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Staff

Administrative

• Erick Lindblad, Executive Director
• Wendy Cerdan, Business Manager
• Marti Bryant, Member Relations Director
• Cheryl Giattini, Legacy Coordinator
• Karen Nelson, Communications Coordinator

Environmental Education

• Kristie Anders, Education Director
• Dee Serage-Century, Landscaping for Wildlife

Marine Laboratory

• Dr. Loren Coen, Director
• Dr. Rick Bartleson, Research Scientist
• Dr. Eric Milbrandt, Research Scientist
• Dr. Alex Rybak, Research Scientist / GIS / Database Manager
  
• Lucy Pongetti, Office Manager
• Keleigh Provost, Research Associate
• Mark Thompson, Research Associate
• Sabrina Lartz, Research Assistant
• A. J. Martignette, Research Assistant
• Jeff Siwicke, Research Assistant
• Carolyn Kovacs, Intern
• Dr. Art Weissbach, Visiting Research Scientist

Native Plant Nursery

• Jenny Evans, Manager
• Muffit Hayes, Part-time Assistant

Natural Resource Policy

• Rae Ann Wessel, Director

Wildlife Habitat Management

• Brad Smith, Director
• Chris Lechowicz, Herpetologist/I.T. Specialist
• Amanda Bryant , Biologist & Sea Turtle Coordinator
• Ron Gestwicki, Field Technician
• Cara Faillace, Field Biologist
• Toby Clark, Field Technician
• Victor Young, Field Technician

Staff Bios

Administrative

Erick Lindblad
Executive Director
elindblad@sccf.org

Erick Lindblad has served as the Executive Director of the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation since 1986. He has been instrumental in the Foundation's acquisition of over 1,190 acres of Wildlife Preserve areas on and around Sanibel and Captiva. In 2002, he oversaw the establishment of SCCF's Marine Laboratory. During his tenure, SCCF has grown from a full-time staff of four to over 30 full-time employees, including grant-supported positions and interns.

Erick has coordinated and actively participated in land management activities including invasive non-native plant control, prescribed burning (Division of Forestry Burn Manager Certification), gopher tortoise management and surface water management projects. Land acquisition has been accomplished by a variety of means, including fee simple, bargain sale, development agreement and donation.

As part of his commitment to the sustainable development of Southwest Florida, Erick serves on Conservation 20/20, Lee County's Conservation Land Acquisition and Stewardship Advisory Council and the Land Management Subcommittee. He also was appointed by the Lee County Board of County Commissioners to serve as the county's representative on the Babcock Ranch Inc. Board, which oversees the management of the state's 71,000-acre Babcock Ranch Preserve in Lee and Charlotte Counties.

He served on the Board of the International Osprey Foundation, the Caloosahatchee River Citizens Association and the Babcock Preservation Partnership, and also served on the Technical Advisory Committee of the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program.

Erick has served on various City of Sanibel committees over the years including the Budget Review Committee, Wildlife Committee, Interior Wetlands Study Committee, and the Algae Task force. He serves as Treasurer of the Sanibel-Captiva Rotary Trust Fund, and was awarded the Walter Klie Lifetime Achievement Award from the Sanibel-Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce (although he likes to think of it as 'mid-lifetime').

Prior to his tenure at the Conservation Foundation, he served as Director of Newfound Harbor Marine Institute at Seacamp on Big Pine Key, FL from 1979 to 1986. He graduated in 1974 from Millikin University in Illinois with a B.A. in Biology.

Wendy Cerdan
Business Manager
wcerdan@sccf.org

Wendy brings experience in the banking field and as an account clerk with a local governmental agency to her position as Business Manager of SCCF. She and her family have been Southwest Florida residents for over 25 years.

Marti Bryant
Member Relations Director
mbryant@sccf.org

Marti joined SCCF as Development Coordinator in 1995. She is the face of SCCF to many of its volunteers as she plans and schedules volunteer opportunities and organizes special events.

