Who's Who at The Woods Hole Research Center

William Y. Brown, Ph.D.
President and CEO

Dr. Brown joined the Center as President and CEO in February, 2010. He was previously the President and CEO of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, the nation’s oldest natural history museum. He has served as President and CEO of the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Science Advisor to Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt during the Clinton Administration. Dr. Brown is a member of several honorary societies and the District of Columbia Bar. He is a member of the Division on Earth and Life Studies advisory committee of the National Academies. He is Chairman of the Global Heritage Fund, President of the Natural Science Collections Alliance, a director of the Wistar Institute, and a trustee of the Academy of Natural Sciences. He is a former Chairman of the Ocean Conservancy, and a former director of various boards, including the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, Environmental Law Institute, U.S. Environmental Training Institute, and the U.S. Committee for the United Nations Environment Programme. Dr. Brown holds degrees from the University of Virginia (BA, Biology), Johns Hopkins University (MAT), the University of Hawaii where he was an NSF Graduate Fellow (Ph.D., Zoology), and Harvard Law School (J.D).

Richard A. Houghton, Ph.D.
Deputy Director, Senior Scientist

Dr. Houghton is an ecologist with interests in the role that terrestrial ecosystems play in climate change and the global carbon cycle. He co-ordinates the Center's efforts to understand the problems of global warming and climate change, especially the role biotic systems play in this accelerating process. Dr. Houghton has held positions as Assistant Scientist at the Ecosystems Center of the Marine Biological Laboratory and as Research Associate at Brookhaven National Laboratory. He earned his doctorate in ecology from SUNY at Stony Brook.

George M. Woodwell, Ph.D.
Founder, Director Emeritus, and Senior Scientist

Dr. Woodwell is an ecologist with broad interests in global environmental issues and policies. Prior to founding the Woods Hole Research Center, he was founder and director of the Ecosystems Center of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole and a senior scientist at Brookhaven National Laboratories. He was also a founding trustee and continues to serve on the board of the Natural Resources Defense Council. He is a former chairman of the board of trustees and currently a member of the National Council of the World Wildlife Fund, a founding trustee of the World Resources Institute, a founder and currently an honorary member of the board of trustees of the Environmental Defense Fund, and former president of the Ecological Society of America. Dr. Woodwell is the author of more than 300 major papers and books in ecology. He holds a doctorate in botany from Duke University and is the recipient of several honorary degrees as well as the 1996 Heinz Environmental Award and the Volvo Environment Prize of 2001. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

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Alessandro Baccini, Ph.D.
Assistant Scientist

Dr. Baccini is a remote sensing scientist whose interests focus on the use of satellite data for the monitoring of forest carbon, land cover, land cover change and the effects of environmental change on the terrestrial carbon cycle at the regional and global scale. Before joining the Center he was a research associate at Boston University and worked at the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations for the Forest Resources Assessment 1990 and 2000 monitoring tropical deforestation. He received his doctorate from Boston University.

Adam J. Bausch, M.E.M.
Research Assistant

Mr. Bausch uses a combination of remote sensing, statistical modeling, and GIS techniques to map deforestation, forest degradation, and forest biomass across the tropics.  Before coming to the Center, he was a Peace Corps volunteer in The Gambia, West Africa, where he worked with local communities in sustainable forest practices, protection, and environmental education. He received his B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Environmental Management from the Nicholas School at Duke University.

Pieter S. A. Beck, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Beck is a vegetation ecologist who specializes in remote sensing and modeling of vegetation in high latitudes. His particular focus is on the effects of climate variability and change on the phenology, distribution, and carbon dynamics of vegetation. Dr. Beck has previously worked as an independent advisor for environmental impact assessment in northern Scandinavia. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Tromsø, Norway, and the Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) in the Netherlands.

Jesse B. Bishop, M.S.
Research Assistant

Mr. Bishop uses remote sensing and GIS to monitor and assess pan-tropical forest ecosystems.  Prior to joining the Center, he worked on spatially characterizing the geology and hydrology in eastern Nevada.  His master’s research involved using remote sensing to monitor forest restoration sites in New Zealand.  He received degrees in forest science (B.S.F.) and natural resources (M.S.) from the University of New Hampshire.

