends and family members, CSS successfully procured a backpack, lunchbox, water bottle, and clothes for 103 children, as well as stockpiles of 34 different essentials, covering school supplies, sanitary/hygiene items, food, and gift…
Team Award for Extraordinary Support
A big congratulations to Aurora Justiniano-Santos, our environmental scientist in Puerto Rico, for receiving a Program Manager’s Spotlight Award─one of our company’s highest awards─for going above and beyond her role. Aurora was nominated by her division lead at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office for Coastal Management for assisting the client during a sensitive…