Marti began her career in the banking and insurance fields in her native Michigan, managing office staff and operations and working as an account executive. Upon relocating to Southwest Florida in the late 1980s, Marti was a community association manager and the assistant to the Director of Development at Canterbury School.

Cheryl Giattini
Legacy Programs
cgiattini@attglobal.net

Cheryl has more than 20 years' experience working on development and marketing strategies for business and non-profit organizations. Upon graduation from Georgetown University Law Center, she joined the National Public Radio General Counsel's Office as an attorney. In addition to the traditional legal duties, Cheryl worked directly with the board of directors on development issues facing a non-profit corporation. Her career evolved from the practice of law into the field of public relations and marketing. She founded an events management firm, Washington Affairs, which was later acquired by a public affairs and marketing firm. Cheryl remained as Senior Vice President until 1991 when she became an independent consultant.

Cheryl's work with SCCF began in a volunteer capacity as part of the leadership team that successfully undertook three land acquisition campaigns in two years. Now as a consultant, she works closely with the Board of Trustees and Development staff to coordinate SCCF's campaigns for additional land purchases and other capital needs. She also oversees the Annual Fund Drive and the growth of the Legacy Funds, SCCF's endowment program.

Karen Nelson
Communications Coordinator
knelson@sccf.org

A New York native, Karen moved to Sanibel in 2000. She spent 20 years in New York City, working for several major hotels before moving into direct marketing. After relocating to Sanibel, she edited and wrote for several weekly Sanibel and Captiva publications before joining SCCF in 2007.

Environmental Education

Kristie Anders
Education Director
kanders@sccf.org

SCCF Education Director since 1988, Kristie has been teaching people about our natural habitat and environmental stewardship for over 30 years. She has developed a unique knowledge of the greater Everglades ecosystem through her experience as a marine educator in the Florida Keys, a ranger in Everglades National Park, an outdoor recreation planner at the J.N.'Ding' Darling National Wildlife Refuge and her position at SCCF. In addition, Kristie has been a park ranger in Acadia National Park, Independence National Historic Park and Salem Maritime Historic Site and is the former executive director of the 'Ding' Darling Foundation. She holds dual degrees from Penn State University in Marine Sciences and Environmental Education. Kristie resides on North Captiva Island, traveling to work daily by boat.

Dee Serage-Century
Landscaping for Wildlife
dserage@sccf.org

Dee is the 'Landscaping for Wildlife' educator for SCCF, teaching residents about the use of Florida's native plants to create habitat for birds and butterflies in their yards. Through monthly Native Plant Classes, garden tours, landscape designs, and house calls, homeowners get all the help they need to plant their native gardens. As part of this program, Dee teaches homeowners and neighborhood associations how to live safely with alligators in monthly 'Gator Tales' presentations.

For the education and enjoyment of residents and visitors, Dee raises Florida's native butterflies and their caterpillars in the Lolly Cohen memorial butterfly house and encourages people to plant for butterflies. Butterflies and caterpillars from the house are used in life cycle kits to educate local school children.

Always looking for new ways to educate Floridians about their native plants, Dee teaches 'The Cultural History of Florida's Native Plants' from the ethnobotany garden around the teaching shelter on Foundation trails. In the garden, Florida's native plants are labeled according to their uses as food, shelter, art, and medicine by peoples past and present.

Marine Laboratory

Loren Coen CV

Loren Coen, Ph.D., joined the Marine Laboratory in October 2007 as the new Director. He has worked extensively with invertebrates (especially decapod crustaceans and bivalve molluscs) and plants (seagrasses, mangroves, saltmarshes and macroalgae) in temperate and tropical/subtropical habitats. His past research has included seagrass work in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as coral reef and mangrove projects at the Smithsonian Institution's Marine Station on Carrie Bow Cay in Belize. His research has also taken him to other Central and South American countries, China, Bermuda and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Loren grew up in New York City, developing an interest in the marine environment at an early age working summers on the south shore of Long Island. After pursuing an undergraduate degree, he went to Bermuda at what was at that time the Bermuda Biological Station, conducting research with staff there, which included extensive diving in both inshore and offshore habitats. Soon after, he went to FSU and worked on seagrasses and shrimp associated with red algal habitats along Florida's Panhandle. Loren worked afterwards at USF with Susan Bell, a seagrass and invertebrates expert in Florida and Chincoteague Island.

