ABC Staff Biographies

Dr. George H. Fenwick has served as President and CEO since ABC’s founding in 1994. Prior to that, he worked in a variety of capacities during 15 years with The Nature Conservancy, including Director of Science, and Chair of the Last Great Places Campaign Steering Committee. He received a Ph.D. in Pathobiology from Johns Hopkins University.

Bob Altman, Northern Pacific Rainforest Bird Conservation Region (BCR) Coordinator, Partners in Flight, has a degree in wildlife biology from Eastern Kentucky University with graduate course work at Oregon State University. He has been active in Partners in Flight since its inception, with several committee positions at state and regional levels, including his current position as Chairperson of the Oregon-Washington chapter. Before coming to ABC, Mr. Altman worked for seven years as an independent ornithologist conducting avian research and monitoring under the business name of Avifauna Northwest. He is author of the Olive-sided Flycatcher species account for Birds of North America, and lead author on a book chapter on wildlife-habitat relationships in western Oregon and Washington.

Elizabeth Brenner, Director of Membership, Liz is a native of Rhode Island. Prior to joining ABC in 2004, Liz was the manager of member services and award programs for the Healthcare Distribution Management Association in Reston, Virginia. She lives in Virginia, with her husband and two sons.

Dan Casey, Northern Rockies Bird Conservation Region (BCR) Coordinator, began his interest in birds nearly 40 years ago in rural New Jersey. He has both a B.S. and an M.S. in wildlife biology from Colorado State University, his thesis work focusing on bird community response to heavy browsing by deer in western Pennsylvania oak forest. He has conducted baseline bird surveys throughout the western U.S. as a consultant. Before joining ABC in 2000, Dan spent 16 years with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, where he designed and directed research on the effects of habitat management practices on forest breeding bird communities, as well as projects directed at waterfowl, Ospreys, Bald Eagles and elk. Dan served 6 years as chairman of Montana Partners In Flight, and is a past Chair of the PIF Western Working Group. He authored the 2000 Montana Bird Conservation Plan, and was awarded “Montana Conservationist of the Year” in 2006. He has served on the Technical Committees of the Prairie Potholes, Northern Great Plains, and Intermountain West Joint Ventures.

Susannah Casey, GIS Technician - Northern Rockies. Susannah grew up in the trees and creeks of eastern Ohio. After getting a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design from Ohio State University, she moved west to Colorado and then to Montana in 1983 with her ornithologist husband, Daniel. Prior to working for ABC as a GIS specialist, Susannah started and ran an educational toy store (1984-1994), worked as a graphic artist, carpenter, teacher’s aide and medical transcriptionist. She finds great satisfaction working for ABC and the bird conservation causes it represents.

Jenna Chenoweth, Membership Coordinator is a native of Colorado, and moved to Virginia very early in life but visited Colorado on a regular basis. Jenna is a Certified Master Dog Trainer, and a Certified Groomer. Prior to joining ABC Jenna worked for Navy Federal Credit Union in a number of different financial and administrative positions. She lives in Bealeton, Virginia with her husband Kevin, daughter McKenna, and their German Shepherd Greta.

Tomeka Davis, Communications & Program Assistant, received a B.S. from Bowie State University in Communications Media Management and a minor is Business Administration. Prior to joining ABC, she worked for TV One (Cable Network Company) providing management support and strategy in digital content, production, marketing, and partnerships. She is currently attending University of Maryland University College Graduate School of Management & Technology.

Dr. Chris Farmer, Science Coordinator for Translocation and Reintroduction of Endangered Hawaiian Birds, joined ABC in 2010 but has worked on the recovery and reintroduction of Hawaiian birds since 2004. In addition to Hawaiian forest bird ecology and behavior, his research on the island of Hawai‘i has addressed the impacts of exotic predators and ungulates, influences of invasive arthropods on native food webs, and forest regeneration and growth. He received his B.S. in Zoology from the University of California, Davis and his Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. His dissertation focused upon host, habitat, and landscape factors affecting the distribution of Brown-headed Cowbirds in California. Prior to moving to Hawai‘i, he worked extensively on avian conservation in southern California, concentrating on riparian habitats.