I. Foster Brown, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist

Dr. Brown is an environmental geochemist whose research interests focus on what constitutes and how to attain sustainable development in the Amazon Basin. He coordinates the Center's program dealing with deforestation, water quality, and land use in the Brazilian Amazon and directs the program for human resource development in Third World countries. Dr. Brown spent over five years as a faculty member of the Graduate Program in Environmental Geochemistry at the Federal Fluminense University in Niteroi, Brazil, and is currently on the faculty of the Federal University of Acre, Brazil. He earned his doctorate in environmental geochemistry at Northwestern University.

Ekaterina Bulygina, M.S.
Research Assistant

Ms. Bulygina manages the Center's Luce Laboratory of environmental chemistry. She has extensive experience in laboratory management and has worked at Moscow State University's museum of zoology and in the chemistry laboratory of the Upstate Fresh Water Institute, Syracuse, NY. Ms. Bulygina received her master's degree in ecology and hydrobiology from Moscow State University.

Andrea D. de Almeida Castanho, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Castanho is an atmospheric scientist interested in understanding the human impacts on the coupled biosphere-atmosphere system in the Amazon. Her research is focused on the calibration, validation, and application of numerical models to better characterize interactions between deforestation and climate in the Amazon Basin. Prior to joining the Center, Dr. Castanho was a postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she developed and applied remote sensing techniques to measure atmospheric aerosol pollution over megacities such as Mexico City and São Paulo. She holds Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Atmospheric Science from the University of São Paulo.

Leandro Castello, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Castello is a conservation scientist interested in helping conserve small-scale fisheries in the tropics through improved socio-ecological understanding.  He has extensive experience studying arapaima fisheries in the Amazon. His research also includes studies of fish migration, spawning habitat, population dynamics, fishers’ knowledge, and common property resource management. His work has influenced regional policies in Brazil and Guyana.  Dr. Castello received his Ph.D. from the State University of New York.

Andrea Cattaneo, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist

Dr. Cattaneo is an economist whose research focuses on the economics of tropical deforestation, in particular linking economy-wide models of drivers of deforestation to geographic information systems. He has experience in analyzing the design of payment programs for ecosystem services, the role of monitoring on program performance, and the use of environmental indices in the context of multi-objective decision-making when monetary valuation estimates are not available. Before joining the Center, Dr. Cattaneo worked for the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the Economic Research Service (ERS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). He obtained a Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) in electrical engineering at the University of Pavia (Italy), and from Johns Hopkins University he received a second M.S.E. in Environmental Systems Analysis and his Ph.D. in Economics and Systems Analysis.

Connie J. Clark, Ph.D.
Assistant Scientist

Dr. Clark is an ecologist with extensive interests in tropical forest ecology and conservation. Her work, which is predominately in Central Africa, seeks to inform and improve tropical forest stewardship through research, education, and capacity building. Her research is oriented toward understanding how various land use strategies, such as logging, mining, and protected area management, differentially impact tropical forest structure, diversity and carbon stocks throughout the Congo Basin.  She has also worked as a conservation manager and research director for the Wildlife Conservation Society, Republic of Congo.  Dr. Clark earned her M.S. from San Francisco State University and her Ph.D. from the University of Florida.

Michael T. Coe, Ph.D.
Associate Scientist

Dr. Coe is an earth system scientist who is particularly interested in the causes and consequences of water resource variability. He uses data and earth system computer models to study how climate variability interacts with human land and water management practices to cause changes in water quality and quantity. He is currently participating in projects in the Amazon and Mississippi River basins as well as the semi-arid regions of northern Africa. Dr. Coe previously spent seven years as a scientist at the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, University of Wisconsin-Madison and has been a visiting scientist at Lund University, Sweden, and the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany. He received his Ph.D. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Tina A. Cormier, M.S.
Research Assistant

Ms. Cormier is currently using remote sensing and GIS to statistically and spatially model deforestation and biomass in the United States and the pan-tropics. Additionally, she is investigating data fusion possibilities (LIDAR, RADAR, optical) for ecosystem structure measurements (vegetation height and biomass) in Chile. Before joining the Center, she worked on spatial-statistical modeling of vernal pool locations in Massachusetts, as well as regional evapotranspiration estimation and land cover classification in central Nevada. Ms. Cormier received her H.B.A. in Environmental Science from Saint Anselm College and her M.S. in Natural Resources from the University of New Hampshire.