Loren received his doctorate from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he worked with Dr. Geerat Vermeij, now at the University of California, Davis. After Maryland he did a post-doc and a held a research faculty appointment at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) and University of South Alabama, where he worked on topics such as flow, food and predation on clams and its effects on their growth in seagrass beds in Florida and Alabama. There he worked with Drs. Pennock, Heck, and Valentine examining system-level questions related to how predation, nutrients, and herbivory may structure seagrass-dominated marine ("open") systems in St Joe Bay, Florida.

For the past 14 years, Dr. Coen was an Associate and then Senior Marine Scientist and Manager of the Shellfish Research Section in South Carolina Department of Natural Resource's (SCDNR) Marine Resources Research Institute, based in Charleston. His research group worked on seven interrelated research areas: restoration ecology of intertidal oyster reef habitats; interactions between oysters and fringing salt marsh and associated erosional impacts; the ecological value of estuarine habitats as nurseries; evaluation of the effects of hard clam mariculture on the surrounding inshore communities; non-native crabs; a state-wide remote sensing mapping effort related to intertidal habitats; and the disease dynamics of shellfish populations.

In 2001, Dr. Coen led a state-wide community restoration effort called SCORE (South Carolina Community Oyster Restoration Enhancement) Program involving the restoration and monitoring of intertidal oyster habitats. Three years later, SCORE won a Coastal America Partnership Award and with Nancy Hadley, the other primary investigator, they won the Theodore M. Sperry Award from the Society for Ecological Restoration's (SER) for this Program's achievements. In 2007, he received a NOAA Restoration Center Excellence in Restoration Award based on his restoration and related research achievements.

Dr. Coen has also been involved with issues related to the potential introduction of a non-native oyster from China and/or Japan into U.S. waters, sampling along China's coast with researchers from VIMS, FIT, and many Chinese research institutions.

Dr. Coen has organized two International Benthic Ecology Meetings in Mobile, AL; he has been on the Program Committee for numerous Biennial International Shellfish Restoration Conferences in South Carolina, and served on the Executive Board of the National Shellfisheries Association. He has been involved with graduate programs at the University of South Alabama, the College of Charleston, the University of South Carolina, and at Clemson University. He is also currently working with The Nature Conservancy on their worldwide marine initiative entitled 'Shellfish@Risk.'

In 2004, he helped organize a workshop whose aim was "to examine and evaluate oyster restoration metrics for assessing ecological function, sustainability and success." The outcome of this is now a dedicated website www.oyster-restoration.org, a soon-to-go-live Wiki collaborative area and the creation of a technical Oyster Restoration Working Group.

At SCCF, Dr. Coen is interested in tackling the diverse systems and associated problems of Southwest Florida, both of local and non-local origin, including studying the impacts of projects like CERP being proposed to remedy those problems.

Local water quality concerns will provide an opportunity for Dr. Coen to pursue his work on the potential for oysters to positively impact eutrophication in estuaries. Dr. Richard Bartleson
Research Scientist
rbartleson@sccf.org 

Richard Bartleson CV

After receiving a B.A. in Biology from the University of South Florida, Richard worked as a lab and field technician at Mote Marine Lab, the Rookery Bay Marine Lab, and Florida DER mainly doing water quality sampling and analyses. He received his M.S. from the Ecosystems Ecology division of the Environmental Engineering Sciences program at the University of Florida. For his master's thesis, he studied the effects of seagrass on sedimentation and constructed a simulation model of seagrass growth and its effect on currents and sedimentation. While at UF, Richard researched ecosystem effects of increased fresh water flow in Florida Bay. After graduating, he worked on a project showing effects of diverting fresh water flow on the Savanna River ecosystems. He then worked on a simulation model of the Chesapeake Bay as a Senior Faculty Research Assistant at the University of Maryland's Horn Point Environmental Lab. He received his Ph.D. from the Marine, Estuarine and Environmental Studies program at the University of Maryland, College Park, where his research was designed to increase the understanding of how water column nutrients affect seagrass health. After finishing his field and lab research, he started a postdoc with the Lake Okeechobee Research unit at the South Florida Water Management District, conducting microcosm research on the effects of submersed plants on nutrients and constructing a simulation model of submersed plant growth.

