MEET THE STAFF

Collette Adkins Giese, Herpetofauna Staff 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 Public Lands 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

Marty Bergoffen, Endangered Species Organizer, works nationally with individuals and groups on campaigns in support of protecting endangered species and environmental laws. Before joining the Center in 2011 he worked at KS Wild in Oregon and Southern Appalachian Biodiversity Project, and helped communities in Burma, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam try to prevent damming of the Salween and Mekong rivers, focusing on endangered species such as the Irrawaddy dolphin and Asian elephant. A licensed attorney in Oregon and California, Marty wrote a monograph on the Endangered Species Act while studying environmental law at the University of Oregon.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.623.5252 ext. 320, mbergoffen@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

Brendan Cummings, Senior Counsel, Public Lands Director, joined the Center in 1998 and oversees the Center's 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, Public Lands 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 co-founder 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

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

Amy Harwood, Human Overpopulation Organizer, helms the Center’s Human Overpopulation campaign including the Endangered Species Condom project, educating the public on the connection between human population growth and species extinction. Before joining the Center in 2011, she worked in forest conservation and public-lands advocacy for more than 10 years. In addition to leading hundreds of hikes and backpacking trips, she cofounded Signal Fire, an organization committed to bringing artists into our remaining wildlands.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.623.5252 ext. 313, aharwood@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

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

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

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

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, holds a master of science from the University of Montana, where he was a Duke conservation fellow and earned honors from the Association for Fire Ecology. During and after graduate school, Jay worked five seasons on private and federal forestry crews as a biologist and wildland firefighter. 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: San Francisco, CA, 415.436.9682 ext. 305, jlopez@biologicaldiversity.org

Sarah Martin, Membership Assistant, helps answer member questions and provides general support to the Center’s Membership Department through donation processing and updates to member records. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor’s in geography in 2003, after which she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador. Sarah worked for a number of years as a pastry chef before joining the Center in 2011.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.623.5252 ext. 323, smartin@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

Taylor McKinnon, Public Lands Campaigns Director, works to advance campaigns to ensure that the country's public lands are managed for the benefit of species and ecosystems in a warming climate. Based in his hometown of Flagstaff, Taylor also works on regional uranium issues and to protect and restore the same southwestern forests that inspired the Center nearly two decades ago. Prior to joining the Center, he was a natural history and river guide and Grand Canyon Trust's forest conservation director. Taylor holds a degree in environmental studies from Prescott College and has served on numerous boards and commissions regionally and nationally.

Contact: Flagstaff, AZ, 928.310.6713, tmckinnon@biologicaldiversity.org

Candice McLaughlin, Paralegal, works in the Urban Wildlands Program to protect California’s landscape from the devastation of urban sprawl. Her work at the Center focuses on reversing the damaging privatization of the State Water Project. Candice is an A.B.A.-certified paralegal and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and ecology from the University of Georgia; she has worked in the environmental field for more than 10 years, doing everything from environmental education to freshwater-ecology research to public outreach and fundraising. 

Contact: San Francisco, CA, 415.436.9682 ext. 306, cmclaughlin@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’s Nicholas School of the Environment and worked for NRDC in New York for two years before joining the Center in 1999. She is also a novelist and essayist; her 2002 novel My Happy Life won the PEN-USA Award for Fiction, and 2008 saw the publication of a novel about extinction called How the Dead Dream. Her most recent book is a short story collection about animals and famous people called Love in Infant Monkeys (2009), one of three finalists for the Pulitzer Prize.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, lmillet@biologicaldiversity.org

Rob Mrowka, Conservation Advocate, works with the Center’s 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, Alaska Director, Staff Attorney, 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

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

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

Ben Proffer, Communications Associate, helps coordinate and edit the Center’s online communications and other materials, assisting both staff and supporters in organizing and advancing efforts from overpopulation education to supporting wolves in the wild. Before coming to the Center he wrote for various travel, culture and fashion magazines as well as venues like change.org.

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.623.5252 ext. 324, bproffer@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

Alex Ralston, Online Organizer, coordinates the Center’s online efforts to recruit new supporters and members, as well as the Center’s Facebook and Twitter pages. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area in California before attending the University of Toronto, where he majored in anthropology and history. After finishing his degree he returned to the Bay Area, where he worked for two years as a program coordinator at a local charity for children before joining the Center in 2011. 

Contact: Tucson, AZ, 520.623.5252 ext. 324, aralston@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

Jennifer Shepherd, Director of Foundation Relations, works with program staff, foundation officers and individual donors to develop funding for the Center's campaigns. She holds a master's degree in geography from the University of Arizona and a bachelor's in environmental studies from Middlebury College. Jennifer coordinated river conservation and stewardship programs in Vermont and Arizona prior to joining the Center in 2004.

Contact: New York, New York, 917.816.8172, jshepherd@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

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

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, Staff 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

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