MEET THE STAFF

Collette Adkins Giese, Reptile and AmphibianStaff Attorney, is dedicated to protecting rare amphibians and reptiles across the country. She received her law degree from the University of Minnesota, where she also earned a master’s degree in wildlife conservation. Before joining the Center, Collette was in private practice, where her pro bono work focused on preservation of endangered species and their habitats. She also served as a law clerk to the Honorable John R. Tunheim in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.

Contact: Minneapolis, MN, 651.955.3821, cadkinsgiese@biologicaldiversity.org

Ileene Anderson, Biologist and Wildlands Deserts Director, coordinates campaigns throughout the southwest deserts, while focusing on conservation projects in the deserts and urban wildlands of Southern California. Her project areas include all public lands in the California deserts and the Santa Ana River Watershed, western Riverside County, Tejon Ranch, and the Santa Clara River Watershed. She holds a master’s in biology from California State Northridge and is a research associate at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens.

Contact: Los Angeles, CA, 323.654.5943, ianderson@biologicaldiversity.org

Judy Anderson, Bookkeeper, was born and raised in North Dakota. She received a certificate in general business and had 19 years of experience in bookkeeping before joining the Center in 2008. Her family includes her husband, four children, and 10 grandchildren. She works out of our Tucson office.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.623.5252 ext. 300, janderson@biologicaldiversity.org

Justin Augustine, Staff Attorney, works on endangered species and forest issues. He graduated with a bachelor of science in earth systems from Stanford University and completed his law degree at Lewis and Clark Law School. Prior to law school, Justin was employed as a wildlife biologist and has worked on projects in the San Bernardino Mountains, Yellowstone National Park, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and the John Muir and Ansel Adams Wilderness Areas.

Contact: San Francisco, CA, 415.436.9682, ext. 302, jaugustine@biologicaldiversity.org

Lisa Belenky, Senior Attorney, works on protecting rare and endangered species and their habitats under state and federal law. Lisa holds a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law and a bachelor’s in philosophy from the University of California at Santa Cruz. Before joining the Center in 2005, she was in private practice focusing on environmental law and employee-benefits litigation.

Contact: San Francisco, CA, 415.436.9682, ext. 307, lbelenky@biologicaldiversity.org

Alexandra Berger, Executive Assistant, supports the work of the assistant executive director. Alex majored in environmental studies and studio art at Oberlin College, then worked at a glassblowing factory in Vermont before making the move to the Tucson desert. Alex brings to the Center years of nonprofit management experience in the arts, including work in art education and development.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.623.5252 ext. 312, aberger@biologicaldiversity.org

Sarah M. Bergman, Assistant Executive Director, joined the Center in 2007. She works with the executive director in overseeing the Center’s conservation, financial and administrative programs, with a special focus on online communications, development and personnel management. She brings years of experience as a community organizer, fundraiser, paralegal and administrator and holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Amherst College.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.396.1129, sbergman@biologicaldiversity.org

Curt Bradley, GIS Specialist and Information Technology Director, assists Center campaigns with Geographic Information Systems analyses and cartography. He holds a master’s in watershed hydrology and a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from the University of Arizona. He was a GIS specialist at the Sky Island Alliance before joining the Center.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.623.5252 ext. 310, cbradley@biologicaldiversity.org

Rose Braz, Climate Campaign Director, coordinates the Climate Law Institute’s climate campaign and communications work. She is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law and has worked both in private practice and at the United Nations International Commission of Jurists in Geneva, Switzerland.  Prior to coming to the Center, Rose helped found and was the campaign and media director for Critical Resistance, a national grassroots organization working to end society's reliance on prisons as an answer to social problems.

Contact: San Francisco, CA, 415.436.9682 ext. 319, rbraz@biologicaldiversity.org

Kevin Bundy, Senior Attorney, works with the Climate Law Institute. Before joining the Center, Kevin represented public-interest and citizen groups in environmental and land-use cases as an associate with Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP. He also served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Procter R. Hug, Jr., of the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals and the Honorable David W. Hagen of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada. Between graduating from Oberlin College and attending the University of California’s Boalt Hall School of Law, he spent several years advocating for ancient forests and endangered species on California’s North Coast.

