Experience

DarkSky

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Director of Conservation

  • May 2021 - Present

  ●Program Development - Manage the world-renowned International Dark Sky Places (IDSP) Program and its development to ensure the program remains the pre-eminent global certification for dark sky conservation. ●Program Operation - Oversee the progress of 60+ applications as they work to meet the requirements and standards of the IDSP Program.●Supervision - Provide supervision, training, coaching, planning, and problem-solving assistance to the Dark Sky Places Program Associate and associated IDSP applications.●Science Liaison - Function as a liaison between IDA and the academic community to ensure IDA's policies and programs are grounded in evidence and communicate groundbreaking research to the global advocate community.

• Dark Sky Places Program Manager

  • May 2021 - Sep 2021



SEA TURTLE CONSERVANCY, INC.

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Lighting Project Specialist

  • Feb 2020 - May 2021

  ●Partnered with conservation agencies National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to appropriate over $160,000 of grant funding and retrofitted over 1,000 problematic lights on beachfront properties for Sea Turtle Conservancy’s lighting retrofit program ●Conducted property evaluations during the day and night to assess sources of light trespass ●Designed lighting plans to implement wildlife-friendly principles utilizing state-of-the-art LED technology while meeting local ordinance regulations and building code requirements ●Simultaneously managed multiple projects when executing grant agreements, coordinating with association boards, property managers, and lighting distributors, and monitoring project progress to meet deadlines ●Presented several lighting workshops to educate the public, city developers, and code enforcement on identifying and understanding problematic uses of excessive and obtrusive outdoor lighting on coastal environments



California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Graduate Research Assistant

  • Sep 2017 - Sep 2020

  ●Collaborated with scientists working for NASA and the National Park Service to educate the general public on artificial nightlight and noise pollution on natural populations ●Acquired and maintained environmental data from multiple federal agencies to extract and condense information into a readily useable format as an ecological spatial database ●Developed a large-scale conservation planning product to educate land managers on the implications and potential threats of unregulated artificial light and noise ●Invited to participate in a Sensory Sensitivity Workshop in Fort Collins, CO to evaluate key traits that predict animal sensitivities to artificial light and noise ●Contributed to preparing trait data and modelling tools for linking mechanisms to predictive traits in two scientific publications ●Presented research and ecological material at scientific conferences and public events to educate communities on approaches to alleviate anthropogenic pressures on sensitive species



National Park Service

• United States
• Government Administration
• 700 & Above Employee

• Future Park Leaders of Emerging Change Intern: Dark Skies Initiative

  • Jun 2019 - Aug 2019

  ●Completed the National Park Service’s recognized Rigorous Internship Program, which provided valuable federal work experience and leadership skills ●Performed a light audit to inspect the placement, quality, and utility of outdoor lighting throughout Voyageurs National Park ●Developed a Lighting Management Plan for the Park to explain the impacts of artificial light on human health, safety, the nocturnal environment, and outline regulations of proper use of outdoor lighting at the Park’s facilities ●Gathered relevant information and project cost for the maintenance and operation of smart lighting technology from lighting distributors ●Collaborated with external partners such as the Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division of the National Park Service, the International Dark Sky Association, and across geo-political borders in the Heart of the Continent Partnership to maintain close liaison and good working relations ●Established and delivered an educational outreach presentation to promote and inform audiences of the benefits of efficient outdoor lighting ●Exhibited leadership by engaging with local residents to address concerns and provide support regarding the application and feasibility of installing dark sky friendly lighting ●Presented the outcomes of public engagement and generated solutions to prevalent issues for dark sky advocates at the International Dark Sky Association’s Annual General Meeting



California Department of Fish and Wildlife

• United States
• Government Administration
• 700 & Above Employee

• Scientific Aid

  • Jun 2017 - Sep 2017

  In the Comprehensive Wetland Habitat Program, I was responsible for: ●Contacting state and private land owners to make appointments for site visits●Assessing wetland habitat quality by quantifying seed size and percent cover of integral plant species●Creating habitat maps for Region 4 managers using ArcMap based on wetland area and water use●Presenting the habitat maps at a state-wide Habitat Committee Meeting●Working with Fresno Mosquito Abatement Control to dip for mosquito larvae in a pilot control study

• Technician

  • Mar 2017 - Jun 2017

  Terrestrial Species Stressor Monitoring Technician●Established randomly selected survey sites within the Great Valley region, which involved interacting and cooperating with wildlife refuges and private landowners●Assessed habitat based on dominant vegetation species, related field alliances, disturbance history, and environmental influences ●Strategically placed Reconyx camera traps with appropriate bait to maximize photo yield of local wildlife species●Deployed Wildlife Acoustics SM3 recorders with an ultrasonic channel to observe bat species and an acoustic channel to observe bird and amphibian species●Conducted point count surveys to record focal bird species in the Great Valley in relation to distance from the observer, as well as confidence level of identifying species●Determined species richness and abundance of reptile and amphibian species by conducting a time-constrained search throughout the given habitat



Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute

• Kingsville, Texas

• Graduate Research Assistant

  • Jun 2015 - Jun 2016

  ●Assisted in white-tailed deer captures by recording body measurements, age, and sex ●Navigated in enclosures with a hand held GPS device and maps created in ArcMap ●Monitored deer populations with Cuddeback camera traps and estimated densities with mark- recapture technique ●Worked in the field for long days and during unfavorable conditions ●Held interviews, hired, and supervised technicians during vegetation surveys ●Vegetation studies entailed the use of Daubenmire frames, biomass cages, and monthly forb presence/ absence observations



University of Arizona

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Honors Thesis in NSF Macrosystems Study

  • May 2014 - May 2015

  ●Constructed 5 “Gentry plots” on Mount Bigelow, Arizona to measure plant growth between and within individuals of Douglas fir, Chihuahua white pine, and Arizona pine●Created band dendrometers to measure intra-annual growth rates, which were calculated by measuring band gap distance with a digital caliper on a weekly basis ● Once the growing season ended, I compared the empirical data to traits used in metabolic scaling theory to assess how well the theory could predict allometric growth

• Undergraduate Research Assistant

  • Aug 2013 - May 2014

  ● Approximated future rates of evolution in the plant family Poaceae by utilizing time-calibrated phylogenies and estimated climatic variables between 2010 and 2070●Projected future distribution of species within Poaceae due to temperature and precipitation patterns ●Gained experience constructing phylogenetic trees in R