Rita G. Fenwick, Vice President of Development, received a B.A. from the University of Virginia where she was a Latin American Studies Major. From 1986 to 1992, Rita worked for the Virginia Chapter of The Nature Conservancy where she filled many roles including Director of Development and Communications.

Dr. Jane A. Fitzgerald, Central Hardwoods Joint Venture Coordinator, received her Ph. D. in Zoology from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Her course work and research emphases were on avian ecology and animal behavior. During the early 1990's, Jane was a lecturer at Southwest Missouri State University and the Mayor of Reeds Spring, Missouri. From 1995-2000, she served as Partners in Flight Midwest Regional Coordinator. Jane is the founder and Director of a small not-for-profit organization whose work includes monitoring bird populations in a rapidly urbanizing region of southwestern Missouri.

Dr. Michael Fry, is the Director for Conservation Advocacy at American Bird Conservancy, and responsible for the pesticides and birds program, and is the lead on projects concerning other contaminants and wind energy risks to birds. Dr. Fry is an avian toxicologist with expertise in the effects of pollutants and pesticides on ecosystems, with a focus on wild birds. He received his doctorate at the University of California-Davis, followed by postdoctoral fellowships at University of Melbourne, Australia, and Univ. Calif. San Francisco, Cardiovascular Research Institute. He returned to UC Davis as a research physiologist in the Department of Avian/Animal Sciences for 23 years, and joined American Bird Conservancy in 2005. Dr. Fry has been a panel member for the National Academy of Sciences on hormone active chemicals in the environment and has participated in toxicology reviews and international symposia for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and for the United Nations University in Japan. He is current Chairman of the Scientific Committee of the Dept. of Interior, Minerals Management Service Advisory Board, and a federal advisory committee member for the EPA pesticide program.

Dr. Jessica Hardesty Norris , Seabird Program Director, joined ABC in Spring 2007 as she wrapped up her PhD in Ecology at Duke with John Terborgh. She received her BSc in Wildlife Biology from Humboldt State University, and then spent a few years as a field technician in the United States before heading to Ecuador with the US Peace Corps. She conducted her dissertation research in Venezuela, Peru, and Ecuador, focusing on the ecology of birds in Sangay National Park, Ecuador where she spent a year as a Fulbright Scholar. In 2005, she worked with ABC, WWF, CI, and TNC developing project abstracts for Alliance for Zero Extinction sites. Jessica now has 12 years of experience as a conservationist, ecologist and social scientist, with a focus on Latin America. She is fluent in Spanish and learning Portuguese.

Steve Holmer, Director of the Bird Conservation Alliance, received a B.A. degree in history and a minor degree in political science from Pennsylvania State University and has over fifteen years experience in communications and press on wildlife and forest conservation issues. He comes to ABC from the Unified Forest Defense Campaign, a coalition of national organizations working on National Forest issues. Previously he served as Campaign Coordinator of American Lands Alliance and began his wildlife conservation efforts on the Greenpeace Tropical Forests campaign.

Bob Johns, Director of Public Relations, worked at the Interior Department for over 30 years in various communication capacities. Most recently, he was BLM Deputy Assistant Director for Communications where he oversaw the Divisions of Public Affairs, Congressional Affairs, Regulatory Affairs, Intergovernmental Affairs and Environmental Affairs. Prior to that time he served as Director of Public Affairs for BLM in Arizona and prior to that, Eastern Regional Public Affairs Director for USGS in Reston, Virginia. Bob directed the complete re-design of BLM's 500,000-page web presence, chaired the agency's Web oversight committee, served as senior adviser to the agency's law enforcement leadership team, and has prepared senior Federal managers for appearances on virtually every major news program including 60 Minutes, 20/20, Dateline, and CNN/ABC/CBS/NBC Networks. In 2001, Bob and a small group of BLM managers were recognized by President Bush for management excellence and upon leaving the Interior Department recently, he received one of the Department's highest awards – The Meritorious Service Award.