Research interests: Ecosystem role of seagrass beds, seagrass effects on water quality, sedimentation and nutrient cycling, sediment and water column effects on seagrass growth, correlation of seagrass bed size with ecosystem effects, effects of seagrass beds on water flow, enhancing nutrient removal ability of submersed plant beds. Dr. Eric Milbrandt
Research Scientist
emilbran@sccf.org 

Eric Milbrandt CV

Eric received his doctorate from the University of Oregon, where he studied under Dr. Lynda Shapiro. His dissertation focused on bacterial species distribution patterns in estuarine sediments. His research pioneered the application of DNA-based tools to study intertidal mudflats, where a majority of the decomposition and nutrient cycling is mediated by bacteria. Eric continues to work on the interactions between bacteria and submerged aquatic vegetation using the tools that he developed as a graduate student. He has recently completed a grant-funded experiment to examine the role of bacteria in moderating stress in recently transplanted seagrasses.

During his transition to Florida, Eric established several permanent mangrove forest plots to study the effects of human activities on mangrove reproduction, recruitment and forest structure. He has published several peer-reviewed journal articles on the recovery of mangroves after hurricane disturbance and the effect of sea level rise on black mangrove recruitment. Currently, he is developing molecular markers for mangroves to understand how populations adapt to local conditions at the genetic level.

At SCCF, Eric has been instrumental in the establishment of RECON (River Estuary Coastal Observing Network) which is providing new insights about the circulation and water optical properties of the Caloosahatchee watershed and estuary. He has used the optical properties to refine water quality targets for protecting seagrasses. The in-water capabilities of RECON provide greater temporal resolution not available previously to better predict whether seagrasses are meeting the minimum photosynthetic demands. Dr. Olexandr (Alex) Rybak
Research Scientist / GIS / Database Manager
arybak@sccf.org 

Alex Rybak CV

Alex received his doctorate in Landscape Ecology from the Simferopol State University in Ukraine. His dissertation focused on landscape-ecological analysis of coastal ecosystem dynamics. His research pioneered the application of multiple environmental gradients to classify landscapes. While working for the Ukrainian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, he designed and implemented long-term studies of land cover/land use within the Southern Coast of Crimea addressing conservation, ecological restoration, and ecosystem management issues.

Alex continued to work on coupling landscape structure with landscape processes in north Texas, where he applied Geographic Information System (GIS), remote sensing, and field monitoring techniques to study local thermal characteristics and their effect on grassland bird distribution. He has recently completed a grant-funded project to examine long-term landscape changes and landscape ecology of northern bobwhite in eastern Oklahoma. He utilized a 30-year quail occurrence data collected along permanent routes of Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation and USGS Breeding Bird Survey. Alex’s research in Texas and Oklahoma will result into his another doctoral degree in Natural Resource Ecology & Management from Oklahoma State University.

In Florida, Alex played a key role in several task orders for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Center for Spatial Analysis. He managed the Florida Aquatic GAP project, leading the development of a statewide species-habitat database and contributing to the National Hydrography Dataset. He served as a Principal Investigator on multiple large-scale GIS projects, including statewide stream habitat classification, river network editing and field GPS ground-truthing, mapping threats to freshwater systems, and also producing statewide 5-meter Digital Elevation Model for the USGS.

At SCCF, Alex will work closely with the Marine Lab personnel and its collaborators to identify, advise, develop, and produce diverse GIS-related applications addressing multiple problems of coastal and marine ecosystems. He will analyze data collected from the Foundation’s River, Estuary and Coastal Observation Network (RECON). Alex will design and prepare cartographic products, geodatabases, and spatio-temporal models for interpretation of the RECON data.

