National Coordinating Office Staff | USA National Phenology Network

The goal of the National Coordinating Office (NCO) is to guide the development of the USA National Phenology Network, faciliate communication between scientists, land managers, policy-makers, and the public who are interested in assessing the effects of global change on natural ecological systems.

The NCO was established through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the University of Arizona (UA). The USGS provides base-stable support for the NCO, and hired Dr. Jake Weltzin as the first Executive Director of USA-NPN. The UA is providing offices and other services through the School of Natural Resources and the Environment's Office of Arid Lands Studies.

Jake Weltzin
Executive Director
USA National Phenology Network
National Coordinating Office
1955 E. Sixth St., Tucson, AZ 85721
jweltzin@usgs.gov
(520) 626-3821
Fax: (520) 792-0571
Full CV - Résumé

Jake Weltzin assumed his position as Executive Director of the USA-NPN in August 2007. Jake’s interest in natural history developed as he grew up in Alaska and served as an exchange student in the Australian outback. He obtained his B.S. from Colorado State University, M.S. from Texas A&M University, and Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. Following a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Notre Dame, Jake went to the University of Tennessee, where he served as Assistant and then Associate Professor.

Jake is interested in how the structure and function of plant communities and ecosystems might respond to global environmental change, including atmospheric chemistry, climate change, and biological invasions. His research spans temperate and tropical grasslands and savannas, temperate woodlands, deciduous forest, and sub-boreal peatlands. His recent experience as a science administrator at the National Science Foundation underscored the need to foster large-scale science initiatives such as the USA-NPN. As its first Executive Director, Jake’s vision for USA-NPN is “to develop a continental-scale instrument for integrative assessment of global change that simultaneously serves as an outreach and educational platform for citizens and educators.”

LoriAnne Barnett

Education Coordinator
lorianne@usanpn.org
(520) 792-0481

LoriAnne Barnett coordinates the USA-NPN's education activities, focused on engaging a variety of formal and non-formal audiences in phenology and the Nature's Notebook program. She has worked in a number of educational settings over the last two decades, teaching both youth and adults the importance of place and connections to the natural world.

LoriAnne holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania and a M.A. in Environmental Science and Environmental Education from Prescott College in Arizona. Most recently she served as Virginia Cooperative Extension 4-H Faculty where she designed experiential curriculum and programming in science and the outdoors, as well as other program areas, for youth ages 5-19. She also has lead workshops on leadership development, Wilderness First Aid and outdoor adventure safety, and risk management. She has served as a chapter advisor to the Rivanna Master Naturalists in Virginia and is an advocate for citizen science, education and stewardship of the land.

Theresa Crimmins
Partnerships & Outreach Coordinator
theresa@usanpn.org
(520) 792-0481

Theresa Crimmins coordinates the efforts of USA-NPN partners to achieve common phenology-related goals. USA-NPN partners include individuals and organizations representing communities of researchers, land managers, policy-makers, citizen scientists, and educators. Through our partnerships we seek to encourage and maintain the participatory spirit of the USA-NPN and the involvement of diverse user groups.

Theresa obtained a B.S. in biology and an M.A. in geography from Western Michigan University and a Ph.D. in natural resources from the University of Arizona. Her research interests encompass plant response to global change, spatial analysis, and engaging citizen scientists of all ages in scientific discovery.

Ellen Denny
Monitoring Design & Data Coordinator
ellen@usanpn.org

Ellen Denny coordinates the design and development of the USA-NPN’s National Phenology Monitoring System (NPMS) for the collection of standardized ground-based plant and animal phenology observations across the nation. She also serves as the scientific data manager for phenology data sets included in the National Phenology Database (NPDb).

Ellen has a B.S. in Aquatic Biology from Brown University, and an M.F.S. (Forest Science) from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and has spent the last decade working at the interface of ecosystem ecology and information management. Her interaction with the USA-NPN began as the co-founder and coordinator of the Northeast Regional Phenology Network (NE-RPN), established in 2007. Since then she has served the USA-NPN in various capacities, including helping to advise other developing regional phenology networks across the nation.

