Staff
Nancy Lee Adamson (nancy
xerces
org) – Pollinator Conservation Specialist, East Region
Nancy supports pollinator conservation care of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s East National Technology Support Center in Greensboro, North Carolina. She studied bees important for crop pollination (primarily native bees) and meadow restoration in the mid-Atlantic, ran the horticulture and Master Gardener programs for Frederick County, Maryland’s Cooperative Extension, and has long been involved in inventorying, collecting seed, and propagating native plants for habitat restoration. As Education Coordinator and Nursery Manager at Adkins Arboretum on the eastern shore of Maryland, she started a local ecotype propagation program following work with Bloomin’ Natives (now Chesapeake Natives). A former Peace Corps volunteer in Tunisia, she also worked as an intern with Cultural Survival in Petén, Guatemala.
Scott Hoffman Black (sblackxercesorg) – Executive Director
Scott has degrees in ecology, plant science, and entomology from Colorado State University. As a researcher, conservationist, and teacher, he has worked for over twenty years with small issues groups and large coalitions advocating science-based conservation. He has extensive experience in endangered-species conservation, pollinator conservation, macroinvertebrate monitoring, and forest and range management issues. Scott has authored many publications and his work has been featured in newspapers, magazines, and books and on radio and television. He has presented to universities across the United States, as well as to international meetings and the National Academy of Sciences. He most enjoys spending time in the wild with his children River, Emmett, and Theo, and his wife Cat.
Michele Blackburn (michelexercesorg) – Conservation Associate
Michele joined the Xerces Society in 2011 as a conservation associate supporting the Aquatic Invertebrate and Endangered Species Programs. She is working to advance the knowledge base of the poorly understood migratory behavior of North American dragonfly species and provide research support for other aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates. Previously, Michele managed a non-profit conservation program in an effort to protect endangered and threatened marine species. She has worked in Oregon with The Nature Conservancy to restore critical habitat for butterflies, inform watershed-level conservation action plans and provide research to support freshwater conservation initiatives throughout the Pacific Northwest. With a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s degree in Marine Biology and Environmental Science, Michele is interested in continuing to advocate for species-level conservation and protection of vulnerable aquatic and terrestrial habitats.
Brianna Borders (briannaxercesorg) – Plant Ecologist
Brianna joined the Xerces Society in 2010 and manages a multi-state initiative to increase the availability of milkweed seed for habitat restoration efforts targeting the monarch butterfly and other pollinators. She received a Master’s Degree in Biological Sciences from California State University, Chico where her research focused on the restoration of riparian forests on the Sacramento River. Prior to joining Xerces, she managed a native plant seed production program in support of efforts to restore native vegetation to retired agricultural lands in the San Joaquin Valley of California. She has also taught biology at Bunker Hill Community College and Clark College, assisted with ecological research on Nantucket Island and at Mount St. Helens, and worked as an environmental consultant. She has lived overseas in Australia and Argentina and is currently learning Spanish. In her spare time she enjoys going to concerts and outdoor activities such as cycling, hiking, and camping.
Megan Faria (meganxercesorg) – Financial Manager
Megan started working for the Xerces Society in 2008. She manages all of Xerces’ accounting and financial responsibilities. Over the past several years Megan has worked in non-profit accounting for environmental and arts-based organizations including Bark, Cascadia Wild, and Do Jump! Theatre. She has a degree in Ballet from the University of Utah and enjoys participating in various theatrical projects in her spare time. She enjoys reading, practicing yoga, and learning about the natural world. Megan is excited to be part of the Xerces team and its efforts to conserve invertebrates.
Sarah Foltz Jordan (sarahxercesorg) – Conservation Associate
Sarah joined the Xerces Society in 2008. She received her Master’s in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she studied aquatic hemipteran community structure in suburban storm-water ponds. She has researched insects and crustaceans in a wide variety of aquatic systems, ranging from high-elevation streams in Hawaii to ephemeral potholes carved into Utah’s sandstone fins. At Xerces, Sarah works for the Aquatic Invertebrate and Endangered Species programs, focusing on researching and prioritizing the conservation of rare and threatened invertebrates. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, mushroom hunting, mushroom photography, gardening, and playing with her baby Scion. In the summer, Sarah and her husband Nick grow and sell mushrooms and vegetables on their small organic farm in Minnesota. They also teach mushroom identification workshops and maintain a website on edible fungi of the Midwest.
