Our Story
Testing the Waters
When I was young, my grandparents bought a small cabin on a shallow bay on the south Puget Sound so that the grandchildren could grow up playing around and safely exploring the water. As we grew older, my grandpa allowed us to row a tiny aluminum boat around the bay but warned us against going past the point. We dreamed of venturing out of the bay into the uncertainty of the wide channel beyond, but we knew we needed more time to prepare.
Only after my grandpa taught us how to navigate the currents, inlets and shorelines of the open water did we feel the confidence to strike out on our own. Gliding past the point for the first time on our own was a glorious and defining experience and one that my grandpa made possible.
At Big Water Consulting, we seek to take our responsible and appropriately cautious clients beyond their traditional limits so that they can reap the benefits of exploration and boundary testing while developing a greater understanding and appreciation of where they have come from… as we did when we looked back on our cozy, safe little bay from the vantage of the rolling waves of the big water.
– Kevin Klingbeil, Owner of Big Water Consulting
Our Mission
Big Water Consulting is a consulting firm located in Seattle, Washington which specializes in helping tribal, governmental and nonprofit clients collect, analyze, manage, share and act on relevant data. Our goal is to help these organizations, through the development of good data practices, to more effectively monitor and evaluate their work, improve decision making, generate more support and manage more efficiently. Big Water Consulting and its partner organizations seek to identify lasting solutions that: promote self-sufficiency; incorporate the highest appropriate level of technology; identify and mobilize available resources; reflect our clients’ organizational and cultural values; and diminish the need to hire a contractor to provide similar services in the future.
Our Team
Kevin Klingbeil
Managing Director
Big Water Consulting is owned by Kevin Klingbeil, a geographer, Indian housing lawyer and former manager for the U.S. Census Bureau. Kevin has represented tribal housing clients in government-to-government consultations and served as a technical expert for the IHBG Formula Negotiated Rulemaking Committee’s Data Study Group in 2014-2016. Prior to working in the fields of Indian housing law and federal data collection, Kevin practiced environmental, natural resources, water and property law.
Chloe Adler
Research Associate
Chloe’s work with Big Water includes survey design, data analysis, and project reporting. Chloe is a public health and housing policy professional with experience providing direct social services, creating and documenting state-level housing policy, and conducting environmental health research. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from UC Berkeley, and her background includes work connecting unhoused clients to affordable housing and advocating for their housing rights, as well as creating policy documentation for statewide programs providing affordable housing to people with chronic disabilities.
Issa Moffett
Issa Moffett is a Research Associate with Big Water Consulting. Their primary responsibilities include design of studies and surveys, data analysis, GIS, and corresponding with clients. Prior to this role, Issa worked with the County of Hawai’i in Research and Development supporting community projects with spatial analysis. They hold a Master in Geography from Florida State University. Outside of work, Issa can be found bicycling, learning about plants, fungi, and animals, and developing a board game.
Harrison fitch
Harrison Fitch is an Assistant Researcher with Big Water Consulting where he participates in the management of ongoing survey projects, performs data analysis, and produces creative data visualizations. Prior to Big Water, Harrison spent a year supporting the development of resident owned mobile home cooperatives across the state of California. Harrison earned a B.A. from the University of Washington where he studied Economics, Philosophy, and Data Science. Outside of work he enjoys exploring the Pacific Northwest and rooting for his favorite sport teams.
Whitman Peace
As an Assistant Researcher for Big Water Consulting, Whitman uses data to tell a story in support of housing and community development efforts. He earned his B.A. degree in Economics and Environmental Studies at UC Santa Cruz, graduating in March 2020. His previous experiences include coordinating energy efficiency programs for a social marketing agency and providing geographic information systems (GIS) technical support to Apple Maps. He has a strong knowledge of social science policy and research, as well as an aptitude for statistics and GIS.
Pixie Lee
Marketing Communication Specialist
Pixie Lee is a Marketing Communication Specialist at Big Water Consulting where she develops creative marketing strategies that amplify the political, social/cultural, economic and other messaging. Pixie earned a M.A. in Digital Communication from the University of Washington. She has a background in film production and is interested in digital storytelling for the underrepresented communities. In her free time, Pixie enjoys exploring the art museums and taking a stroll in the parks.