Contact: San Francisco, CA, 415.436.9682 ext. 313, kbundy@biologicaldiversity.org

John Buse, Legal Director, Interim General Counsel, coordinates the Center's legal work and handles cases involving endangered species conservation and land use. Before joining the Center in 2005, John worked for the Environmental Defense Center in Santa Barbara and Ventura, California. John received a law degree from the University of California Davis School of Law, a master’s in biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a bachelor’s degree in the history, philosophy, and social studies of science and medicine from the University of Chicago.

Contact: 323.533.4416, jbuse@biologicaldiversity.org

Angela Crane, Endangered Species Act Organizer, works to engage the public to rally around the Endangered Species Act. Prior to joining the Center, Angela interned for the Marine Fish Conservation Network in Washington, D.C., where she did policy and communications work related to illegal fishing. Angela holds bachelor’s degrees in geography and international studies from Humboldt State University and a master’s in environmental law and policy from Vermont Law School.

Contact: Portland, OR, 503.679.3335, acrane@biologicaldiversity.org

Brendan Cummings, Senior Counsel, Wildlands Director, joined the Center in 1998 and oversees the Center's Wildlands Program, formerly Public Lands Program, working to ensure that the country's public lands are managed for the benefit of species and ecosystems in a warming climate. A graduate of Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law, Brendan has litigated dozens of Endangered Species Act cases, as well as cases under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, Clean Water Act and numerous other state and federal statutes. Prior to working for the Center, Brendan was in private practice specializing in environmental and civil-rights litigation.

Contact: Joshua Tree, CA, 760.366.2232 ext. 304, bcummings@biologicaldiversity.org

Tierra Curry, Conservation Biologist, focuses on the listing and recovery of endangered species and works nationally with individuals and groups in support of the conservation of species and the Endangered Species Act. Prior to joining the Center in 2007 she worked as an amphibian field biologist, conservation corps crew leader, and community organizer against mountaintop-removal coal mining. She holds a bachelor’s in English from Berea College and a master’s in biology from Portland State University.

Contact: Portland, OR, 928.522.3681, tcurry@biologicaldiversity.org

Jonathan Evans, Toxics and Endangered Species Campaign Director, Staff Attorney, works to protect imperiled wildlife from the threats of environmental contamination and reduce the toxic threats of pesticides, heavy metals and chemical pollution in our environment. Jonathan received his law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in conservation and resource studies from the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to joining the Center, Jonathan worked at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation managing ecosystem restoration grants. He also brings to the Center a background in the field of outdoor education as a naturalist and guide throughout California.

Contact: San Francisco, CA, 415.436.9682 ext. 318, jevans@biologicaldiversity.org

Marc Fink, Senior Attorney, Wildlands Forests Director, oversees the Center's efforts to protect public lands forests, including the 193-million-acre national forest system.  Marc graduated in 1995 from Lewis and Clark Law School with a certificate in environmental and natural resources law and has extensive experience litigating cases to enforce environmental laws and protect forests and wildlife.  Before working for the Center, Marc worked as a staff attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center and with Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics.

Contact: Duluth, MN, 218.464.0539 mfink@biologicaldiversity.org

Peter Galvin, Conservation Director, is a cofounder of the Center. He holds a bachelor's from Prescott College and a master's from Vermont College of Norwich University. Peter coordinates the Center's legal actions, oversees our International Program, and helps formulate policy and strategy. Before working for the Center, he worked as a contract wildlife researcher for the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Peter also serves on the board of directors of the Beech Hill Foundation and is a member of the Science Oversight Team for the Global Owl Project.

Contact: Whitethorn, CA, 707.986.2600, pgalvin@biologicaldiversity.org

Ashley Gardana, Legal Fellow, works on endangered species issues out of Washington, D.C. She recently graduated from American University, Washington College of Law, where she was active in the Environmental Law Society, Legislation and Policy Brief and American University's United Nation Framework Climate Change Delegation. Before joining the Center, Ashley interned at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Center for International Environmental Law.

