PALEOSERVICES - Key Persons
Aharon received his B.A. in Material Culture, M.A. in Archaeology (on pastoralists' diet) and a Ph.D. in Zooarchaeology from Tel Aviv University. He was a visiting scholar at UCSD and has been teaching Zooarchaeology at UCSD, SDSU, USD, and Mesa Community College. Aharon has studied faunal assemblages from the ancient Near East as well as from numerous prehistoric and historic sites from California. Aharon's experience in the Near East includes the analysis of faunal remains from a 6th century Byzantine monastery and 10th century BCE Tel Megiddo (Biblical Armageddon). In California, he studied faunal remains from Ystagua, Spindrift, and Chancellor's House (UCSD), and from Warner's Ranch, San Diego Presidio, and Mission. Aharon served as the president of San Diego County Archaeological Society. Aharon is the author of Animal Husbandry in Ancient Israel, A Zooarchaeological Perspective on Livestock Exploitation, Herd Management, and Economic Strategies. The book interweaves zooarchaeological, ethnographic, taphonomic, and GIS spatial analysis in the interpretation of faunal remains.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director, Climate Science Alliance
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- Director
- President, Biotechnology Mgmt. Consultants and
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- President and CEO, International Community Foundation
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- Information Scientist
- Research Library Director
Ariel (Arie) Hammond is an information scientist with a background in digital libraries, archives, and rare books. A San Diego native with a passion for conservation and biodiversity, Arie specialize s in information behaviors and technologies. Arie joined The Nat in September 2021 and plans to focus on digitizing resources and diversifying audiences (learn more).
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- Co - Founder & President, Spectrum Aeronautical and SciFly
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- Curator
- Curator of Herpetology
Brad has served as the department's curator since 2000, after serving as a postdoctoral fellow, guest curator of exhibits, expedition lead herpetologist, museum store employee, and volunteer. He received his doctorate from Loma Linda University and obtained both his M.S. and B.S. from San Diego State University. Brad's research focuses on the evolution and biogeography of the herpetofauna of Baja California and its associated islands. Brad is also an Adjunct Professor at San Diego State University where he regularly teaches in the Biology Department. Brad can be reached at 619.255.0277 or bhollingsworth@sdnhm.org.
Job Titles:
- Senior Biologist / Business Development
Brenna has more than 15 years of local experience in field biology and environmental consulting, and is a County of San Diego approved CEQA consultant for biological resources. She manages and conducts general biological assessments and impact analyses, environmental compliance monitoring, vegetation mapping, habitat restoration, mitigation implementation and monitoring, and focused surveys for sensitive species in central and southern California, and southwestern Arizona. She maintains federal and state permits to conduct protocol surveys for Quino Checkerspot Butterfly, listed vernal pool branchiopods (e.g., fairy shrimp), and California Gnatcatcher.
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- Departmental Associate
- Librarian Emeritus
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- Chairman of Ornithology and Curator of the Department of Birds
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- Founder and Director, Bahia De Los Angeles Museum
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- Lead Fossil Preparator / Paleontological Monitor
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- Research Associate
- Project Scientist for the Sierra Nevada Research Institute
Christopher Swarth is project scientist for the Sierra Nevada Research Institute, and Director of the Vernal Pools Grasslands Reserve. His research interests include waterbird distribution and population abundance on estuaries; patterns of songbird reproduction; turtle population structure, home range, diet, and habitat use; and nutrient dynamics in freshwater tidal wetlands.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Board Member, Cidara Therapeutics
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- Science Communications Manager
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- Research Associate
- Consultant for Environmental Surveys and Forensic Entomology
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- Co - Founder & CEO, Aclima Inc
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- Research Associate
- Co - Director of the San Diego Zooarchaeology Laboratory
Dr. Aaron Sasson , co-director of the San Diego Zooarchaeology Laboratory, is a specialist in the identification and analysis of animal skeletal remains from archaeological sites. San Diego Zooarchaeology Lab .
Dr. Alan Harper is a zoologist and conservationist working in California and the peninsula of Baja California. He is a founding member of Terra Peninsular, the land trust for the peninsula of Baja California, and currently developing a field research station at San Quintín Bay. His research interests include the distribution and taxonomy of Microtus californicus in Baja California, and history of freshwater wetlands of northwest Baja California.
Dr. Amadeo M. Rea , a former curator of the Birds and Mammals Department, is emeritus Professor of Biology at the University of San Diego. He has authored numerous publications on the birds and mammals of the southwest, including: Once a River: Bird Life and Habitat Changes on the Middle Gila, Wings in the Desert: A Folk Ornithology of the Northern Pimans, and Folk Mammalogy of the Northern Pimans. A recent compendium honoring his career was titled "Explorations in Ethnobiology: The Legacy of Amadeo Rea."
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- Curatorial Assistant / Research Scientist
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- Research Associate
- Senior Scientist at the Centro De Investigación Científica Y De Educación Superior De Ensenada
Dr. Eric Mellink , a senior scientist at the Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, Baja California (CICESE), was awarded Volkswagen's "For the Planet" conservation biology prize in 2013 for his work conserving native species. Dr. Mellink is an ecologist investigating a wide range of terrestrial and marine species.