Eric A. Davidson, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist / Co-Leader of Amazon Program

Dr. Davidson is an ecologist and soil scientist interested in the role of soil microorganisms as processors of carbon and nitrogen. He has studied the transfer of carbon and nitrogen gases from the soil to the atmosphere, where they contribute to warming of the earth. His research addresses how human management of the land affects this transfer of greenhouse gases. Dr. Davidson has held positions as National Research Council Associate at the NASA Ames Research Center and as Postdoctoral Research Associate in Soil Microbiology at the University of California, Berkeley. He earned his doctorate in forestry at North Carolina State University.

Gregory J. Fiske, M.S.
GIS Manager/Research Associate

Mr. Fiske is a geographer interested in the use of cartography and other techniques of modern geographic information science to sustain the health of the natural environment. He manages the many technical aspects of the Center’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS). As a Research Associate, he applies his skills to various research projects that involve both GIS and Remote Sensing techniques. Prior to joining the Center, Mr. Fiske worked at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. He earned his B.S. from Plymouth State University in New Hampshire and his M.S. from Oregon State University.

Scott Goetz, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist

Dr. Goetz works on the application of satellite imagery to analyses of environmental change, including monitoring and modeling links between land use change, forest productivity, biodiversity, climate, and human health. Before joining the Center, he was on the faculty at the University of Maryland for seven years, where he maintains an adjunct associate professor appointment, and was a research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland.

Nora Greenglass, M.E.M.
Research Assistant

Ms. Greenglass is currently engaged in an effort to examine the role of forests in carbon storage in the northeastern United States. Other recent projects include an analysis of local and state climate policies in the United States as well as international carbon mitigation strategies. Her master's research focused on climate protection strategies for the electric utility sector in the southeastern United States. She received her B.A. in geology and environmental studies from Middlebury College and a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University.

Joseph L. Hackler, M.A.
Research Associate

Mr. Hackler works on computer models incorporating regional data on changing land use and vegetation cover to understand the global carbon cycle. He has worked as a provincial planner in the Solomon Islands as a Peace Corps volunteer and as a neighborhood planner for the City of Columbus, Ohio. Mr. Hackler received his master's degree in city and regional planning from Ohio State University.

Robert Max Holmes, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist

Dr. Holmes is an earth system scientist with broad interests in the responses and feedbacks of ecosystems to environmental and global change. Most of his current research takes place in the Arctic (field sites are in Russia, Canada, and Alaska) and addresses how climate change is impacting the cycles of water and chemicals in the environment. Dr. Holmes has also studied desert streams in the southwestern United States, stream/riparian ecosystems in France, and estuaries in Massachusetts. He is strongly committed to integrating education and outreach into his research projects, particularly by exposing K-12 and undergraduate students to the excitement of scientific research. Students around the Arctic are participating in his Student Partners Project, and in 2008 he initiated a new effort (The Polaris Project) that includes a summer field course for U.S. and Russian undergraduate students in the Siberian Arctic. Dr. Holmes earned his Ph.D. from Arizona State University, his M.S. from the University of Michigan, and B.S. from the University of Texas.

Holly Hughes, B.S.
Research Assistant

Ms. Hughes works on the Center's carbon cycling research program in the Howland, Maine forest. Previously she managed a soil warming project in Howland where she studied the effects of soil warming on carbon flux through the forest floor, as well as other environmental indicators. Prior to joining the Center staff, she worked on a research project for Rutgers University designed to help farmers reduce their use of chemicals. Ms. Hughes received a B.S. in natural resources with a concentration in soil science from the University of Maine.

Tracy Johns, M.S.
Policy Advisor / Co-Leader of REDD Initiative

Ms. Johns is a policy analyst specializing in the Center's programs in forest, climate, and energy-policy issues. She coordinates the policy activities of the Center related to the role of forests in climate. She also works with members of the Amazon and Africa programs on efforts related to monitoring deforestation, focusing on international, national and regional policies and programs to reduce deforestation, as well as efforts to include relevant local and regional stakeholders in the policy design and implementation process. She works with international and U.S.-based NGOs to develop and support strong climate and energy policies, both internationally and at the federal and state level. Ms. Johns leads the Secretariat of the Forum on Readiness for REDD, an international forum focused on practical issues of  readiness and implementation of activities to reduce emissions from deforestation in developing countries. Ms. Johns received her M.S. from Arizona State University's Center for Science, Policy and Outcomes in Forest Ecology and Environmental Policy.