Carolyn Enquist
Science Coordinator
carolyn@usanpn.org

(520) 622-0363

Carolyn Enquist coordinates the USA-NPN’s science activities on behalf of the Wildlife Society. This includes facilitating applied scientific research related to phenology, working with government agencies, academics and volunteers to implement standardized monitoring protocols and analysis methods, communicating the importance of phenology as a robust indicator of climate change impacts on humans and natural systems, and highlighting the role monitoring can play in facilitating the application of climate change adaptation strategies.

Carolyn has been in the biodiversity conservation field for nearly two decades, having worked for the National Wildlife Federation, the National Park Service, the Forest Service, and the Nature Conservancy. She has largely focused on researching the ecological implications of climate change and identifying adaptation options for conservation and management priorities in the southwestern U.S. and Central America. She is also an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Arizona’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment. Carolyn received a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and Ph.D. and M.S. from the University of New Mexico.

Kathy Gerst
Research Associate

katgerst@email.arizona.edu
(520) 622-0363

Kathy Gerst is a plant ecologist working as a liaison with the California Phenology Project on the implementation of plant phenology monitoring in California National Parks. She is participating in the development of project documentation, annual plant monitoring protocols, species profiles, and outreach materials.

Kathy received a B.S. in Ecology, Behavior and Evolution from UCLA in 2001 and will complete her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona in the summer of 2011. Her research interests include reproductive ecology and physiological ecology of desert annual plants. She also has a background in tropical biology, invasive species biology, and science education.

Patty Guertin
Botanist
pguertin@email.arizona.edu
(520) 622-0363

Patty Guertin is an in-house botanist at the National Coordinating Office in Tucson, Ariz. She assists with developing USA-NPN's plant and animal species’ profiles, focusing on gathering the necessary details for developing plant phenological protocols.

Having lived in many regions of the United States, and having investigated the local and regional flora of each area, Patty subsequently completed a B.S. in Plant Sciences at the University of Arizona. As a non-degree graduate student, she focused on field botany, GIS experience, and vegetation mapping and measurements. For the last 15 years, she has worked on vegetation and botanical projects as a field botanist and GIS specialist in the Southwest US, Texas and California, primarily for the national parks, focusing on non-native invasive plants and/or local flora.

George R. Kish
gkish@usgs.gov
(813) 498-5079

George R. Kish is a project manager for the USA National Phenology Network working to establish long-term phenology research partners and study sites in the Southeast. George organizes local and regional workshops to teach students, citizen scientists, and ecologists how to observe and record phenological events in the Southeast.

George is a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Tampa, Florida and a PhD student at the University of South Florida in the Department of Geography. He earned a B.S. in Biology from Drexel University and his M.S. degree in Environmental Science from Rutgers University. His research interests include ecological responses to climate change and urbanization.

Alexis Lincicome
Web and Communications Assistant
adlincic@gmail.com

Alexis Lincicome is the Web and Communications Assistant for the USA-NPN. She responds to general interest, observer emails and IT questions, develops content and functions for the USA-NPN website, develops social media applications, and helps with the content development and maintenance of the USA-NPN website. Alexis also supports the creation of outreach and training materials for the general public.

Alexis received her B.S. in environmental science with a soil science focus from the University of Arizona, and is currently working on her Masters in soil, water and environmental science. Her research interests include soil and chemical interactions, infiltration and transport, plant response to physical and chemical stresses, soil and water remediation, and remote sensing and GIS systems.

Lee Marsh
Applications Programmer
lee@usanpn.org

Lee Marsh develops, enhances and maintains the USA-NPN's PHP and Java web applications, as part of the USA-NPN's IT team. He also plays a key role in data output and integration efforts.

Lee graduated from the University of Illinois, Springfield campus, with a B.S. in computer science, and has spent the last several years working for the private industry, including a regional startup and a Fortune 500 consulting firm. His interests include artificial intelligence and computer gaming systems.

