Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Chairman and Board of Directors

Meet the FLEPPC Officers and Board of Directors

Officers

	James N. Burch Chair Big Cypress National Preserve 239/695-1111 Email:Jim_Burch@nps.gov James N. Burch has provided stewardship of natural systems in southern Florida for the National Audubon Society, Collier County Natural Resources Department, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, the US Geologic Survey Biological Resources Division, and Florida Gulf Coast University. He is a member of the Florida Academy of Sciences, Society of Wetland Scientists, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is currently employed by the National Park Service as a Resources Management Supervisory Botanist at Big Cypress National Preserve and oversees the exotic plant management program.


	Dianne Owen, Treasurer Florida Atlantic University Telephone: (954)236-1085 E-Mail: dowen@fau.edu Dianne Owen is the Treasurer. She received her PhD in biochemistry from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland in 1983. She now works as a Research Associate in Biological Sciences at Florida Atlantic University.

	Hillary Cooley, Secretary Everglades National Park Botanist (305) 242-7875 E-mail: Hillary_Cooley@nps.gov Hillary Cooley graduated form Paul Smith's College with an Associate of Applied Science in Ecology and Environmental Technology(1990), A Bachelor's Degree from Kent State University in Conservation (1994) and a Master of Science in Environmental Studies from Florida International University(2004). Her Master's Thesis was "Palm Fuel Dynamics in Fire-Sustained Pine Forests in the Florida Keys". Hillary has worked doing vegetation surveys, and prescribed fire in south Florida and in Arizona. Hillary is currently the Botanist managing the Exotic Vegetation Management Program for Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks.

	Karen Brown, Editor University of Florida Telephone: 352/392-1799 / Fax: 352/392-3462 E-mail: kpbrown@ifas.ufl.edu Karen Brown is the editor for Wildland Weeds magazine. She has a Master's degree in Library and Information science from the University of South Florida. She works at the University of Florida's IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants.

	Jim Burney, Past-Chair E-Mail: jburney@avcaquatic.com Jim Burney is currently President of Aquatic Vegetation Control, Inc., an invasive plant control and ecological restoration contracting firm in Florida. He has been with AVC since 1995 and assumed the position of President in 2002. He earned a BS and MS Biological Sciences from the University of Central Florida and holds a Professional Wetland Scientist certification from the Society of Wetland Scientists. Mr. Burney was Chair of the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council for 2005-06 and has been reinstated in this position for 2009-10 to fill the void left by the premature departure of the rightful Chair. As Chair of FLEPPC, he is also a Director for the NAEPPC.
Board of Directors
	Mike Renda mrenda@tnc.org Mike Renda is an Invasion and Restoration Biologist for The Nature Conservancy. He began working in Florida in 1993 at Blowing Rocks Preserve where he was responsible for restoring the preserve’s vegetation and hydrology, managing an on-site native plant nursery, and coordinating sea turtle conservation activities. Mike currently chairs the Treasure Coast Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area, and works on statewide invasive species and CISMA projects for The Nature Conservancy. He received his Master’s Degree in Plant Biology from Rutger’s University in 1991 and his Bachelor’s Degree in biology and chemistry from the State University of New York in 1987.

	Michael Yustin myustin@martin.fl.us Michael Yustin has a MS in Environmental Science and has 12 years if experience in land management, invasive plant removal and ecosystem restoration. For the last 6 years he has been the Environmental Lands Coordinator for Martin County. During that time he has coordinated land management activities on close to 10,000 acres of land for the County. He has also been an active participant on the local Treasure Coast Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (TCISMA) and helped found and write the bylaws for that working group. He also helped the working group secure grant funding, rank and prioritize species and develop private partnerships. One of his main overall interests is in founding stronger cooperation and information sharing among other public and private land managing entities.

	Erin P. Myers erin_myers@fws.gov Erin Myers is the Private Lands Biologist with US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in South Florida. Currently, she provides technical and financial assistance on management of invasive plant species, declining habitats and declining species through USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program implementation. She assists South Florida private landowners and other partners with management of Florida’s unique habitats for wildlife. She has worked with Florida private landowners over the past eight years, specifically assisting with wildlife disease issues, nuisance wildlife issues, wildlife habitat and forestry management, invasive vegetation management and incentive program implementation. She is a board member of the Florida Chapter of the Wildlife Society, board member of The Wildlife Society’s Invasive Species Working Group, co-chair of the Florida Invasive Species Partnership, member of the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council, member of the Longleaf Alliance, member of the Society for Range Management and offers veterinary assistance to the Florida Panther Capture Team.

