Sponsors
National Coordinating Office
The goal of the National Coordinating Office (NCO) is guide the development of the National Phenology Network, faciliate communication between scientists, land managers, policy-makers and the public who are interested in assessing effects of global change on natural ecological systems, etc.
The NCO was established though a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the University of Arizona (UA). The USGS provides base-stable support for the NCO, and has hired Dr. Jake Weltzin, most recently an Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee and a Program Director at the National Science Foundation (NSF), as the first Executive Director of USA-NPN. The UA hired Mark Losleben as Assistant Director of USA-NPN, and is providing offices and other services at the UA Office of Arid Lands Studies. USA-NPN research development efforts are being spearheaded by Prof. Mark D. Schwartz, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), who serves as Chair of the recently established USA-NPN Board of Directors, and as Principal Investigator (PI) for a NSF Research Coordination Network (RCN) grant for coordination of phenology research.
Jake Weltzin
Executive Director
National Phenology Network
National Coordinating Office
1955 E. Sixth St. Tucson, AZ 85719
jweltzin@usgs.gov
(520) 626-3821
FAX (520) 792-0571
Full CV Résumé
Jake Weltzin assumed his position as Executive Director of the USA-NPN in August, 2007. Jake’s interest in natural history developed as he grew up in Alaska and as an exchange student in the Australian outback. He obtained his B.S. from Colorado State University, M.S. from Texas A&M University, and Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. Following a post-doctoral fellowship at University of Notre Dame, Jake went to the University of Tennessee, where he served as Assistant and then Associate Professor. Jake’s interests encompass how the structure and function of plant communities and ecosystems might respond to global environmental change, including atmospheric chemistry, climate change, and biological invasions. His research spans temperate and tropical grasslands and savannas, temperate woodlands, deciduous forest, and sub-boreal peatlands. His recent experience as a science administrator at the National Science Foundation underscored the need to foster large-scale science initiatives such as USA-NPN. As it's first Executive Director, Jake’s vision for USA-NPN is “to develop a continental-scale instrument for integrative assessment of global change that simultaneously serves as an outreach and educational platform for citizens and educators.”
Theresa Crimmins
Partnerships Coordinator
theresam@u.arizona.edu
(520) 792-0481
Theresa Crimmins coordinates the efforts of USA-NPN partners to achieve common phenology-related goals. USA-NPN partners include individuals and organizations representing communities of researchers, land managers, policy-makers, citizen scientists, and educators. Through our partnerships we seek to encourage and maintain the participatory spirit of the USA-NPN and the involvement of diverse user groups.
Theresa obtained a B.S. in biology and an M.A. in geography from Western Michigan University and a Ph.D. in natural resources from the University of Arizona. Her research interests encompass plant response to global change, spatial analysis, and engaging citizen scientists of all ages in scientific discovery.
Ellen Denny
Regional Networks Coordinator
ellen.denny@yale.edu
Ellen Denny coordinates the development of regional phenology networks (RPNs) across the nation. RPNs are envisioned to support the USA-NPN by facilitating a more intimate level of communication and collaboration among scientists, resource managers, educators and citizens interested in phenological issues specific to their region.
Ellen has a B.S. in Aquatic Biology from Brown University, and an M.F.S. (Forest Science) from Yale’s School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and has spent the last decade working at the interface of ecosystem science and information management. Her interaction with the USA-NPN began as the co-founder and coordinator of the Northeast Regional Phenology Network (NE-RPN), established in 2007. Since then she has served the USA-NPN in various capacities, including helping to design the USA-NPN’s general ground observation monitoring system.
Abraham Miller-Rushing
Assistant Director and Project Manager
abe@wildlife.org
(520) 622-0363
Abe Miller-Rushing coordinates the development and implementation of our approach to monitoring the phenology of animals, including amphibians, birds, fish, insects, mammals, and reptiles. He works in collaboration with many existing monitoring programs, as well as other organizations and individuals who plan to contribute or use phenology data.
He received his Ph.D. in Biology from Boston University and did his postdoctoral research at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Colorado. His research focuses on understanding how temporal relationships among organisms are changing as a result of rapid climate change.
Jeff Morisette
Invasive Species Science
U.S. Geological Survey
Fort Collins Science Center
2150 Centre Ave, Bldg C
Fort Collins, CO, USA
morisettej@usgs.gov
970-226-9144
Alyssa Rosemartin
IT Project Manager
Communications Support
alyssarosemartin@gmail.com
(520) 419-2585
Alyssa Rosemartin serves as a point person for the development and maintenance of the USA-NPN information management system - including the national phenology database, user interface and website. She also brings her experience translating science for the general public to the table in support of the NPN's outreach goals.
Alyssa received a B.A. from Smith College in Spanish and Environmental Science in 2000 and an M.S. in Wildlife Conservation and Management from the University of Arizona School of Natural Resources in 2008. Alyssa has experience in environmental education, science writing, field research, web development and project management. She has been interested in citizen science since her first job, working on Birds Beyond Borders, a program linking elementary schools across the Americas through the observation of migratory birds.
Kathryn Thomas
Plant Phenology Program Coordinator
kathryn_a_thomas@usgs.gov
(520) 670-5534
Kathryn Thomas is an ecologist and geographer with the U.S. Geological Survey. She coordinates (half-time) the USA-NPN Plant Phenology Program overseeing the development and implementation of individual plant and general plant monitoring protocols. The other half of her time is spend on vegetation characterization and description projects on national parks in the Southwest and developing predictive models of species habitat distributions under current and future climate conditions.
Kathryn has nearly 25 years experience working on environmental projects. She has conducted field research in coastal Meditteranean, desert Mojave, semi-arid Colorado Plateau and boreal northeastern forest ecosystems. She has a Ph.D. in geography from U.C. Santa Barabara and a M.S. in environmental horticulture from U.C. Davis.