Jolie Goldenetz Dollar (joliexercesorg) – Pollinator Habitat Restoration Specialist, Mid-Atlantic Region
Jolie joined the Xerces Society in 2011. She provides technical support and training to the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, other conservation agencies, and farmers on pollinator conservation and native plant restoration. One of her goals is to advance the general public’s awareness of the importance of native pollinators to agriculture and wildlife conservation. Jolie holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Agricultural Development from University of California at Davis, a Master’s degree in Natural Resources from University of Arizona, and a Doctorate degree in Wildlife Studies from Mississippi State University. Additionally, Jolie has worked for the non-profits Native Seeds/SEARCH in Arizona and Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization (ECHO) in Florida and Haiti. Her university research and non-profit work have largely focused on the conservation of under-utilized cultivated plants and habitat conservation for native pollinators. In addition to gardening and wildlife watching, Jolie enjoys cycling and hiking with her husband.
Suzanne Granahan (suzannexercesorg) – Membership Coordinator
Suzanne started working for the Xerces Society in 2009. She is the main contact person for Xerces members, who have questions or comments regarding their membership or wish to purchase books and publications. She came to the organization after completing her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Portland State University, where she focused on nonprofit development. Suzanne has worked and volunteered at numerous local science and education based nonprofits and loves being apart of Portland’s engaged nonprofit community. While not at work Suzanne enjoys playing sports, biking around Portland, gardening, camping, and most of all whale watching.
Katy Gray (kgrayxercesorg) – Executive Assistant
Katy joined the Xerces Society in 2011 as an executive assistant. She supports the executive director and helps manage office operations while working towards the advancement of Xerces’ mission. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies, with a philosophical focus, from Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon where she was able to attend a travel abroad course in 2005 to China, studying eastern religious and philosophical thought. After graduation, Katy followed her passion to work in non-profit administration and previously served as legal secretary and legal assistant for Metropolitan Public Defender, Washington County office, Oregon’s largest non-profit indigent defense firm. Katy is interested in how communities relate to environmental and social issues, the public’s education regarding these matters and advocacy for effective change. In her spare time she enjoys volunteering at Portland are events, hiking, disc golfing, camping, playing the violin and learning the mandolin, gardening, exploring the Portland foodie scene or creating her own recipes, drawing comics, and biking.
Jessa Guisse (jessaxercesorg) – Pollinator Habitat Restoration Specialist
Jessa joined the Xerces Society in 2008, focusing specifically on outreach in California. She coordinates with local branches of the NRCS / RCD, Audubon, and other groups to encourage enhancing habitat for native bees, particularly in agricultural areas. She received a Master’s Degree in Environmental Entomology from California State University, Chico in 2006. Prior to joining the Xerces Society, she spearheaded a project working with California almond growers to explore and develop the use of the native bee, Osmia lignaria, as an almond pollinator. During this time, Jessa worked in a native plant nursery, where she implemented an IPM program, researched bee plants, and worked with local farmers and organizations on the establishment of hedgerows or restoration sites. She has also worked as an organic farm inspector, and a farmer. She is passionate about sustainable agricultural practices, bees, and the natural world. When not working, she loves doing just about anything with her son Sidy, hiking, camping, swimming, going to music festivals, and salsa dancing.
Jennifer Hopwood (jenniferxercesorg) – Midwest Pollinator Outreach Coordinator
Jennifer joined the Xerces Society in 2009. She works to provide resources and training for pollinator habitat management, creation, and restoration to agricultural professionals and land managers across the Midwest. Jennifer holds a Master’s in Entomology from the University of Kansas, where her research focused on bee communities in roadside prairie plantings and prairie remnants. Jennifer’s roots extend deep in the Midwest, where she has studied pollinators in tallgrass prairie, woodlands, a research farm, and urban community gardens. Prior to joining Xerces, Jennifer taught at a community college and assisted with research examining the effects of grassland management on insects. She is enthusiastic about identifying bees, taking photographs, and being active outdoors.