	Dan Bergeson danb@sepro.com Dan Bergeson is an Aquatic and VM Specialist for SePRO Corporation. He holds a B.S. in Agronomy and Pest Management from Iowa State University. Dan currently resides in Oldsmar Florida.

	Keith Charles Morin Keith.Morin@dep.state.fl.us Keith has been involved in resource management his entire career and is a "hands on" manager. He was raised in Massachusetts and was a camper and counselor at an Audubon Day camp for eight summers, where he developed a strong interest in the natural world. After graduating from Jacksonville University with a double major in Biology/ Environmental Science, he participated in Student Conservation Association national service positions in Maryland, Virginia and Georgia with the Department of Defense and the National Park Service. This led to work as a wildlife technician for the Department of the Air Force at Avon Park Bombing Range. In 2002, he entered the School of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at UF and went on to complete a Masters program focusing on herpetofauna and prescribed fire. Upon completion he was hired as the Park Biologist at Crystal River Preserve State Park in 2005 and fast tracked his understanding of exotic plant treatment by obtaining a natural areas applicator license in the first year. Since then he has been very active in the Withlacoochee Regional Invasive Plant FWC working group and has scoped and managed seven exotic plant control projects on the Preserve from various funding sources. In addition to his other duties as head of the natural resource program, he manages cogon grass, Chinese tallow, air potato, Brazilian pepper, and skunk vine. He strongly believes in public outreach and community involvement in exotic plant control and has given presentations to local groups in and out of the park, developed an exotic plant brochure for the Preserve/ western Citrus County with IFAS, and organized a twice yearly major volunteer “Pepper Pull” workday complete with t-shirts and lunch provided. This program alone has removed over 80,000 pepper plants from 151 acres of the Preserve. He thinks a multi pronged effort over a landscape level, including having a strong CISMA, is vital to long term success in exotic plant management.

	Salvador Medina Salvador@avcaquatic.com Salvador Medina, a native of Okeechobee County, has over 16 years experience with managing invasive plants in Florida’s natural areas. He started his career in 1995 as a crew member controlling invasive plants with Aquatic Vegetation Control, Inc. in his early twenties and has earned his way through Crew Leader to Regional Manager for the Upland Invasive Program at AVC. Projects under his supervision include invasive plant management projects for Palm Beach County ERM, SFWMD lands, Martin County Environmentally Sensitive Lands, USFWS, and many other public and private management projects. He also is an active participant in community improvement projects and professional organization within south Florida, including coordinating volunteer treatment programs within lands owned by the Boy Scouts, actively involved with the Treasure Coast CISMA, and serving on the FLEPPC Control and Evaluation Committee for the development, treatment, and monitoring of test plots used for FLEPPC field trips.

	Sherry Williams swilliams02@seminolecountyfl.gov Sherry Williams is a Biologist/Park Ranger for the Seminole County Greenways and Natural Lands Division. She received her Bachelor’s of Science in Marine Biology from Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada. She has lived and worked in Florida as a biologist since 1990. Sherry’s experience in Florida began with studying Atlantic salt marsh snakes for Volusia County Mosquito Control District. Later, she worked for the Florida Park Service as a District Biologist writing management plans, was involved in all aspects of prescribed fire, was responsible for invasive species management at 5 parks and all other resource related issues. Prior to coming to Seminole County, she worked for St. Johns River Water Management District as a Resource Planner, writing management plans and conservation easements as well as assisting land managers with resource management activities. In her present position, she is responsible for the invasives program on 10,000 acres of natural lands, passive parks, paved trails and active parks. Sherry is also responsible for the fire, monitoring, and grants programs, and coordinates volunteers for Natural Lands Program. In addition, Sherry serves as the Steering Committee Chair for the Central Florida Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) and as Vice President for the Cuplet Fern Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society.

	Jessica Spencer Jessica.E.Spencer@usace.army.mil Jessica Spencer is a Florida native. She graduated from Emory University with a degree in Chemistry and Human & Natural Ecology. She has worked at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Sequoia National Park, USGS, and University of Nevada, Las Vegas doing vegetation surveys and invasive species management. She currently works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Invasive Species Management Branch. She has been an active member of FLEPPC since she moved back to Florida in 2008. She has organized the programs for the FLEPPC Symposia for the past 2 years.