Contact: Washington, DC, 305.439.3885, agardana@endangeredearth.org

Gus Glaser, Executive Assistant, works in the Tucson office to support the executive director. Before joining the Center, Gus had a 22-year career in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, holding several water-resource regulatory positions. Most recently he was a stormwater engineer in Green Bay. He holds a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from North Carolina State University, a master of science in biomedical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a master of arts in philosophy from the University of Montana.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.623.5252 ext. 320, gglaser@biologicaldiversity.org

Noah Greenwald, Endangered Species Director, directs the Center’s efforts to protect new species under the Endangered Species Act, to ensure that imperiled species receive effective protections and that we have the strongest Endangered Species Act possible.  He also works to educate the public about the importance of protecting biodiversity and about the multitude of threats to the survival of North American wildlife.  He holds a bachelor of science in ecology from the Evergreen State College and a master's in forest ecology and conservation from the University of Washington. Before he joined the Center in 1997, Noah worked as a field biologist, surveying northern spotted owls and marbled murrelets and banding Hawaiian songbirds.

Contact: Portland, OR, 503.484.7495, ngreenwald@biologicaldiversity.org

Bill Haskins, Information Technology Associate, is in charge of the Center’s computer systems, networking and website management. Before joining our staff, he helped start the Ecology Center and Big Sky Conservation Institute in Missoula, Montana, and spent the previous decade working in computer-assisted geography and mapping. He holds a bachelor of science in ecology and systematics from the University of Nebraska and a master’s in environmental studies from the University of Montana.

Contact: Sacramento, CA, 520.609.8334, bhaskins@biologicaldiversity.org

Jessica Herrera, Communications Associate, coordinates the Center’s online actions and email communications and helps write and edit its outreach documents. Jessica brings with her a variety of experience including community and labor organizing, newspaper reporting and freelance writing. Before coming to the Center, Jessica earned her master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, where she concentrated in emerging markets and Latin America.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.623.5252 ext. 324, jherrera@biologicaldiversity.org

David Hobstetter, Staff Attorney, works with the Climate Law Institute. David earned a law degree and a masters of science in natural resources and environment from the University of Michigan, as well as a bachelor of arts in music from the University of California, Berkeley. Before joining the Center, David spent almost three years with Earthjustice's Alaska office, protecting the Arctic from oil and gas development, and clerked for the Honorable John Feikens of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Contact: San Francisco, CA, 415.436.9682 ext. 321, dhobstetter@biologicaldiversity.org

Russell Howze, Urban Wildlands Paralegal, received a paralegal certificate from San Francisco State University. He holds a bachelor's in history from Wofford College in South Carolina. Before joining the Center, he wrote the book Stencil Nation, painted a mural depicting endangered species for Whole Foods, and worked and volunteered for several grassroots campaigns and organizations.

Contact: San Francisco, CA, 415.436.9682 ext. 306, rhowze@biologicaldiversity.org

Tim A. Janes, Assistant Membership Director, brings more than 45 years of social activism and 30 years of fundraising experience (concurrent, not consecutive) to his position. He has served on boards of directors of organizations including the National Society of Fund Raising Executives, Wingspan, Community Shares of Southern Arizona and Sonora Fund. Tim supports the Center's membership program strategically and administratively.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.623.5252 ext. 318, tjanes@biologicaldiversity.org

Emily Jeffers, Staff Attorney, works in the Center's Oceans Program. Emily graduated from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and received her bachelor's degree in biology from Yale University.  Before joining the Center, Emily served as a law clerk to the Honorable Gregory J. Hobbs, Jr. of the Colorado Supreme Court and worked as a wildlife biologist in California and Idaho.

Contact: San Francisco, CA, 415.632.5309, ejeffers@biologicaldiversity.org

Jerry Karnas, Field Director and Population Campaign Director, graduated from Swarthmore College with majors in political science and environmental studies. Before joining the Center he led campaigns on climate change, clean energy, manatees, Everglades restoration and oil drilling; he also advised clean-energy companies and political candidates. He was a climate advisor to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and in 2008 won an Emmy Award for best public service announcement for the “Faces of Climate Change” campaign.

Contact: Miami, FL, 520.260.7172 or 305.484.7943, jkarnas@biologicaldiversity.org

Adam Keats, Senior Counsel, Urban Wildlands Program Director, works to halt urban sprawl and destructive land development in important endangered-species habitat. As part of these efforts, he heads the Center’s California Water Law Project, aimed at solving some of the more difficult long-term problems with freshwater delivery in California. He received his law degree from the University of California, Davis, and a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Before joining the Center in 2003 he was in private practice in California and Massachusetts.