Sharon Oliver

Administrative Associate

sharon@usanpn.org

(520) 622-0363

Sharon Oliver handles the administrative details of the National Coordinating Office including budget and travel processes, and supports the planning of conferences and meetings. She brings a wide range of experience to the position, having worked for a number of years in the federal sector. Her most recent position was with the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece where she worked as part of the executive administrative team supporting the Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission.

Upon returning to Tucson in the fall of 2009, Sharon became involved in the community, volunteering with the United Way where she prepared taxes through the VITA program and joining the Community Gardens of Tucson. She enjoys traveling, reading, and gardening.

Erin Posthumus

Outreach Assistant
erin@usanpn.org

As a Peace Corps Fellow, Erin supports USA-NPN's outreach and engagement efforts, focused on engaging organizations and individuals in observing plants and animals, and understanding their responses to climate change. She is a current candidate for Masters of Science in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment's Wildlife Management and Conservation Program at University of Arizona. For her Masters thesis she will be working on Mt Graham, studying wildlife species diversity at endangered red squirrel middens.

A Seattle native, Erin did her undergraduate work at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she majored in Environmental Biology. She has worked on various wildlife biology field projects in Hawai'i, California's Channel Islands, the Texas panhandle and the Florida Everglades. Erin served as an environmental advisor in the Peace Corps in the South Pacific country of Vanuatu from 2007-09.

Alyssa Rosemartin
Assistant Director
IT & Communications Coordinator
alyssa@usanpn.org
(520) 419-2585

Alyssa Rosemartin serves as a point person for the development and maintenance of the USA-NPN information management system, including the national phenology database, user interface and website. She also brings her experience translating science for the general public to the table in support of the NPN's outreach goals.

Alyssa received a B.A. in Spanish and environmental science in 2000 from Smith College and an M.S. in wildlife conservation and management from the University of Arizona's School of Natural Resources in 2008. Alyssa has experience in environmental education, science writing, field research, web development, and project management. She has been interested in citizen science since her first job, working on Birds Beyond Borders, a program linking elementary schools across the Americas through the observation of migratory birds.

Joel B. Sankey
Mendenhall Fellow
520 N. Park Ave., Room 211
Tucson, AZ 85719
jsankey@usgs.gov
(520) 670-6671 ext. 232
Fax: (520) 670-5113
Full CV

Joel Sankey is a Mendenhall Fellow with the USGS Southwest Geographic Science Center and the USA-NPN. His research interests are in the interaction of geomorphology, ecology, and climate. Much of his work has examined biological and hydroclimatological controls on geomorphic processes and patterns using LiDAR, multispectral, and hyperspectral remote sensing in conjunction with micrometeorological instrumentation and field observations. He is currently studying contemporary, climate-driven changes in post-wildfire phenology of vegetation throughout the Great Basin, USA using multi-temporal remote sensing.

Joel received his PhD from Idaho State University in an interdisciplinary program with the Geoscience
and Biology departments. His dissertation examined aeolian dust emissions following large wildfires in
the desert shrublands of the western USA, which has become an increasingly relevant environmental
issue related to climate change. Joel has an M.S. in Abused Land Rehabilitation from Montana State
University and a B.S. in Soil and Water Environmental Science also from MSU. He worked as a field soil
scientist in Alaska with the NRCS Soil Survey program for two years following undergraduate school.
He has also participated in field research in rangeland and forest ecology in northern Mongolia and the
Intermountain West of the USA.

Sara Schaffer

Student Office Assistant
sara@usanpn.org
(520) 622-0363

Sara Schaffer works for the USA-NPN as a Student Office Assistant, providing support by completing various tasks related to daily operations and procedures. Her work varies depending on the tasks and events occurring in the NCO. Sara has experience with purchasing, business office practices, shipping, graphic design, publishing, and basic website development.