Josef Kellndorfer, Ph.D.
Associate Scientist / Co-Leader of REDD Initiative

Dr. Kellndorfer's research focuses on the monitoring and assessment of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Using geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing, he studies land-use, land cover and climate change on a regional and global scale. Currently, he is leading a NASA-funded project to generate the first high-resolution aboveground biomass and carbon dataset of the United States based on the integration of space shuttle radar and satellite imagery. Before joining the Center, he was an assistant research scientist with the radiation laboratory in the department of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan. Dr. Kellndorfer holds a degree in physical geography and a doctorate in geosciences from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany.

Nadine T. Laporte, Ph.D.
Associate Scientist

Dr. Laporte is a biologist whose research centers on the applications of satellite imagery to tropical forest ecosystems, including vegetation & carbon mapping, land-use change, deforestation causes and consequences on carbon and biodiversity. She has been involved in numerous environmental projects in Central Africa over the past ten years, working with in-country scientists, foresters, and international conservation organizations to develop integrated forest monitoring systems and promote forest conservation. She received her doctorate in tropical biogeography from l'Université Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, France.

Paul A. Lefebvre, M.A.
Research Associate

Paul Lefebvre uses Geographic Information Systems to monitor ongoing changes in landcover in the Amazon basin, and to contribute data to our forest ecosystem models. Since 1989 he has advised many of of WHRC's Brazilian Visiting Scholars on the use of GIS and Remote Sensing in their research, and from 1995 to 1998 he lived in Brazil while helping to establish IPAM's Remote Sensing and GIS laboratory. He loves to tinker, and is responsible for setting up and maintaining many of the monitoring instruments used at our field stations in Brazil. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Geography from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Michael M. Loranty, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Loranty uses models to understand how vegetation controls exchanges of mass and energy between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere.  He is particularly interested in understanding how biophysical processes vary across environmental gradients, and how small-scale variability affects estimates at regional and continental scales.  Prior to joining the Center, he was a fellow in the NSF IGERT program in Geographic Information Science at the University at Buffalo, SUNY, where he earned his Ph.D. in Geography.

Paul James Mann, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Mann is an earth system scientist focusing on organic matter within aquatic ecosystems. His current research focuses upon identifying controls on the flux, age and composition of terrestrial organic carbon exported by rivers to the ocean. His particular research interests include natural and human induced changes to water chemistry, through sunlight and bacterial alteration, or land-use and climate-driven effects. Dr. Mann previously worked for the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) after receiving his MSc. from the National Oceanographic Centre in the UK. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.

David G. McGrath, Ph.D.
Associate Scientist / Co-Leader of Amazon Program

Dr. McGrath is a geographer who, in collaboration with the Center's partner organization in Brazil, Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazonia (IPAM), coordinates projects to develop ecologically and economically sustainable community-based management systems for forest and floodplain resources. On a broader level, McGrath is interested in the relationship between population, technology and environment in human history and its implications for environment and development policy. He holds a Ph.D. in geography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a faculty member at the Federal University of Pará in Belém, Brazil.

Paulo Moutinho, Ph.D.
Adjunct Associate Scientist

Dr. Moutinho is an expert in biodiversity and ecological ecosystems in the Amazon region and works on these issues at the Center. During the last decade and as Director of Research of the Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia (IPAM), he has designed and led a large-scale interdisciplinary research program on the dynamics of deforestation in the Amazon. Since 2002 he has been the coordinator of the Climate Observatory, a network of 32 Brazilian NGOs, and Social Movements for Climate Change, and is a member of the Working Group on Climate Change of the Brazilian Environmental Ministry and member of the Brazilian Forum on Climate Change. He has further collaborated with an international group of scientists on the design of policies to create incentives for reducing deforestation within the structure of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. He received both his master's degree and Ph.D. in ecology from Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP).