Contact: San Francisco, CA, 415.436.9682 ext. 304, akeats@biologicaldiversity.org

Catherine Kilduff, Staff Attorney, works in the Center's Oceans Program to protect marine species and ecosystems. Catherine received her law degree from the University of Virginia, a master's of science from the College of William and Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and her bachelor's degree in ecology and evolutionary biology from Dartmouth College. Before becoming an attorney, Catherine worked as legislative staff for the U.S. House Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans. Prior to joining the Center, Catherine practiced environmental law at Downey Brand LLP in Sacramento.

Contact: San Francisco, CA, 415.436.9682 ext. 312, ckilduff@biologicaldiversity.org

Hollin Kretzmann, Wildlands Advocate, helps the Center defend wildlands as safe harbors for endangered species by protecting the ecological systems on which they depend. Before joining the Center, Hollin worked with Pennsylvania’s Clean Air Council, advocating for maintaining clean air through litigation and government oversight. Hollin holds a bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard University and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.

Contact: San Francisco, CA, 415.436.9682 ext. 333, hkretzmann@biologicaldiversity.org

Adam Lazar, Staff Attorney, works with the Center's Urban Wildlands Program to protect species, habitats, and communities from destructive water use. Before joining the Center, Adam was a water law fellow at the Environmental Law Foundation in Oakland, where he worked on challenging groundwater contamination by dairies in the Central Valley. Adam was also a law clerk to Administrative Law Judge Carl Charneski at the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. Originally from Tucson, Adam is a graduate of Georgetown Law Center and received his bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. 

Contact: San Francisco, CA, 415.436.9682 ext. 320, alazar@biologicaldiversity.org

Jay Lininger, Ecologist, is a certified fire ecologist with a master of science from the University of Montana, where he was a Duke conservation fellow. Jay previously worked on forestry crews as a biologist and wildland firefighter. At the Center he focuses on conservation issues facing public lands in the Southwest.

Contact: Albuquerque, NM, 928.853.9929, jlininger@biologicaldiversity.org

Kiersten Lippmann, Staff Biologist, works on Arctic and Alaskan issues, including climate change and protecting terrestrial and marine wildlife. Before joining the Center, she worked as a field biologist with spotted owls, eastern bats and woodchucks in Washington, California, New Mexico and Maine.

Contact: Anchorage, AK, 907.274.1110, klippmann@biologicaldiversity.org

Jacki Lopez, Staff Attorney, is a Florida native and has been with the Center since 2002. She holds a law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and a master's in urban planning from the University of Arizona. Jacki coordinates campaigns in the Southeast and Caribbean, focusing her work on protecting imperiled species and ecosystems.

Contact: St. Petersburg, FL, 727.490.9190, jlopez@biologicaldiversity.org

Mollie Matteson, Conservation Advocate, works for the protection and restoration of wild places, native ecosystems, and imperiled species in the Northeast. Before joining the Center in 2007, she was deputy director of Forest Watch, a New England-based group, for five years, where she helped establish new wilderness on the Green Mountain National Forest, worked to reduce off-road abuses on public lands, and advocated for landscape-scale conservation across the region. Prior to returning to Vermont, where she grew up, she spent almost two decades in the northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest as an activist, writer, editor, educator, wildlife biologist, and wilderness ranger. She holds a bachelor of science in zoology and a master’s in wildlife biology from the University of Montana.

Contact: Richmond, VT, 802.434.2388, mmatteson@biologicaldiversity.org

Deirdre McDonnell, Senior Attorney, works with the Oceans Program. Before joining the Center, Deirdre was a staff attorney in Earthjustice’s Alaska office, where she specialized in protecting the Arctic from irresponsible oil and gas exploration and development. She has also worked as an associate at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering in Washington, D.C., and clerked at the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire. She earned her law degree at Boston College Law School.

Contact: Portland, OR, 971.279.5471, dmcdonnell@biologicaldiversity.org

Russ McSpadden, Communications Associate, helps coordinate and produce the Center’s print and media work on endangered species. He holds a master’s degree in environmental history from Florida Atlantic University. Before joining the Center in 2012, Russ worked as an editor, writer and graphic designer for the Earth First! Journal and helped coordinate grassroots environmental campaigns in defense of the Everglades bioregion.