Lucy Pongetti
Office Manager
lpongetti@sccf.org

Keleigh graduated from the University of New England in Maine with a B.S. in Marine Biology in 2007. During this time she worked directly with invertebrates ecology as a Research Assistant working with the non-native green crab (Carcinus maenas) and the American lobster (Homarus americanus), as well as assisting with physical oceanographic data collection using CTDs and other sampling techniques. She recently graduated with her M.S. in Natural Resources from Delaware State University (DSU) in Dover where she worked in their USDA-ARS Lab. Her thesis focused on the hemocytes of the Eastern oyster. This study proposed hemocytes as a main retention site for human virus pathogens, and used multiple experiments to assess this hypothesis. This research required PCR, gel electrophoresis, DNA isolation, transformation and DNA sequencing, q-PCR, flow cytometry and the use of spectrophotometer, and several water quality sondes for monitoring. She also has been in charge of the upkeep and culture of algal species at DSU.

While in school, she had the opportunity to travel to Tobago and Belize for field courses, and fell in love with the tropics and diving. She has helped to work on field projects like mapping the Saco River plume in Maine and was a teaching assistant for the University field trip to Tobago in 2008. I am familiar and comfortable with scientific diving, and have had the opportunity while working for both of these assistantships to assist with dives involving both hand and suction sampling for invertebrates, transect lines for mussels, and species ID for benthic fauna. She is interested in anything that involves field work, and is a swimmer, a lifeguard and a diver.

Mark Thompson
Research Associate
mthompson@sccf.org

Mark received his B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Purdue University . As an engineer for private industry, including AT&T in Virginia, he worked to control and minimize pollutants in wastewater, stormwater runoff and hazardous waste from large manufacturing facilities. In 1992 he found much more satisfying employment at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) working with sea turtles, oysters and estuarine fishes. From VIMS he migrated to South Carolina where he worked with hard clams, leeches and other interesting marine creatures. As luck had it he was then hired by the Marine Resources Research Institute, part of SCDNR where he participated in oyster reef research, headed their horseshoe crab program and helped with water quality monitoring in the ACE-Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). While in South Carolina, he received an M.S. in Environmental Science from the College of Charleston-Medical University of South Carolina’s joint graduate program. His thesis explored the secret life of horseshoe crabs in South Carolina, during which time he was a member of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Horseshoe Crab Management Plan development team.

He moved to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FL DEP), where he monitored and analyzed southeastern Florida’s waters using biological, chemical and physical indicators . His work also included taxonomy, data management, laboratory work and resulting publications.

The U.S. Peace Corps captured Thompson in 2005, where he spent three years in a tropical Philippine paradise teaching Coastal Resource Management (CRM) at a small college and developing a CRM research program. He and his numerous student researchers did baseline assessments of coral reef, seagrass and mangrove habitats as well as the state of local fisheries. Research included characterizing catch efficiencies of local gear types and implementing least-impact fishpond management techniques. He also developed a CRM resource center complete with water quality lab, habitat assessment equipment, eight computers with GIS and statistical software, all connected to the Internet.

Thompson enjoys learning about nature and sharing his knowledge with others, with special interests in estuarine ecology and the impact of water quality on biological communities. He dives (US EPA Research Diver Certification), kayaks, mountain bikes, and he lived aboard a 33-foot sloop for many years in SC and FL. He is an accomplished coastal navigator.

Sabrina Lartz
Research Assistant
slartz@sccf.org

Sabrina received her B.S. in Wildlife Management and Ecology with an emphasis in Captive Wildlife from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. Sabrina dedicated much of her time performing necropsies on a variety of wildlife, including grey wolves (Canis lupis), red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and black bear (Ursus americanus) to determine cause of death, extract internal and external parasites and collect tissue samples for genetic testing. She also volunteered for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources processing bobcat (Lynx rufus) carcasses to gather information about the health of the population in northern Wisconsin.

