(San Antonio, TX) – BGE is pleased to welcome Dr. Karissa Basse as Cultural Resources Market Leader within our Environmental Services practice.
With more than 20 years of experience in cultural resources investigations, heritage management, and regulatory compliance, Karissa brings a deep understanding of archaeological and historic resource evaluation across complex development and infrastructure projects.
Karissa’s expertise spans archaeological surveys, testing, data recovery, cemetery investigations, archival research, architectural history, and historic resource documentation. She has extensive experience navigating compliance with NEPA, Sections 106 and 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act, the Antiquities Code of Texas, USACE Section 404/408 permitting, Texas Health and Safety Code, and municipal preservation ordinances. Her work supports public and private clients across sectors, including land development, water resources, transportation, utilities, education, and energy.
Before joining BGE, Karissa served as Cultural Resource Program Manager at Pape-Dawson Engineers, where she led a department of up to 15 archaeologists, historians, and architectural historians. She managed cultural resources compliance for multi-year civil infrastructure programs with construction budgets reaching $200 million, while directly overseeing approximately $2 million in annual revenue.
Karissa has served as Principal Investigator on numerous high-profile and culturally significant projects, including work at the Alamo, the San Antonio Zoo, San Pedro Creek, and multiple historic districts and educational campuses. Since 2020, she has completed 53 Antiquities Permits through the Texas Historical Commission, demonstrating her extensive experience with state and federal regulatory processes.
Her project leadership includes developing treatment plans, coordinating with regulatory agencies, directing multi-phase investigations, and implementing innovative mitigation strategies, including 3D documentation, interpretive signage, and public outreach initiatives. She is recognized for her ability to balance preservation priorities with project goals, ensuring that development proceeds responsibly and in compliance with all applicable regulations.
Karissa’s addition strengthens BGE’s Environmental Services team as we continue expanding our cultural resources and permitting capabilities. Her technical expertise, leadership experience, and commitment to high-quality, compliant project delivery align strongly with BGE’s values and the standards we bring to every client and community we serve.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Karissa Basse to BGE.
About BGE, Inc.
For 50 years, BGE, Inc. has served public and private clients as a full-service, multidiscipline engineering consulting firm with integrated capabilities. BGE delivers a broad range of advisory services, technical expertise, and innovative, sustainable solutions to support local, regional, and national communities as they shape the future of infrastructure. Backed by five decades of civil engineering leadership and ranked #125 on Engineering News-Record’s 2026 Top 500 Design Firms list, BGE helps client partners solve their most critical infrastructure challenges. For more information, https://www.bgeinc.com