Contact:Tucson, AZ, 623.5252 ext. 306, rmcspadden@biologicaldiversity.org

Jeff Miller, Conservation Advocate, writes press and outreach materials for endangered species issues, works on endangered-species listing petitions, and does community organizing and media work for numerous Center campaigns, from condor protection to pesticides reduction to Bay Area urban-sprawl issues. Jeff has also been the director of the Alameda Creek Alliance since 1997, and in 2007 and 2009 won "Leaping Steelhead" awards for his efforts to restore Alameda Creek and California's fish populations and aquatic ecosystems.

Contact: San Francisco, CA, 415.669.7357, jmiller@biologicaldiversity.org

Lydia Millet, Staff Writer, edits and writes a range of press and outreach materials for the Center. She holds a master’s in environmental policy from Duke University and worked for NRDC in New York before joining the Center in 1999. She is also a fiction writer; her 2002 novel My Happy Life won the PEN-USA Award and a 2009 short-story collection about animals and famous people, Love in Infant Monkeys, was one of three finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. A novel Ghost Lights was published in 2011, followed by Magnificence in fall 2012, the last two books in a trilogy about extinction.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, lmillet@biologicaldiversity.org

Rob Mrowka, Conservation Advocate, works with the Center’s Wildlands Program, formerly Public Lands Program, to advocate for the protection and conservation of biological diversity in Nevada. Before joining the Center, Rob was an officer in the U.S. Air Force and had a 28-year career in the U.S. Forest Service, including time spent as the supervisor of Utah’s Fishlake National Forest and as a forest ecologist. Most recently, he was the manager of the Clark County, Nevada Environmental Planning Division. Mrowka has a bachelor of science degree in natural resources management from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, as well as a master of science degree in forest ecology from Washington State University.

Contact: Las Vegas, NV, 702.249.5821, rmrowka@biologicaldiversity.org

Rebecca Noblin, Staff Attorney and Alaska Director, is based in Anchorage, Alaska, where she focuses on protecting marine species from oil and gas development and global warming. Before joining the Center, Rebecca worked under a fellowship from Harvard, which she used to fight Arctic oil and gas development as part of Pacific Environment’s Alaska program. Rebecca holds a bachelor’s in English from the University of Texas and a law degree from Harvard Law School. She served as a clerk to the Honorable Robert L. Eastaugh on the Alaska Supreme Court.

Contact: Anchorage, AK, 907.274.1110, rnoblin@biologicaldiversity.org

Clayton Norman, Online Organizer, helps develop the Center’s social media presence and engage supporters and online activists to take action. Previously he worked as an environmental reporter in Costa Rica. He brings with him a wide range of experience as a writer, editor, photographer and teacher; he earned his master’s degree from the University of Arizona School of Journalism after spending several years as a teacher and reporting in China. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and Spanish from Southwestern University.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.623.5252 ext. 313, cnorman@biologicaldiversity.org

Brian Nowicki, California Climate Policy Director, works in the Center's Climate Law Institute, with a focus on state-level climate change policy. He holds a master of science in forestry and previously worked on endangered species policy for the Center.

Contact: Sacramento, CA, 916.201.6938, bnowicki@biologicaldiversity.org

Rebecca O’Sullivan, Tucson Regional Office Manager, is an administrative resource for staff and the public. A San Francisco native, she came to the Sonoran Desert in 1987. Prior to joining the Center, she directed programs at DK Advocates, providing job training and placement for people with disabilities, and she has taught both kindergarten and college. Rebecca holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Sonoma State University, where she also studied early childhood education and anthropology.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.623.5252 ext. 302, rosullivan@biologicaldiversity.org

Andy Parker, Media Specialist, helps coordinate, produce and oversee the Center’s media and communications work on endangered species. During a 20-year journalism career, he worked as a reporter, editor and columnist and has taught writing and journalism classes at several colleges. Prior to joining the Center, he was a columnist at The Oregonian in Portland. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the College of William & Mary.   

Contact: Portland, OR, 503.310.5569., aparker@biologicaldiversity.org

Vera Pardee, Senior Attorney, works with the Climate Law Institute on climate change issues. Before joining the Center, she worked as general counsel for publicly traded companies in the biotech and medical device fields. She was a litigation partner at Seltzer Caplan Vitek McMahon in San Diego and an associate at O'Melveny & Myers in Los Angeles. Vera earned her law degree in 1982 from Southwestern University Law School.

