I studied abroad with SFS during my undergraduate degree at Oberlin College. After graduation, I went on to earn a master’s degree at Ohio State focused on invasive plant ecology and control. I then spent the next nine years working in the habitat restoration program at the Presidio in San Francisco.

Since then, I have worked for the National Park Service. First managing a regional invasive plant program based in Washington DC, then leading a regional natural resources program based in Atlanta. During that time, I did details as the NPS National Invasive Plant Program Manager, as the Chief of Natural and Cultural Resources for Mount Rainer National Park, and as a Project Director for the National Invasive Species Council.

In late 2024 I started a long-term detail with the Department of the Interior as the National EDRR (Early Detection and Rapid Response) Framework Coordinator. The EDRR Framework is an inter-agency initiative to find and eradicate invasive species early in the invasion process by investing in innovative approaches for surveillance, data integration, and response capabilities for natural resource management.

Favorite SFS Memory: My time in the SFS program was an incredible opportunity, and I often find myself wishing I could experience something so immersive again in my life—ideally, before retirement! While I can’t recall the specifics of the day or the exact location, I vividly remember the moment we encountered our first well-developed strangler fig.

As a child, I had always fantasized about crawling inside the hollow latticework of roots left behind once the host tree has disappeared. To my delight, I had the chance to do just that—I climbed into that secret tunnel. It wasn’t high or dangerous, but it was a small adventure that had lingered in my mind as a dream come true thanks to SFS.