I consider myself a naturalist, specializing in the flora and fauna of the southern Appalachian Mountains. I majored in Wildlife and have a B.S. in Forest Resources from the University of Georgia's Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. I have a M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Resources from West Virginia University. I've worked as a Biological Research Technician at the USDA Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory and as the Citizen Science Director at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont. For 11 years I worked as the Site Manager for the Coweeta Long-Term Ecological Research Program, a program funded by the National Science Foundation through a grant administered by the University of Georgia. I also serve on the Board of Mainspring Conservation Trust, a local land trust and conservation organization serving the western-most part of North Carolina and northeast Georgia. Currently I serve as the Associate Director of the Highlands Biological Station, which is affiliated with Western Carolina University. I enjoy hiking, bird watching, fishing, botanizing, rock climbing, mountain biking, and anything else that gets me outside.