Previously Sabrina worked in southern Oregon and northern California in the summer of 2008 surveying for marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus), an endangered shorebird. In February 2009, she began an internship at the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge working as a biologist, which she completed in September. She has had extensive experience handling wildlife for tagging purposes and to treat injured animals. She has also worked with marine radar and has been trained using night vision to detect migrating birds and bats. Sabrina is certified in CPR and in small boat operation. Her interests include the transmission and progression of “zoonotic” diseases (transmitted from non-human animals to humans), improving the environment through integrated habitat management practices and studying and enhancing water quality where excessive nutrients have degraded it. Sabrina's work at SCCF's Marine Lab will include coordinating restoration research and monitoring efforts on two recently funded projects funded from NOAA, TNC and the National Association of Counties. These projects will be collecting and planting red mangrove propagules in Clam Bayou, planting seagrasses and constructing intertidal oyster reefs using nearly 75 tons fossil shell.

A. J. Martignette
Research Assistant
amartignette@sccf.org

A.J. received his B.S in Marine Biology from Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. While there he spent a semester studying abroad in Bermuda, at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research, Inc. He returned to Bermuda after graduation to work as an intern in the Benthic Ecology Research Programme laboratory. The primary research he conducted there was assessing the effect of Bermuda's marine protected areas on fish population dynamics. He also assisted with coral, seagrass, and algae research.

A.J. is an avid scuba diver and holds his research diver certification through the American Academy of Underwater Sciences. He is interested in all aspects of marine ecology with a special interest in fish population dynamics, fisheries enhancement, and protecting valuable marine habitats.

A.J.'s main area of focus at SCCF's Marine Lab is the RECON project. He has been responsible for the deployment, including the development of a custom mounting and retrieval system, of the RECON sensors. He is also responsible for the ongoing maintenance required to keep the network working, including data quality control. 

Jeff Siwicke
Research Assistant
jsiwicke@sccf.org

Jeff received a B.A. in Geography from the University of South Florida. Upon graduation, he lived on Andros Island, Bahamas for nearly two years where he worked as an environmental educator at Forfar Field Station. It was there that he developed his interest in the marine world and was trained as a SCUBA dive master. Jeff then moved to the Florida Keys where he began working on a charter fishing boat eventually earning a Coast Guard masters license. From the Keys Jeff moved to Seattle and then Ithaca, NY, where he continued operating boats and worked for a small craft brewery. Two winters out of Florida was all it took for him to find his way to Sanibel and SCCF.

At the Marine Lab, Jeff's boating and diving skills are put to good use. Since late 2005, he has been studying the effects of large freshwater releases from Lake Okeechobee by monitoring seagrass growth rates and the usable light they receive. Jeff has also been involved with the installation and servicing of the RECON sensors.

Carolyn Kovacs
Intern
ckovacs@sccf.org

Carolyn graduated with a B.S. in biology from the College of William and Mary in 2009. She is interested in marine ecology and conservation and has assisted with research projects studying angler interactions with bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota, as well as habitat use by manatees in Mobile Bay. While interning at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab she also completed an independent project on the use of nitrogen stable isotopes in oyster shells as a tool to trace wastewater inputs into estuarine ecosystems. She plans on attending graduate school to obtain a Masters degree in Marine Biology after her time at SCCF.

Art Weissbach, Ph.D.
Visiting Research Scientist

Art Weissbach is a member of SCCF's Board of Trustees and a visiting scientists at the Foundation's Marine Laboratory, where he is working with Dr. Eric Milbrandt, studying microbial ecology. He is also a scientist in the Biotechnical Division of Florida Gulf Coast University, where he is studying the Dengue virus.

He has headed SCCF's Marine Lab Committee and he also chaired the Environmental Affairs Committee. He lived on Sanibel for 17 years and chaired the City of Sanibel's Vegetation Committee. He moved to Fort Myers in 2005.

He has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Columbia University and was a Denior Biochemist at the National Institutes of Health from 1956-68. In 1968 he moved to the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology as Chair of the Department of Cell Biology and then became Associate Director.