Sarina Jepsen (sarinaxercesorg) – Endangered Species Program Director
Sarina has worked with The Xerces Society since 2006, both with endangered species and aquatic invertebrates. She is currently working on the conservation of rare or declining species and their habitats. She has a Master’s degree in entomology from the University of California, Davis, where she studied conservation biological control in vineyard agroecosystems. She is passionate about using a broad approach of education and advocacy to achieve protection for animals that are often tiny and uncharismatic. Sarina has worked with a variety of state and federal agencies, as well as other nonprofit organizations, on the conservation of aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, including the Mardon skipper, bumble bees, and freshwater mussels. She has also worked as an educator, developing curriculum to engage students and citizens in general science, entomology and ecology. In her spare time, she enjoys illustrating, making crafts, and being outside.
Eric Mader (ericxercesorg) – Assistant Pollinator Program Director
Eric works to raise awareness of native pollinator conservation techniques among growers and government agencies. His previous work includes commercial beekeeping and crop consulting for the native seed industry where he provided weekly insect and disease scouting on hundreds of plant species grown for prairie restoration efforts. He is an Assistant Extension Professor at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Entomology, and has authored several books and government management plans for native pollinators. He most recently co-authored a new release Managing Alternative Pollinators: A Handbook for Beekeepers, Growers and Conservationists.
Celeste Mazzacano (celestexercesorg) – Staff Scientist/Aquatic Program Director
Celeste joined Xerces in 2007, leading the aquatic invertebrate program and providing research support to other areas. She is dedicated to increasing understanding of the integral roles invertebrates play in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. She has a B.S. in genetics & cell biology and a Ph. D. in entomology from the University of Minnesota, where her research addressed insect-vectored diseases and mosquito reproduction. She has done research in malaria and biological insect control, been a college biology professor, and worked in stream biomonitoring and adult environmental education. She is currently working to create an invertebrate-based wetland biomonitoring tool, develop guidelines for ecologically sound mosquito control in wetlands, survey for rare invertebrates including coastal tiger beetles, freshwater mussels and sphagnum bog beetles, develop citizen-based aquatic invertebrate monitoring programs, and hone her skills in GIS and Spanish.
Ashley Minnerath (ashleyxercesorg) – Pollinator Program Assistant
Ashley joined the Xerces Society in 2010. She supports the pollinator conservation program by providing administrative and outreach support for workshops and short courses, the pollinator conservation seed store, habitat enhancement and restoration activities on farms and gardens, and all other aspects of the pollinator program. Ashley has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Planning and Management and Anthropology from the University of Minnesota, Duluth. At UMD she was involved in numerous sustainability initiatives; including, streamlining recycling practices and campaigning for local food to be served in the University cafeteria. Outside of work she enjoys learning about and exploring the flora and fauna of the natural world.
Matthew Shepherd (mdshepherdxercesorg) – Senior Conservation Associate
In a conservation career that spans more than two decades and three countries, Matthew has gained a depth of knowledge and experience in habitat management and restoration, outreach and education, and advocacy. In Britain, Matthew established a successful community-based conservation program in Essex, and helped to create Samphire Hoe, an award-winning nature park. In Kenya, he worked with local communities and government agencies to improve the management of Arabuko-Sokoke Forest. Matthew has been working for the Xerces Society since 1999, collaborating with people from all walks of life to promote awareness about and protection of pollinators. Time spent with his family provides a solid balance to work. Sure, Matthew watches bees and other wildlife with his kids, but they also run around at the playground, tend the garden, go hiking and camping, volunteer with community groups, and lie around finding pictures in the clouds.
Mace Vaughan (macexercesorg) – Pollinator Program Director, Joint Pollinator Conservation Specialist for NRCS West National Tech Support Center
Mace has led the Xerces Pollinator Conservation Program since 2003. In this capacity, he supervises research and outreach on habitat restoration for crop pollinating native bees; develops and presents educational materials to farmers, conservationists, land managers, and policy makers; and collaborates extensively with scientists researching the role and habitat needs of crop-pollinating native bees. Mace also serves as the Joint Pollinator Conservation Specialist for the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, working from the agency’s West National Technology Support Center in Portland, Oregon. He has written numerous articles on the conservation of bees, butterflies, aquatic invertebrates, and insects, and is co-author of Attracting Native Pollinators: Protecting North America’s Bees and Butterflies and the Pollinator Conservation Handbook. He is also lead author of Farming for Bees: Guidelines for Providing Native Bee Habitat on Farms. He was a lecturer on honey bee biology and beekeeping at Cornell University, from which he holds Masters Degrees in Entomology and Teaching.