Sara Ines Lara, graduated from the University of Cauca in Colombia with a degree in civil engineering in 1997. She worked in the engineering field in Colombia and for Halliburton in the UK before joining Fundación ProAves in 2004 as Executive Director. For more than 5 years she oversaw the transformation of ProAves from an amateur group of bird conservationists and few projects to an effective professional conservation organization. Under her management ProAves established 16 bird reserves across Colombia dedicated to conservation of threatened species of birds, gaining national recognition by the government and national institutes, as a leader in bird conservation. Other important accomplishments include the establishment of a reserve Trust Fund, acceptance as a member of IUCN, receiving the Partners in Flight Award 2006, and recipient of the National Energy Award 2009 for the LoroBus. In 2009, Sara joined American Bird Conservancy as the Director of International Programs.

Dr. Edward J. "Ed" Laurent, Science Coordinator for the Bird Conservation Institute received a Ph.D. from the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University. His dissertation focused on incorporating satellite imagery into analysis of bird species distribution patterns across forested landscapes. Prior to joining ABC, he was a keeper for several zoos, managed a live trapping and relocation company in Georgia, studied water snakes for his MS degree, and was a postdoctoral research associate with the Southeast Gap Analysis Project. Over the past decade Dr. Laurent has focused on expanding the role of GIS, remote sensing and database technologies in natural resource management and has published on these methods in both the scientific and technical literature. He is also an active member of NC and Southeast Partners in Flight.

Anne Law, Deputy Director of Conservation Advocacy, has broad experience in legislative affairs, law, and politics. Prior to joining ABC, Anne worked for Rapoza Associates, a public interest lobbying and government relations firm located in Washington, DC. At Rapoza, Anne secured federal appropriations for housing and community development organizations and worked to establish a micro-lending program at the USDA. As a legislative assistant for Audubon, Anne helped secure federal appropriations for Audubon nature centers and worked on the campaign to save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from drilling. On the legal front, Anne worked for a private firm where she focused on class action lawsuits and federal investigations. Anne has also worked on federal compliance issues for Hillary Clinton's Senate campaign in 2000 and as a field organizer for John Kerry's Presidential campaign in 2004. Anne has a Bachelor's degree in business administration from Cornell University and JD from The Columbus School of Law at Catholic University.

Dr. Daniel J. Lebbin, Conservation Biologist, received a B.A. degree in Biology and Environmental Science & Policy from Duke University, and a Ph.D. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University. His dissertation research investigated habitat specialization among Amazonian birds in Peru, where he spent a year as a Fulbright Scholar. Daniel did work for WWF, TNC, the National Zoo, and field research projects in Jamaica, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Venezuela. He speaks Spanish and is learning Portuguese. A birder since childhood, Daniel also enjoys bird illustration and photography, and his images appear in a variety of publications and exhibits.

Erin Lebbin, Development Officer, grew up in Lexington, KY, where she reveled in horseback riding. After leaving Kentucky, she earned a bachelor's degree in English and Art History from Cornell, and a master's degree in Art History from Johns Hopkins.  Erin currently enjoys running, backpacking, gardening and learning languages.

Mary Liles, Program Development Officer, graduated from The George Washington University with a B.A. in history. She worked in international economic development with American labor unions for nineteen years while living in the Washington, DC area. After moving to Piedmont Virginia with her husband and son, her career has centered on environmental conservation. Her favorite place to bird is on the back of her horse.

Casey Lott, Coastal and Waterways Program Coordinator, has diverse ornithological experience working with passerines, seabirds, and raptors. He has researched landbird stopover ecology and the use of stable isotopes to track animal movements. He has participated in conservation programs monitoring raptor populations and decreasing bird collisions with towers on migration routes. He also directs a long-term raptor migration research and environmental education project in the Florida Keys for HawkWatch International.

