I am originally from Flint, Michigan and I have lived in Oregon since 1989. I graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor’s in Fisheries Science in 1994. I am married with one sixteen year old son and I live and work in Salem.
I have worked for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the Forest Service, and NOAA Fisheries. In 2002 I was hired by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and I have served ODFW in a variety of job capacities since then. In 2010 I was given a wonderful opportunity to begin working in the wildlife arena as the ODFW Willamette Wildlife Mitigation Program Coordinator and it has been a whole new fascinating world since then. I learn new wildlife things every day, and I very much appreciate being able to understand and have a basic working knowledge of both fish and wildlife in the northwest. TWS has been very helpful to me in this regard.
I bring you excellent organizing skills, solid decision making, political awareness, and thoughtful consideration of issues important to TWS and the wildlife profession. I value integration, diversity, rational minority opinion, and inclusion. I have more than four years’ experience as a TWS Board member and Vice President so I am very familiar with the inner working of Oregon TWS and can hit the ground running.
I would support the creation and execution of diverse annual meetings that address traditional “game” and “non-game” topics. I would like to see more workshops being offered through the year to TWS members and the public. I would also like to support diversity in the wildlife profession and increased student engagement through internships.