Amphibian & Reptile and Invasive Species, Program Manager

• Jul 2021 - Present

-Serves states and partners through communication, coordination, training and network and partnership building to support conservation and management of amphibians, reptiles, and invasive species. -Serves as state coordinator for Partners for Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC) and provides assistance to the PARC Joint National Steering Committee and regional PARC working groups. -Serves as a point of contact to the states, federal agencies and partners on invasive species and assists with efforts to promote the identification and management of invasive species. Serves on or supports committees/advisory boards/work groups and supports state involvement on the National Invasive Species Council and Invasive Species Advisory Committee. Show less

Adjunct Faculty

• Jun 2016 - Mar 2022

Designed and instructed 5-week summer Invasive Plant course and 10-week Mammal course for the Natural History Field Studies program offered in partnership with Audubon Naturalist Society. Led field identification experiences and evaluated student learning through assessments. Semesters taught: Summer 2016, Fall 2016, Summer 2018; Winter 2022 Designed and instructed 5-week summer Invasive Plant course and 10-week Mammal course for the Natural History Field Studies program offered in partnership with Audubon Naturalist Society. Led field identification experiences and evaluated student learning through assessments. Semesters taught: Summer 2016, Fall 2016, Summer 2018; Winter 2022

• Apr 2011 - Jul 2021

- Coordinate Project WILD and Growing Up WILD environmental education programs at the state level. Combined, these programs train over 800 MD educators each year. - Oversee Wild Acres backyard wildlife habitat program. Duties include creating fact sheets, giving public presentations, and providing technical input on backyard wildlife conservation. -Oversee wildlife training for MD Envirothon. The MD Envirothon is an environmental science competition for high school students. I oversee the wildlife curriculum for the state as well as work with counties and volunteers to train, mentor, and test students. -Instruct MD Master Naturalist courses. The MD Master Naturalist program trains participants in all aspects of ecology. I instruct programs including botany, mammalogy, interpretation and advanced topics. In addition, I help co-facilitate our Master Naturalist program at the Department of Natural Resources. -Create educational fact sheets, webpages, and resource materials. I strive to create and provide wildlife resource materials to educators and to the public. These resources include wildlife education trunks, rare species trading cards, interpretive displays, and more. Show less

• Feb 2009 - Jul 2011

I inventoried both existing and new records for rare, threatened and endangered (RTE) species throughout southern MD. In addition, I used rapid assessment techniques to classify plant communities. I used ArcGIS on a Trimble Juno every day to navigate to field sites, to map out RTE populations and to design maps for private and public landowners. My survey findings will be compiled with existing data to create a comprehensive report on Ecologically Sensitive Areas for county planners.

Teaching Assistant/ Research Assistant

• Jan 2006 - Dec 2008

I researched the competitive effects of garlic mustard on American ginseng while concurrently assisting with a long term demography census of natural American ginseng populations. I recently published an article on "A Panax-centric view of invasive species" in the April 2009 issue of Biological Invasions while my research on "The competitive and allelopathic effects of garlic mustard on American ginseng" has been accepted for publication in Plant Ecology. During the fall and spring semesters, I taught undergraduate Biology labs ranging from introductory Biology to a capstone Ecology research course. Show less

Laboratory Assistant

• Sep 2003 - Dec 2005

I performed a variety of tasks from cleaning lab equipment to testing water quality parameters such as pH, specific conductivity, acid-neutralizing capacity, acidity, and alkalinity. Furthermore, I filtered and prepared samples for total nitrogen and total dissolved solids. I performed a variety of tasks from cleaning lab equipment to testing water quality parameters such as pH, specific conductivity, acid-neutralizing capacity, acidity, and alkalinity. Furthermore, I filtered and prepared samples for total nitrogen and total dissolved solids.

Field Tech

• May 2005 - Aug 2005

For one summer, I worked on a research crew investigating the efficiency of backpack vs parallel wires to sample fish populations. I also helped collect population and habitat data concerning the distribution of several sensitive fish species in the Greenbrier river in WV. For one summer, I worked on a research crew investigating the efficiency of backpack vs parallel wires to sample fish populations. I also helped collect population and habitat data concerning the distribution of several sensitive fish species in the Greenbrier river in WV.