His career includes research as a Visiting Scientist at the Institut Pasteur (Paris, 1959-60) and at the Institut de Biologie et Physico-Chimique (Paris, 1968-69). He has taught in a number of medical schools and was Adjunct Professor of Human Genetics at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University (1969-85), and Adjunct Professor of Microbiology, University of Medicine and Dentistry, Rutgers University (1981-89).

His research interests have included photosynthesis and radioisotope tracing studies but the bulk of his work was centered on the molecular biology and biochemistry of DNA in higher organisms.

Outside interests involve traveling, jogging, exercise and reading, and he is delighted to join the staff at the SCCF Marine Laboratory.

Native Plant Nursery

Jenny Evans
Nursery Manager
jevans@sccf.org

Jenny's love of nature began during her childhood in the foothills and farmlands of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. She earned a B.S. in Biology with a double major in Theatre from Mary Washington College. Despite the seemingly incompatible fields, Jenny has brought them together in the art and science of horticulture. An intensive summer program in Landscape Architecture at Harvard spawned her love of outdoor design. This led to a graduate degree in Public Garden Management from Cornell. Jenny has also held internships in nursery management and garden maintenance at the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden in Federal Way, Washington and in exhibit development and design at the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C. In addition, she has been an environmental educator, working in subtropical marine ecology and leading students of all ages on educational snorkeling adventures. Jenny developed a strong appreciation for subtropical flora and plant ecology while living in the Bahamas and the Florida Keys for several years.

Muffit Hayes
Part-Time Assistant
Muffit has always been an avid naturalist and artist. Born and raised in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, she majored in Modern Dance at the University of Wisconsin. After graduation she taught dance in Arkansas. In the late 1970s, Muffit and her family arrived on Sanibel where she continued to teach dance and yoga. Wanting to know more about the island's unique environment, she turned to the Native Plant Nursery where she is happy to be involved with native plants, wildlife and ecology.

Natural Resource Policy

Rae Ann Wessel
Director
rawessel@sccf.org

Rae Ann is a limnologist and marine scientist with 26 years of experience working in the environmental field in South Florida. For 19 years, she managed her own environmental consulting firm, Ecosystem Specialists, dealing both in the field and with regulations on issues at the local, regional, state and federal levels. This work included habitat mapping and wetland system assessments, natural systems research and monitoring, protected species surveys, wildlife relocations and management plans and expert witness testimony. Her experience with local Land Development Codes and Comprehensive Plans has been tapped by Lee County Commission as an appointee to the Lee County Local Planning Agency.

In 1994 Rae Ann assisted with coordination of a News-Press-sponsored community forum on issues related to the Caloosahatchee. The forum resulted in the creation of the non-profit Caloosahatchee River Citizens Association. Since that time, she has been involved with identifying critical Caloosahatchee issues and building support for sustainable solutions. In addition, she is involved in oxbow research, historical documentation, natural resource policy issues and education projects on the Caloosahatchee and its estuary. Rae Ann has developed and guides educational river cruises about the history, folklore, ecology and current issues related to this historic river.

Rae Ann has received awards for her work on the Caloosahatchee including 1998 Conservationist of the Year from Audubon of Southwest Florida and in 2007 was awarded the Richard Coleman Aquatic Resources Award by the Florida Lake Management Society.

Wildlife Habitat Management

Brad Smith
Director
bsmith@sccf.org

Brad’s interest in the outdoors started young while growing up in rural southern Indiana. He spent much is his time outdoors exploring, fishing, and hunting. In important part of his experience growing up was working farm jobs where he gained an understanding and appreciation for land management.

After high school he attended Indiana University where he majored in biology. As an undergraduate he worked in the lab of Dr. Donald Whitehead conducting research on edge effects on nesting success in neo-tropical migratory songbirds. This experience led to the decision to pursue a career in field biology and wildlife conservation as well as a love for birds.

After graduating, Brad worked on several research projects across the US and Canada, including Bald Eagle research in Southeast Alaska, songbird research in New Hampshire and Alberta, Florida tree snail surveys in the western Everglades, and leading a field crew searching for rare forest birds in the Hawaiian Islands.