Contact: San Francisco, CA, 415.436.9682 ext. 317, vpardee@biologicaldiversity.org

Laura Peterson, Legal Fellow, works on Endangered Species Act and offshore drilling issues out of Washington, D.C. Laura recently graduated from American University, Washington College of Law, where she was an editor of the American University International Law Review and vice president of the Environmental Law Society. She received her undergraduate degree in English from the University of Michigan. Before joining the Center, Laura interned with Defenders of Wildlife and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of the Inspector General.

Contact: Washington, D.C., 612.310.4080, lpeterson@biologicaldiversity.org

Aruna Prabhala, Staff Attorney, works with the Center’s Urban Wildlands Program to limit urban sprawl and protect endangered species in California. Aruna graduated from the University of Michigan Law School and double-majored in biology and journalism as an undergraduate at Boston University. Before becoming an attorney, Aruna worked in Wash., D.C., on science-policy issues. 

Contact: San Francisco, CA, 415.436.9682 ext. 322, aprabhala@biologicaldiversity.org

Julie Ragland, Major Gifts Associate, supports the Center's membership and major gifts programs. Before joining the Center in 2009, Julie worked for various Tucson nonprofit organizations, including the Humane Society of Southern Arizona and the Birth & Women’s Health Center. She brings with her a background in administration, development, and volunteer and event coordination. Julie received her bachelor’s in anthropology with a minor in Portuguese from the University of Arizona in 2001.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.623.5252 ext. 304, jragland@biologicaldiversity.org

Tim Ream, Staff Attorney, works in the Center’s Endangered Species Program. He has 20 years of professional environmental experience campaigning to protect Northwest forests, organizing communities to fight corporate globalization, and working as an environmental protection specialist with the U.S. EPA. Tim clerked at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for the Honorable Alfred T. Goodwin. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon School of Law, where he was a fellow for the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics; holds bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and psychology and a master’s in experimental psychology; and served as a Peace Corps high-school science teacher in Lesotho, Africa.

Contact: San Francisco, CA, 415.632.5315, tream@biologicaldiversity.org

Contact: Pinos Altos, NM, 575.534.0360, michaelr@biologicaldiversity.org

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.623.5252 ext. 322, psaba@biologicaldiversity.org

Kassie Siegel, Senior Counsel, Climate Law Institute Director, develops and implements campaigns for the reduction of greenhouse gas pollution and the protection of plants and animals threatened by global warming, including the Center’s petition to protect the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act. Prior to attending Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law and working for the Center, she was a natural-history guide leading wilderness trips in Alaska.

Contact:  Joshua Tree, CA, ksiegel@biologicaldiversity.org

Robin Silver, Senior Staff and Cofounder, is one of the Center’s founders. A retired emergency-room physician in Phoenix and a professional wildlife photographer, Robin works on conservation issues in the Southwest with a focus on the San Pedro river.

Contact: Flagstaff, AZ, 602.799.3275, rsilver@biologicaldiversity.org

Paula Simmonds, Director of Development, leads the Center's national development program, working to increase and diversify revenues. Prior to joining the Center, Paula served as chief development officer at the JCC in Manhattan. She has also led development programs and built capacity for nonprofits in higher education, social services, a historical society and a global news service. Paula holds a bachelor's from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, spent time at Cornell's Shoals Marine Lab, worked at Stony Brook's Flax Pond Marine Science Research Center, and has had a lifelong interest in marine science, sustainable alternative energy development and preserving ecosystems.

Contact: New York City, New York, 646.770.7206, psimmonds@biologicaldiversity.org

Alexis Simontacchi, Membership Assistant, is a native of Washington state and came to Tucson to study political science and Italian at the University of Arizona before joining the Center. She provides membership support by answering emails and phone calls. She also maintains the volunteer database and coordinates opportunities for members and supporters to assist the Center.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 1.866.357.3349, asimontacchi@biologicaldiversity.org

Bill Snape, Senior Counsel, coordinates the Center’s legal and policy work on endangered species, wilderness, and energy from Washington, DC. He did his undergraduate work at the University of California at Los Angeles and received his law degree from George Washington University. He has written numerous articles, as well as a book, on natural-resource issues in his 20-year career, has taught environmental and international law, and was with Defenders of Wildlife before joining the Center. In addition to his work with the Center he coaches swimming at Gallaudet University.

