Leadership

David Decker, PhD, PG, CPG, LCDR (USN, Ret.)
Principal Geologist and Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Decker has significant leadership and management experience grounded in 25 years in the US Navy as both an enlisted Fire Controlman (radar technician and operator) and a Naval Flight Officer (Navigator, Weapons Control, and Communications) flying the S-3B Viking and EA-6B Prowler. His experience maintaining, repairing, operating and installing a variety of radar and computer systems on board both ships and aircraft along with his program management and systems engineering experience as an Aerospace Engineering Duty Officer, post-graduate education in the physics of sensor systems, geochemistry, and geochronology, and 35+ years of experience exploring, mapping, and studying caves and karst have prepared him to take on the role of President of Southwest Geophysical Consulting LLC.

Mrs. Johanna Decker

Education

ASc – Secretarial Procedure

Johanna’s previous experience includes positions at Income Property Group,   Health Care Group, Fabre Engineering, Lowe, Ball and Lynch, LLC, Oak Harbor School District,  NG&O Engineering, and the Albuquerque Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

Ms. Gracie Decker

Education

None

Experience

Office pet and entertainment – will sit or dance for treats.

Garrett L. Jorgensen Olague, University of New Mexico – Senior Field Geologist (January 2018 to Present)
AML Cert, OSHA Confined Space Cert.
Bureau of Land Management-approved Karst Vendor

Garrett’s interest in geology and field work began at the age of 16 when he started exploring, surveying, and mapping caves. He immediately began volunteering for federal land agencies, participating in cave study projects, and leading his own mapping trips and within 2 years was participating in survey and science expeditions into some of the longest and most difficult caves in the U.S. such as Lechuguilla Cave, Fort Stanton Cave, Jewel Cave, and caves in the Grand Canyon. His interests turned into a career when he began working as a geologist in 2018, and his years of experience conducting meticulous field work and leading teams in remote and demanding environments transitioned well into working as a Field Geologist for Southwest Geophysical Consulting.

Britt Bommer, Northwestern State University — Field Geologist

Britt is a former collegiate athlete at Northwestern University, with a major in Earth and Planetary Science and a minor in Environmental Policy and Culture. She gained experience working on a jointly funded NSF and USGS magnetotelluric research project based out of the National Geomagnetic Facility at Oregon State University, focusing on a comprehensive three-dimensional subsurface array of electromagnetic conductivity before becoming a Field Geologist for Southwest Geophysical Consulting.

Ryan Palmer, University of Georgia – Field Scientist

Ryan received his B.S. in geography and later added an M.S. in geography, both from the University of Georgia, where his work included a strong emphasis on GIS and remote sensing topics. He was introduced to the world of caves and karst as a graduate student, which eventually led him to New Mexico, where he worked as an intern in the Resources Division at Carlsbad Caverns National Park before joining Southwest Geophysical Consulting.

Kat Knight, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale – Field Geologist

Kat graduated from Highland Community College with an Associates of Science degree and from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology. She gained field experience during a six week long field camp, conducting mapping projects and geological studies throughout the Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho areas prior to joining Southwest Geophysical Consulting.

Steven Kesler, Victoria University Wellington – Field Geologist

Steven’s passion for geology started as a boy collecting rocks on family camping trips.  After graduating high school, he began a lifelong love for caving, mountaineering, canyoneering, and technical rope rescue.  Steven has caved in the USA, Mexico, and New Zealand.  His first job in geology was as a Field Paleontologist at the San Bernardino County Museum, California, collecting Ice Age fossils from around Southern California.  Some of the fossils he collected are on display at the Western Science Center in Hemet, California.  Steven worked as a Geotech for an engineering geology company in San Diego before moving to New Zealand for almost twenty years.  While in NZ, Steven earned his Bachelor of Science in Geology, with an emphasis on structure and tectonics.  Post-graduate research included a gravity survey in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica.  Steven later worked as an Engineering Geologist in Invercargill, NZ and as the on-site geologist at the Takitimu open pit coal mine in Southland, NZ, before returning to the US and becoming a Field Geologist for Southwest Geophysical Consulting.

Michael Jones, MS, PG – Field Geologist

Michael Jones is a hydrogeologist with over a decade of experience in fieldwork, cave and karst science, and environmental management, primarily throughout Texas and the greater Southwest. His expertise encompasses geologic assessments, endangered species surveys, void mitigation planning, and water quality protection for a diverse range of clients, including federal and state agencies, municipalities, and private landowners. He is proficient in dye tracing, geochemical and geophysical investigations, and designing custom instruments to monitor CO₂ levels in soil, groundwater, springs, and cave environments. Before joining Southwest Geophysical Consulting LLC, Michael managed projects related to karst geology and biology at Zara Environmental LLC. He also served as a research assistant with the Carbonate Critical Zone Research Coordination Network during his graduate studies. At the National Cave and Karst Research Institute, he conducted extensive investigations of semi-arid karst aquifers and performed GIS-based modeling of karst ecosystems. Michael contributed to karst groundwater research and the implementation of EPA Watershed Protection Plans while at the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, supporting successful grant applications and federally funded conservation efforts. Michael began his career in borehole geophysics in the oil and gas industry, where he logged wells across Texas, New Mexico, and Louisiana. He holds a B.S. in Geography Water Resources and a minor in Geology from Texas State University, as well as an M.S. in Geography from the University of Arkansas. His thesis, titled “CO₂ Dynamics in the Carbonate Critical Zone,” examined subsurface CO₂ production and variability in karst systems.

Aaron Beirl, Southern Illinois University Carbondale – Field Geologist

Aaron graduated from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale in 2023 with his B.S. in Geology and a specialization in Geophysics. Aaron continued his education at SIU and graduated in 2025 with his M.S. in Geology, with a focus on geochemistry and petrology. Through his classes and research at SIU, Aaron has gained field mapping experience in Illinois, Montana, and Wyoming prior to joining Southwest Geophysical Consulting as a field geologist.