Carly Voight (carlyxercesorg) – Butterfly Conservation Specialist
Carly joined Xerces in 2011. She manages Xerces’ effort to conserve rare butterflies and their habitat, including monarch butterflies and their migration sites in California. Carly holds a Master’s Degree in Latin American Studies – Tropical Conservation and Development from the University of Florida and a Bachelor’s Degree in Ecosystem Management from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Her masters research focused on sustainable management of a non-timber forest product (xate palm) in Belize. She has previously worked for The Nature Conservancy in Florida, St. Croix (U.S. Virgin Islands), update New York, Arizona, Colorado, and Michigan. In 2007 Carly was able to fulfill one of her childhood dreams by visiting the monarch overwinter migration sites in Michoacan, Mexico. In her spare time, she loves to travel and also indulges in her dream of becoming a nature photographer by running a small business, Rainforest Reflections.
Laura Westwood (lauraxercesorg) – Grants Manager/Program Assistant
Laura joined Xerces in 2010 to focus on grants and other development activities. Previously, she served as the development director for both the Bus Project, a grassroots nonprofit that engages young people in politics, and for Focus the Nation, an organization working on climate change policy. Laura holds a bachelor’s degree in ecology and evolutionary biology from Princeton University, where she researched habitat use by native bees for her senior thesis. After graduation, she was a Green Corps fellow. A native Oregonian, Laura loves to garden, play with her dogs and chickens, cook, paint, and go hiking or snowshoeing depending on the season.
Consultants
Logan Lauvray (loganxercesorg) – Finance Consultant
Logan is a part-time financial consultant for the Xerces Society. He has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Ohio State University and has more recently taken a series of science courses at Portland Community College. Logan has a passion for environmental restoration work that has evolved through his volunteer work facilitating tree plantings. He currently holds a position as a Green Space Manager for Friends of Trees, a organization in Portland that builds community partnerships to plant, preserve, care for and educate about urban trees.
Elaine Evans (fuzzybumblebeegmailcom) – Conservation Consultant
Elaine has worked for Xerces since 2007 studying declining North American Bombus populations. She completed her M.S. in Entomology at the University of Minnesota, where she studied the impact of floral resource competition between honey bees and bumble bees on the reproductive success of native bumble bees, as well as tomato and cranberry pollination and bumble bee rearing. She summarized her knowledge of bumble bee rearing in the book Befriending Bumble Bees: A Guide to Raising Local Bumble Bees. She is also the author of a chapter on bumble bee pollination in the book Managing Alternative Pollinators by fellow Xerces staff member Eric Mader.
Regina Hirsch (reginahirschsbcglobalnet) – Great Lakes Pollinator Outreach Specialist
Regina works with the Xerces Society through the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems. In this role she is conducting educational workshops for USDA staff, farmers, and other land managers about the importance of native pollinators and how to establish native pollinator habitat on their lands. Regina has extensive expertise in Midwest farming systems, particularly apple production through the Eco-Fruit Project which teams farmers, University researchers, the USDA-NRCS, and crop consultants to develop new approaches to pest management, and reduce pesticides. Regina received her PhD in Wildlife Ecology with a minor in Entomology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Jeff Norcini (OecoHortcomcastnet) – Ecological Horticulturist
Jeff Norcini is a private consultant (OecoHort, LLC) specializing in establishment and management of sustainable roadside and landscape plantings of native wildflowers and grasses. Other areas of expertise include seed and container production of native wildflowers, and seed dormancy and germination. Jeff also conducts customized training, and collects seed from wild populations, a service he provided for the Xerces Society in support of the milkweed (Asclepias) seed increase project. He was a faculty member with the University of Florida/IFAS at the North Florida Research & Education Center from 1987 through March 2009, the last 13 years of which focused on native wildflowers and grasses. He has published 29 refereed journal articles and 44 extension-related publications dealing with native wildflowers and grasses. For more information, please visit http://www.OecoHort.com