Sara is a born and raised Tucsonan, and received her B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Arizona in May 2010. She is currently working towards applying to graduate programs at the University, as well as Universities in Texas and California. In her free time, she enjoys the company of her dogs, traveling, and cycling.

Echo Surina
Communications Specialist
echo@usanpn.org
(520) 792-0481

As Communications Specialist, Echo Surina evaluates, plans and executes strategic communications campaigns on behalf of USA-NPN. Her responsibilities include evaluating and creating content for marketing and education collateral; developing communications-related partnerships with other organizations; and interpreting and presenting scientific data to niche audiences to improve phenology literacy and participation. Echo does media outreach; runs public relations efforts; and generates content for presentations, Web sites, videos and more.

Echo is an award-winning writer whose work appears in consumer and trade magazines nationwide. Before joining USA-NPN, she worked in PR and publishing, writing and editing for statewide and nationally distributed magazines and online venues, including the Discovery Channel. She was Managing Editor of Arizona Business Magazine for years and went on to found a boutique communications studio now named Philanthropology, which was ranked a top woman-owned business in Arizona in Ranking Arizona 2008 and 2009. She planned and executed strategic communications campaigns for businesses, government entities and other organizations, producing direct-response copywriting for marketing campaigns, PR collateral and articles. She earned a BA in Creative Writing and English from the University of Arizona in Tucson, graduating cum laude in 2002.

Kathryn Thomas
Project Scientist
kathryn_a_thomas@usgs.gov
(520) 670-5534

Kathryn Thomas is a U.S. Geological Survey scientist, currently stationed with the Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership (PNAMP) in Oregon. She has worked with the USA-NPN since 2007 assisting with the program's initial development. She was one of the three original principle investigators that initiated the NPS-California Phenology Project and continues involvement with project implementation.

Kathryn nearly 30 years of experience working on environmental projects. She has conducted field research in the coastal Mediterranean, desert Mojave, semi-arid Colorado Plateau, and boreal northeastern forest ecosystems. Before leaving the Southwest for her current postion with the PNAMP, she lead numerous regional vegetation mapping projects in the Southwest, predictive modeling of habitat and future plant distributions, and directed the Southwest Exotic Plant Mapping Project. She has a Ph.D. in geography from University of California, Santa Barbara, an M.S. in environmental horticulture from University of California, Davis and a B.S. in biology from the U. of Oregon.

Kristin Wisneski
Biosphere 2 Science and Society Fellow
kristinw@email.arizona.edu

Kristin Wisneski supports the USA-NPN and its mission of serving “science and society by promoting broad understanding of plant and animal phenology and its relationship with environmental change” through Biosphere 2’s Science and Society Fellows program. Kristin will collaborate with USA-NPN during the 2010-2011 school year to develop information on citizen science and its impact on understanding global climate change for a permanent information display at Biosphere 2.

As a graduate student in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona, Kristin works to understand the role of technology in influencing youth’s interest and understanding of science. By pooling her knowledge of geospatial technologies, youth civic engagement, and citizen science, Kristin hopes to invite new observers to Nature’s Notebook through the Citizen Science Station and Phenology Walk at the Biosphere 2 facility. The station will inform Biosphere 2 visitors of various local and national citizen science initiatives to get involved in. The Phenology Walk will allow visitors to try out making their own citizen science observations of plants that will be entered into Nature’s Notebook.

Jessica Zelt
Program Coordinator
North American Bird Phenology Program
(301) 497-5745
Fax: (301) 497-5694
www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bpp/

Jessica Zelt coordinates the North American Bird Phenology Program (BPP) based at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Maryland. The BPP, with the help of volunteers worldwide, is digitally reviving a collection of 6 million bird migration cards from around North America, originally collected between 1880 and 1970. Jessica organizes all aspects of the program from volunteer coordination to management of the website and database and outreach.

Jessica obtained a B.S. in environmental science and policy from the University of Maryland, College Park. She has previously worked as a naturalist for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida and as a research assistant for the Smithsonian’s Migratory Bird Center.