Dr. Moira McKernan, Pesticides and Birds Program Director, is an avian toxicologist with research interests in the effects of persistent organic pollutants, metals, and pesticides on wild birds. She earned her BA in Biology from SUNY Potsdam, an MS in Zoology from Southern Illinois University, and her PhD in Marine, Estuarine and Environmental Sciences from University of Maryland. While working on her PhD, Moira worked at U.S. Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center where she researched the effects of environmental contaminants in birds, and managed the Contaminants Exposure and Effects-Terrestrial Vertebrates (CEETV) database.

Jack Morrison, Planned Giving Officer, was the longtime owner and operator of the Blue Dog CDs and Records in Fredericksburg, VA.  He received his B.A. in Government and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia in 1990.  Prior to that he worked for many years with emotionally disturbed adolescents in Charlottesville.  He is an avid, though amateur birder, competitive runner, and current President of the Fredericksburg Area Running Club.

Merrie S. Morrison, Vice-President for Operations, served as Director of Administration for the Virginia Chapter of The Nature Conservancy from 1988 until 1995 when she joined ABC. She was the recipient of the 2003 Partners in Flight National Outreach Award.

Michael J. Parr, Vice President, graduated from the University of East Anglia, U.K., in 1986. He worked at the International Council for Bird Preservation International Secretariat (now BirdLife International) as Development Officer before joining American Bird Conservancy in 1996. His first book, Parrots - A Guide to the Parrots of the World was published by Yale University Press in April 1998. He is a co-author of two further books: Important Bird Areas in the U.S., and Wildlife Spectacles, a Conservation International/Cemex publication. He is also a member of the Advisory Committee of ProAves Colombia, and acts as Chair to the Alliance for Zero Extinction.

Dr. David N. Pashley, Vice President of Conservation Programs, received a Ph.D. from the School of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries at Louisiana State University. His dissertation title was ‘A Distributional Analysis of the Warblers of the West Indies’. In addition to being an instructor at the University of Southwestern Louisiana and serving six years in the Science and Stewardship programs of The Nature Conservancy, Dr. Pashley has had a long association with Partners in Flight. Among his responsibilities for PIF have been Chair of the Southeast Working Group and National Coordinator.

Gemma Radko, Communications and Media Manager, graduated from Allegheny College in 1985 with a degree in Art and Biology. She has over 20 years of graphic design experience and is also an avid birder. She is a member of both the Montgomery and Frederick chapters of the Maryland Ornithological Society and often leads field trips for members. Gemma is a licensed bird bander and runs a MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) station during summers. She is also involved in the Maryland/DC Breeding Bird Atlas Project, which runs through 2006.

Darin Schroeder, Vice President of Conservation Advocacy, brings nearly 13 years of extensive Capitol Hill experience to ABC, having served as Wisconsin Offices Manager for U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) from 1993 until 2000, and then joining the staff of U.S. Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI) as Press Secretary. Over the course of the next six years, Darin went on to become Representative Kind’s Communications Director and Senior Policy Advisor. He played an instrumental role in expanding voluntary conservation programs in the 2002 Farm bill and worked closely with ABC staff to introduce legislation reauthorizing the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act. Darin brings strong experience in lobbying, coalition building, media, as well as general political savvy to ABC. Darin received a Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1993.

Chris Sheppard, Bird Collisions Campaign Manager earned her BA and Ph.D. at Cornell University, as part of the short-lived Six Year Ph.D. program. Her thesis advisor was Dr. Tom Cade, who used captive propagation and falconry techniques to restore the Peregrine to the east coast of the US. Her interest in captive propagation as a tool to save endangered species led her to the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo, where she started as curatorial intern and ended as department head of the Ornithology Department. She has chaired American Zoo Association taxon advisory groups for Coraciiformes, Galliformes and Gruiformes and has chaired the IUCN Hornbill Specialist Group. She is a lumper. She initiated the Green Team at WCS and the Green Practices Advisory Group for AZA. She became interested in the issue of bird collisions because it combines ‘green practices’ and wildlife conservation and this led her to ABC.