Brad started working for the SCCF in 1999 as a biologist and was later promoted to the Wildlife Habitat Management Director in 2002. Since that time he has returned to school to obtain a masters degree at Florida Gulf Coast University studying nesting success in Snowy Plovers. Under his supervision, the program has expanded its capabilities in GIS and native plant propagation. Using these and other tools to improve and continue to restore and manage the Island’s natural areas. He continues to direct research on the Snowy Plover, and various projects relating to ecological restoration and adaptive lands management.
Chris Lechowicz
Herpetologist/ I.T. Specialist
clechowicz@sccf.org

Chris is native to Chicago, IL. He attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale where he earned two B.S. degrees in Zoology and Computer Science. He has nearly completed his M.S. in Environmental Science from Florida Gulf Coast University. Chris was hired as the biologist/herpetologist in August of 2002 has been the IT/Technical  person at SCCF (computer guy) since 2005.

Chris grew up with a love of nature, especially amphibians and reptiles. His interest in North American herpetofauna, especially freshwater turtles, has enabled him to assist with many herp-related research projects, surveys, and organizations. He has been conducting research on map turtles (Graptemys) since 1991. Chris maintains an educational website dedicated to the natural history of Graptemys turtles Graptemys.com. Recently, Chris conducted research in Madagascar on its native tortoises. He is a board member of the Florida Turtle Conservation Trust (ftct.org), member of the IUCN/SCC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (2009-2012), and an active member of the local herpetological society (the Calusa Herpetological Society,  calusaherp.org).

At SCCF, Chris is the herpetologist but also assists with research on freshwater fish and macro-invertebrates, small mammals and insects. Chris conducts various sampling protocols in order to keep tabs on the island's herpetofauna. Chris maintains a working relationship with the Florida Museum of Natural History in order to keep up to date with taxonomy, locality information and possible threats. Amanda Bryant
Biologist & Sea Turtle Coordinator
abryant@sccf.org

Amanda grew up in a small town in Indiana before attending Philadelphia University where she received a B.S. in Environmental & Conservation Biology.  After graduating, she spent a few years working on wildlife research projects around the country.  Her interests and work have focused mainly on threatened, endangered, and at-risk wildlife populations.  She’s worked predominately with small mammals including black-tailed prairie dogs, black-footed ferrets, and swift fox.  She also worked seasonally as an intern and a snowy plover technician at SCCF.  Currently, she coordinates the sea turtle program, as well as assisting with other wildlife research and monitoring projects.

Ron Gestwicki
Field Biologist

After retiring from a career in teaching at the university level, Ron returned to graduate work at Antioch New England Graduate School where he earned a M.S. in Environmental Studies. A part-time resident of Sanibel, Ron spends his winters as a member of the Wildlife Habitat Management staff doing vegetation surveys.



Cara Faillace
Snowy Plover Technician
cfaillace@sccf.org

Cara Faillace is a native of New Jersey and graduated from Cornell University in May 2005 with a bachelors degree in biology. During college she volunteered with a bird rehabilitation center in NJ, and later worked as a technician in an invasive plants laboratory. Following graduation, she spent two months in Denali National Park, Alaska, working for the Denali Institute as a bird banding intern. This is Cara's first position working specifically with shore birds.







Toby Clark
Field Technician
tclark@sccf.org

Toby is from Fort Myers. He is working for SCCF and the J.N. 'Ding' Darling National Wildlife Refuge through a partnership agreement as a field technician and equipment operator. Prior to working at SCCF he was a fishing guide out of Tarpon Bay. He is also enrolled at Florida Gulf Coast University.







Victor Young
Field Technician

Victor was born and raised in North Fort Myers, Florida. He spent three summers with the J. N. 'Ding' Darling National Wildlife Refuge Youth Conservation Core helping to remove exotic vegetation as well as repairing and building infrastructure for the refuge. At SCCF, Victor assists in various land management activities. He is currently attending Edison College and has been admitted to the Coast Guard Reserve.