Contact: Washington, D.C., 202.536.9351, bsnape@biologicaldiversity.org

Mike Stark, Communications Director, helps coordinate and oversee the Center’s work in the media, in print and on the web. He has a journalism degree from Southern Oregon University and spent 15 years as a newspaper reporter and freelance writer in the West, including stints in Oregon, Wyoming and Montana. Prior to coming to the Center, he worked for the Associated Press in Salt Lake City.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.623.5252 ext. 315, mstark@biologicaldiversity.org

Patrick Sullivan, Media Specialist, helps coordinate media relations and other communications efforts for the Center’s Climate Law Institute. Prior to coming to the Center, Patrick spent more than 10 years writing for newspapers and magazines in Texas, New Mexico and California.

Contact: San Francisco, CA, (415) 632-5316, psullivan@biologicaldiversity.org.

Tamara Strobel, Membership Associate, is the lead contact for member questions, provides general support to membership, oversees membership assistants and volunteers, and directs the Center’s Sustainer Giving program. She was born and raised in Tucson and graduated from Northern Arizona University. As a volunteer for AmeriCorps, she moved to western Massachusetts and discovered her love for the nonprofit world. Before joining the Center in 2011, she directed programs on native plants and biodiversity and created community gardens for children.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.623.5252 ext. 316, tstrobel@biologicaldiversity.org

Kierán Suckling, Executive Director, founded the Center. In addition to overseeing its conservation and financial programs, he created and maintains the country's most comprehensive endangered species database. Kierán acts as liaison between the Center and other environmental groups, negotiates with government agencies, and writes and lectures; he has authored scientific articles and critical essays on biodiversity issues. He holds a master's in philosophy from the State University of New York at Stonybrook and a bachelor's from Holy Cross.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.623.5252 ext. 305, ksuckling@biologicaldiversity.org

James Sutcliffe, Membership Assistant, focuses on the processing of member donations and maintains records in the Center’s membership and online databases. He was born and raised in Bangor, Maine, and graduated with a major in English and a minor in ecology and evolutionary biology from Dartmouth College. He has worked in Maine, Montana and Alaska; prior to joining the Center in 2011, he worked in education and nutrition policy research.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.623.5252 ext. 311, jsutcliffe@biologicaldiversity.org

Cyndi Tuell, Conservation Advocate, holds a bachelor of science in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Arizona and a law degree from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. Before joining the Center, she worked for the Sonoran Institute. Cyndi was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.396.1130, ctuell@biologicaldiversity.org

Sarah Uhlemann, Senior Attorney, works on public-lands protection. Before joining the Center, Sarah was a staff attorney with the Humane Society of the United States. She earned her law degree in 2005 from Lewis & Clark Law School and her bachelor's in environmental management from Indiana University.

Contact: Seattle, WA, 206.327.2344, suhlemann@biologicaldiversity.org

Andrea Weber, Climate Law Institute Paralegal, obtained her paralegal certificate from Cal State University East Bay and has worked previously for the Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment. Prior to joining the legal profession, Andrea taught theater at Contra Costa Community College, Diablo Valley College and College of Marin.

Contact: San Francisco, CA, 415.436.9682 ext. 311, aweber@biologicaldiversity.org

Amaroq Weiss, West Coast Wolf Organizer, coordinates campaigns for the restoration and protection of wolf populations in California, Oregon and Washington. A biologist and former attorney, Amaroq has worked in wolf conservation for 16 years, including for the California Wolf Center, Mexican Wolf Conservation Fund and Defenders of Wildlife. She has also practiced criminal law, representing indigent defendants. Amaroq holds a B.S. in entomology from Iowa State University, an M.S. in entomology from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a law degree from University of California Hastings.

Contact: Petaluma, CA, 707.779.9613, aweiss@biologicaldiversity.org

Linda Wells, Director of Finance, oversees the Center’s accounting and financial reporting. She holds a bachelor’s in accounting from Arizona State University. As owner of Accounting for the Future since 1994, Linda has many years of experience as an accountant for numerous nonprofit organizations. She has also worked as an activist on public lands issues and on a citizens’ initiative that banned animal trapping in Arizona.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.271.6497, lwells@biologicaldiversity.org

Contact: San Francisco, CA, 415.436.9682 ext. 301, swolf@biologicaldiversity.org