Gavin Shire, Vice President of Communications, obtained a bachelor's degree in Zoology & Genetics from Sheffield University. He began his career in bird conservation on the island of Mauritius, where he was part of the restoration effort for the Mauritius Kestrel, once the world's rarest bird. He conducted two years of field research and captive rearing/release work before coming to America in 1992. He developed the Trumpeter Swan Restoration Project for Environmental Studies at Airlie, aimed at restoring migratory populations of swans to the eastern United States using ultralight aircraft. Here he was project coordinator, outreach specialist, aviculturalist and ultralight pilot. He joined ABC in March 2000. He has also worked as a free-lance photographer.

Benjamin Skolnik, Conservation Projects Specialist, received his BS from Wheaton College, MA and received his MS in the Sustainable Development and Conservation Biology Program at the University of Maryland. More recently, Benjamin worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in a high Andean village in Ancash, Peru, where he worked on community diagnostic methodology, implemented an improved cooking stove campaign, provided technical assistance to the community in watershed conservation activities, and conducted small business and leadership workshops. He has participated in many avian field projects, including several in remote regions of Ecuador. Benjamin has worked with a number of organizations, including as a GIS analyst for the US Fish and Wildlife Service Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act grant program, Conservation International, Potomac Conservancy, and the New England Aquarium. He is fluent in Spanish and can speak basic Quechua.

Brian Smith, Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture Coordinator, has worked for the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) since 2002, serving as their Small Game/Farm Bill Program Coordinator and most recently as their Wildlife Diversity Program Coordinator. Prior to working for KDFWR, he earned a B.S. in Wildlife Management from Eastern Kentucky University, an M.S. in Raptor Biology from Boise State University (Burrowing Owl research), and a Ph.D. in Forest Resource Science from West Virginia University (Ruffed Grouse research for the Appalachian Cooperative Grouse Research Project).

Judy Szczepaniak, Office Administrator, The Plains Office, has degrees in History and Art History from Northern Illinois University and a Humanities degree from Stephens College. Prior to her relocation from Michigan to Virginia, she was Office Administrator for Charter Industries in Grand Rapids, MI. Outside of work, she enjoys needlepoint, cartooning, and the best friendships with her husband and their raggedy old newfoundland, Duncan. Her knowledge of birds is only expandable.

Beth Wallace, Administration & Program Assistant, received a Master of Science degree in Zoology from the University of Otago in New Zealand. Prior to joining ABC, Beth spent several years as a field ornithologist, working for the Missouri Department of Conservation and Bird Studies Canada.

Dr. George E. Wallace, Vice President for Oceans and Islands, has been active in bird research and conservation for 20 years. Most recently, George served as Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, a close and long-standing ABC partner. Prior to that, he worked for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission first as a Nongame Wildlife Biologist and then as Florida’s state Bird Conservation Coordinator. George has also worked for Bird Studies Canada, The Nature Conservancy, Point Reyes Bird Observatory, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. George received his M.S. in Zoology from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada for his research on plumage maturation and breeding behavior of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. He received his Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Missouri where his dissertation research focused on the wintering ecology of Neotropical migrant and Cuban resident birds overwintering on Cayo Coco, Cuba. George has also worked on migration monitoring in Canada and California, research on seabird breeding ecology in California and Antarctica, and is an experienced bird bander.

Dr. David A. Wiedenfeld, Assistant Director of International Programs, received a Ph.D. from Florida State University, and a M.S. from Louisiana State University. His work has focused on bird population ecology and conservation biology. He has worked with CITES authorities on developing methods for surveying psittacid populations and evaluating the effects of the trade on the populations. He served for five years as Director of Research at the Sutton Avian Research Center, working primarily on prairie-chickens. Returning to the Neotropics, he served for more than three years as Head of the Department of Vertebrate Ecology at the Charles Darwin Research Station, in the Galapagos Islands. His work there was primarily with bird populations, but took also included projects on invasive species, including predators, diseases, and parasites.

Dariusz Zdziebkowski, IT and Website Coordinator is an avid photographer, naturalist, and world traveler in addition to keeping up to date with the newest trends in the IT technology. Prior to joining ABC, he spent few years managing his own business Darweb Consulting, providing IT management services to various small businesses and prior to that managing all aspects of office infrastructure and IT applications for a pharmaceutical association.