Daniel C. Nepstad, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist

Dr. Nepstad is a tropical ecologist whose research has focused on the response of Amazon forests to climate change and fire. In 1998, he developed the Amazon Scenarios program, which simulates the future of the Amazon under a range of policy scenarios. He led the Center’s Amazon Program and REDD initiative (focused on bringing tropical forests into the UN climate treaty) until mid-2008, when he left to became the Chief Program Officer for the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation’s Environmental Conservation Program. Dr. Nepstad returned to the Center to build a scientific and conceptual framework for addressing the global land crisis, with an initial focus on the Amazon and Brazil. He was founding president of the Center’s main partner in Brazil (IPAM) and co-founder of both Aliança da Terra and the international Roundtable on Responsible Soy (RTRS). Dr. Nepstad holds a Ph.D. from Yale University.

Virginie Ambougou-Atisso Palmeri, Ph.D.
Research Assistant

Dr. Palmeri works with the Center’s REDD team in French-speaking countries, helping to develop outreach material for local NGOs involved with climatic change and forest management in Africa. She has studied the relationship between honeybees and plants in northeastern Gabon  and has spent more than a decade working with apiculture actors (from traditional beekeepers to consumers), local governments, and NGOs in Côte d’Ivoire and other parts of West Africa to help modernize beekeeping techniques in the context of sustainable agriculture principles and the preservation of biodiversity.  Dr. Palmeri earned her doctorate in entomology from l’Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris.

John R. Poulsen, Ph.D.
Assistant Scientist

Dr. Poulsen is an ecologist with broad interests in the maintenance and regeneration of tropical forests and biodiversity. Most of his research has focused on the effects of anthropogenic disturbance, such as logging and hunting on forest structure and diversity, abundances of tropical animals, and ecological processes. He has conducted his research in Central Africa, where he has also worked as a conservation manager, directing projects to sustainably manage natural resources around parks and reserves. Dr. Poulsen holds a M.Sc. in Conservation Biology from San Francisco State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Florida.

Kilaparti Ramakrishna, Ph.D.
(On leave of absence)

Dr. Ramakrishna holds the Center's Sara Shallenberger Brown Chair in Environmental Policy. He is an expert in international environmental law and directs the Center's Program on Science in Public Affairs. He is responsible for international issues including law and policy aspects associated with global climate change, conservation and utilization of world forests, biodiversity, environmental governance, and developing country perspectives. Dr. Ramakrishna served as a special advisor to the UN in drafting the Framework Convention on Climate Change. He helped establish an independent World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development, and worked with the Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity. He has been a Visiting Professor of International Law at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, since 1993, was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Harvard Law School, and a Fellow at the Marine Policy Center of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Dr. Ramakrishna is a Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science, a member of IUCN's Commission on Environmental Law, and the Council on Foreign Relations. He holds a doctorate in international law of environment from the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

Sudeep Samanta, Ph.D.
Assistant Scientist

Dr. Samanta's present research addresses the process of water and carbon exchange between forests and the atmosphere. He uses statistical methods to integrate scientific knowledge and observations in building and testing numerical models of complex natural systems. One of his main interests is to quantitatively estimate uncertainties in model results due to incomplete observation or understanding. He received his M.S. in remote sensing and GIS and his Ph.D. in forestry from the University of Wisconsin.

Kathleen Savage, M.Sc.
Research Associate

Ms. Savage is currently working in the Center's carbon cycling program. She obtained a B.Sc. degree and an M.Sc. degree in Geography at York University and McGill University, respectively. Her thesis work examined the exchange of carbon dioxide and methane in boreal forest soils. Following her graduate studies, she has worked on contract in northern Manitoba examining net ecosystem exchange in boreal wetlands.

Karen Schwalbe
Research Assistant

Ms. Schwalbe works on the Center's initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD). She worked previously at The Center for the Restoration of Waters at Ocean Arks International as a project manager for a pond restoration study and for an ecological wastewater treatment facility in Albany, Indiana. Ms. Schwalbe has also worked at the New Alchemy Institute in their educational program and as the Volunteer Coordinator. She has broad experience as a research and technical assistant through Boston University and the Marine Biological Laboratory.

Claudia M. Stickler, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Stickler is a conservation scientist who is interested in land-use policy and planning in the tropics, with a focus on forest conservation in agricultural landscapes. She has extensive experience in rural development, tropical ecology, and the application of integrated spatial modeling for land-use policy analysis, and has lived and worked in Central and East Africa and Brazil. Most recently, her research has focused on assessing the economic and ecological trade-offs of forest policy on private lands in the Brazilian Amazon and has influenced regional policy-making in the agricultural frontier region of Brazil. Dr. Stickler received her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Florida.

