OUR TEAM

BayLand was established in 1995 to provide engineering and environmental services for local government, community and private clientele. The principals of the firm and all team members are devoted to customer service excellence. Our goal is to concentrate on restoration and essential infrastructure projects that improve our communities and environment. As such, we have developed a highly specialized team of engineers, scientists, planners and support staff that provides professional services for projects that are sensitive to the protection and enhancement of our environment and are based on solid engineering principles.

Our Team

PRINCIPALS & PRACTICE LEADERS

Keith Tate, PE
Director

Keith Tate, PE, has over 40 years of experience in planning, permitting, design, construction, and environmental monitoring, and more than 40 years managing complex public works and restoration projects. His portfolio spans county stormwater retrofits to $250 million federal water and flood control efforts, with a strong emphasis on lifecycle and full-delivery projects. Mr. Tate is a recognized regulatory expert, having chaired or served on 18 multi-agency work groups addressing the intersection of infrastructure, policy, and community interests. He has successfully guided large-scale dredging, shoreline, and habitat restoration projects through federal and state permitting, and has presented on technical topics at regional, national, and international conferences. With deep knowledge of the Mid-Atlantic, especially central Maryland, he brings strategic insight into the regulatory and fiscal challenges local governments face in executing resilient, community-supported waterway and infrastructure improvements.

Sepehr Baharlou, PE
President & Practice Leader

Mr. Baharlou has over 30 years of experience in engineering, design, construction and monitoring. He has full responsibility for directing and managing design and construction management for a variety of high profile capital improvement projects relating to water resources, marine infrastructure and ecological restoration totaling over $15 million annually. He is experienced in managing projects to achieve clients' objectives, meet project budget constraints, provide for complete and functional design, and address environmental and regulatory constraints. Mr. Baharlou serves on the Maryland Governor’s Coast Smart Council charged with developing design criteria and monitoring its implementation to address impacts associated with sea level rise and coastal flooding on future capital projects statewide.

Christopher Stepp, PE
Practice Leader

Mr. Stepp is a professional engineer with over 14 years of experience in designing, implementing and managing civil and environmental engineering projects. His areas of significant expertise include water resources, public infrastructure improvements, hydrology and hydraulics, site grading, stormwater management, stream restoration, sediment control, environmental engineering, flooding mitigation, storm drain design, site planning and land development, dam safety engineering, watershed management and construction management. Mr. Stepp has a proven track record in the successful management of multifaceted capital improvement projects that employ innovative ideas for function and cost-effective designs.

Sean Crawford, PE
Vice President & Practice Leader

Mr. Crawford is a Senior Water Resources Engineer and Project Manager with 19 years of experience assessing streams and watersheds, and conducting hydrologic and hydraulic studies. He has completed numerous stream restoration designs to stabilize actively eroding stream banks and reduce sediment loads; provide fish passage; improve aquatic habitat; provide grade control, reduce shear stresses and improve sediment transport processes; including preparation of erosion and sediment control plans, site plans, specifications and cost estimates. He has also designed numerous stormwater management facilities incorporating best management practices and has conducted maintenance and construction inspections of ecological restoration projects. Mr. Crawford is an expert in various stream restoration design methodologies and served as the Intercounty Connector (ICC) Team’s lead reviewer for Environmental Stewardship and Compensatory Mitigation stream restoration projects, and was the lead reviewer for fish and aquatic passage at all culverts constructed as part of the ICC that required fish passage design.