Thomas A. Stone, M.A.
Senior Research Associate

Mr. Stone is an environmental geologist studying the use of remote-sensing technology to map vegetation and to determine rates of land use change. He uses remote-sensing imagery to determine the rates of deforestation globally, especially in Siberia and the Amazon Basin of Brazil. The results of this work assist in the determination of biotic contributions to the global warming problem. Before joining the Center, Mr. Stone held a research position in remote sensing at the Ecosystems Center of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. He holds a master's degree in geology from Dartmouth College.

Mindy Sun, M.S.
Research Associate

Ms. Sun studies the influences of land-use change and vegetation cover on ecosystems. Through the use of remote sensing data and GIS, she works with computer models that can be used to describe and predict changes to the environment. Prior to joining the Center, she spent two years working as an environmental engineer. She received her B.S. in environmental engineering from Cornell University and her M.S. from Johns Hopkins University.

Wayne S. Walker, Ph.D.
Assistant Scientist

Dr. Walker is an ecologist interested in the application of remote sensing and GIS technologies to the assessment and monitoring of forest ecosystems. In particular, his work focuses on the provision of broad-scale measurements and maps of forest structural attributes (e.g., canopy height, aboveground biomass, etc.) and land cover/land use change for use in climate modeling, habitat management, and ecosystem conservation. He holds degrees in forest ecology (M.S.) and remote sensing (Ph.D.) from the University of Michigan.

Richard S. Williams, Jr., Ph.D.
Adjunct Senior Scientist

Dr. Williams is a research geologist who uses airborne and satellite remote sensing to monitor changes in the Earth's glaciers (particularly sensitive indicators of global warming). He is author of more than 200 books, papers, and maps. He holds a doctorate in geology from Penn State, is a fellow of the AAAS, the Geological Society of America, and a foreign fellow of the Icelandic Science Society. Two glaciers in Antarctica are named for him. He is Vice Chairman Emeritus, Committee for Research and Exploration, National Geographic Society, and senior scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

Administrative & Operating Staff

Robert M. Barry, M.B.A.
Director of Finance & Administration

As Director of Finance, Mr. Barry is responsible for the financial management of the Center, including accounting and financial policies, budget preparation and projections, personnel benefits, and grant management. He brings to the position many years of experience in financial management, including his most recent position as Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer for the Falmouth Hospital Foundation. Previously, he held senior-level financial positions for the Medical Center of Central Massachusetts. Mr. Barry received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, specializing in accounting, from Stonehill College and his Master of Business Administration degree from Anna Maria College.

Elizabeth A. Braun, M.A.
Director of Communications

Ms. Braun is responsible for developing and implementing the Center’s communications and public relations programs, including oversight of the website. Previously she worked in public affairs and development positions at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and as a freelance writer. She holds degrees in English and history and a master’s degree in education, all from Saint Louis University.

Florence Carlowicz, B.A.
Staff Accountant

Ms. Carlowicz is responsible for the Center's accounts payable and purchasing functions. Prior to coming to the Center, she spent a decade at Discovery Communications, in the corporate accounting offices and as budget manager for The Learning Channel. In addition to her work at the Center, Ms. Carlowicz provides medical transcription for a Lyme disease specialist on Cape Cod. She received her B.A. in Behavioral Science from the University of Chicago.

Michael Ernst, M.F.A.
Director of Information Systems

Mr. Ernst manages computer and telecommunication systems at the Center. Prior to coming to the Center, he was a CADD specialist and a programmer. Mr. Ernst received his M.F.A. in sculpture from the University of Washington, Seattle, and continues to practice sculpture professionally.

Constance J. Johnson
Development Assistant

Ms. Johnson provides assistance in all areas of the Development office and maintains the department's database. Before joining the staff, she worked at the Center in a similar capacity for a number of years on a temporary basis. She has extensive commercial and volunteer experience in providing office support.

Denise Kergo
Information Systems Assistant

Ms. Kergo provides technical assistance for the Center's information systems. She has previously worked in several tech-based industries performing an array of services including Internet, remote desktop, and onsite systems support. Ms. Kergo holds CompTIA A+ and Network+ certifications and has broad experience in computer installations and troubleshooting, upgrading of hardware and software, and network installation and configuration.

Wendy Kingerlee, B.S.
Amazon Program Administrator

Ms. Kingerlee is responsible for coordination of the Center’s Amazon Program. She provides project administration, logistical support, communication, and collaboration to the Amazon team and its Brazilian counterpart, Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia (IPAM).  Before joining the Amazon program, she worked as a research assistant in the Center’s soil carbon program. Ms. Kingerlee has also worked for the Agriculture Department in the County of Santa Cruz, California.  She received her B.S. in Plant and Soil Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Danielle Knight, B.A.
REDD Administrator

Ms. Knight provides administrative and logistical support to the REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation in developing countries) initiative in the Center’s Science in Public Affairs Program. Before joining the Center, Ms. Knight worked in public radio and was the producer of an interview program exploring topics in science, politics, and the humanities. She holds a B.A. in political science with a minor in biology from the University of Massachusetts and has lived in Australia, New Zealand, and France.

Joyce McAuliffe, B.S.
Accountant and Employee Benefits Coordinator

Ms. McAuliffe is responsible for the Center's accounting, payroll, and fringe benefit functions. She joined the Center after a career in the private sector co-owning On-Cape Lithographers, Inc, a printing and design firm, and as controller to two independent markets. Over the years she has held various affiliations with non-profit organizations on Cape Cod, including as corporator of Cape Cod Hospital and of Heritage Plantation and as treasurer of Cape Symphony Orchestra. Ms. McAuliffe received her B.S. in business administration from Boston University.

Kristin Powell McLaughlin, M.S.
Development Associate

Ms. Powell is responsible for the Center’s annual fund and serves as the administrator of its donor database.  She brings to the Center many years of fundraising experience.  Prior to joining the staff, Ms. Powell was with Boston College where she held a number of development positions in the Office of University Advancement.  Most recently she was Assistant Director of Young Alumni for the Boston College Annual Fund.  She also worked in New York City as a fundraising event planner for Buckley Hall Events, a company which produces a wide variety of non-profit and corporate events.  She holds a B.S. in Communications from Northeastern University and an M.S. in Administration from Boston College.

Lisa Strock O'Connell, B.S.
Executive Assistant

Ms. O'Connell provides assistance to the Director and to the Director of Finance and Administration. Prior to joining the Center, she was a land protection specialist for the Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts, working to preserve land parcels with local land trusts. She has a broad background in the environmental field with private consultants, municipalities, and governmental organizations and has held positions as natural resources coordinator for Jacobs Engineering at Otis Air National Guard Base (MA) and as conservation administrator for the town of Brewster, MA. Ms. O'Connell is also a trained massage therapist and reflexologist. She received her B.S. in wildlife biology from Humboldt State University.

Fred Palmer
Facilities Coordinator

Mr. Palmer has broad experience in landscaping, construction, wastewater systems and general maintenance. Previously he has held positions with Tisbury Public Works on Martha's Vineyard, and as crew chief for building supply, excavation and landscaping companies. At the Center Mr. Palmer is responsible for the interior and exterior maintenance of the Ordway Campus building and grounds, mechanical systems, and the innovative wastewater system. He holds Massachusetts licenses for Commercial Driver, Hoisting Engineer, Construction Supervisor, and Grade 5 Combined Industrial/Municipal wastewater operator.

Diane Quaid, B.A.
Manager, System Administration

Ms. Quaid provides expertise in support of the computer and communications systems of the Center. Originally based in New York City, she worked throughout the world as a motion picture production manager and television commercial producer. After coming to the Cape, she managed the Market Bookshop in Woods Hole. Her B.A. is in English Literature from Carleton College, and she is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and certified Novell systems administrator.

Camille M. Romano, M.S., C.P.A.
Controller

Ms. Romano is responsible for maintaining the Center's general ledger accounting system and assisting in the monthly financial reporting. Prior to joining the Center, Ms. Romano worked in a supervisory capacity as a senior auditor at the accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche, and is licensed as a C.P.A. in Massachusetts. She obtained her B.S. in wildlife biology from the University of Massachusetts and her M.S. in accounting from Northeastern University.

Allison B. White
Manager of Administration

Ms. White is responsible for organizing and implementing the Center's administrative systems and managing its Sponsored Research Office. A writer and editor, she has lived and worked in Paris and in New York where she was a researcher and reporter for Newsweek magazine. Prior to joining the Center, she worked for a decade at the Market Bookshop in Falmouth, MA.