Job Titles:
- Research Associate
- Associate Professor and Researcher in the Department of Biology
Dr. Gorgonio Ruiz Campos is an associate professor and researcher in the Department of Biology at the Autonomous University of Baja California. His specialties include taxonomy, systematics, and biogeography of fishes in northern Mexico; distribution and taxonomy of birds from northwestern Mexico; and taxonomy, ecology, and conservation of native trout.
Job Titles:
- Research Associate
- Principal Researcher in the Department of Conservation Biology
Dr. Horacio de la Cueva Salcedo is a principal researcher in the department of Conservation Biology at the Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, Baja California (CICESE). His research interests include biodiversity, population dynamics of flora and fauna, conservation genetics, and dynamics and vulnerability of biota and ecosystems.
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- Research Associate
- Professor of Biology at Fitch
Dr. Howard Thomas , emeritus professor of biology at Fitchburg State University in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, is an expert on the squirrels of North America. He has authored five "Mammalian Species" accounts sponsored by the American Society of Mammalogists. He has conducted mammalian research in numerous locations throughout the world.
Dr. Jeffrey L. Lincer directs the non-profit Researchers Implementing Conservation Action. His background includes 40 years as a scientist, educator, scientific advisor, and administrator in environmental research and management, and is most well-known for his work with raptors and other threatened and endangered species.
Job Titles:
- Research Associate
- Director of the James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve at the University
Dr. Jennifer Gee is the director of the James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve at the University of California, Riverside. Her research interests include speciation and hybridization, with much of her study focused on natural populations of California and Gambel's Quail.
Dr. Lori Hargrove specializes in bird monitoring and ecological analyses. One focus of her research has been on elevational shifts of bird species and the mechanisms involved, including response to fire and climate change, and she has several recent manuscripts published or in review. She has worked with endangered species, conducted binational expeditions, and developed monitoring protocols such as those for riparian birds covered by the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan. She has performed extensive community-level analyses of complex ecological data and has creatively adapted ordination methods for temporal as well as spatial gradients.
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- Research Associate
- Professor of Biology at UC Merced
Dr. Marilyn Fogel is a professor of biology at UC Merced. Professor Fogel is internationally recognized as a pioneer and leading scientist in the use of stable isotopes for understanding fundamental processes in ecology, ecosystem science, paleoecology and paleoclimatology, astrobiology, biogeochemistry, and marine science.
Job Titles:
- Research Associate
- Associate Professor With the Oklahoma Biological Survey at the University of Oklahoma
Dr. Michael A. Patten , associate professor with the Oklahoma Biological Survey at the University of Oklahoma, studies evolutionary ecology and biogeography or North American birds. He is coauthor, with Philip Unitt and Guy McCaskie, of Birds of the Salton Sea: Status, Biogeography, and Ecology .
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- Research Associate
- Department of Biology
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- Research Associate
- Researcher at the Centro De Investigaciones Biológicas Del Noroeste
Dr. Sergio Ticul Álvarez-Castañeda , researcher at the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste in Baja California Sur, Mexico, is an expert in the systematics, ecology, and conservation of Mexican mammals. Amongst many publications, he co-authored Keys for Identifying Mexican Mammals , the only complete identification guide to Mexico's mammalian species.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Curator of Paleontology / Director
Dr. Tom Deméré has worked as a professional paleontologist since 1974 and has been with the San Diego Natural History Museum since 1979. Since 1994, Tom has served as curator of paleontology and director of PaleoServices at the Museum. Dr. Deméré is the author of numerous scientific and popular articles dealing with the paleontological history of southern California and the evolutionary history of marine mammals.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Research Associate
Dr. Wayne Spencer is director of conservation assessment and planning for the Conservation Biology Institute. Dr. Spencer is a wildlife conservation biologist with over 30 years of professional experience in biological research and conservation planning. He specializes in the practical application of ecological and conservation science to resources management, design of nature reserves, and recovery of endangered species.
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- Field Biologist / Bat Specialist
With over 25 years of biological experience, Drew specializes in surveys for bats and herpetofauna, and is familiar with the vertebrates and invertebrates of southern California. He is permitted for the capture and handling of bats and the federally endangered arroyo toad. He is highly experienced with all bat research techniques including the acoustic identification of bat echolocation calls, mist netting, roost survey techniques, and radio telemetry. He is a contributing author to the San Diego County Mammal Atlas and sole author of the 22 bat species accounts therein.
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- Member of the Executive Management Team
- Vice President of Institutional Advancement
Eowyn Bates joined the San Diego Natural History Museum in 2005. Over the past ten years, she has served as Director of Annual Fund and Membership, Director of Development and Membership, Senior Director of Development and is currently the Vice President of Institutional Advancement. She oversees the Museum's membership, development, events, and marketing departments. She is deeply committed to the Museum, its mission, and staff.
Eowyn grew up in Wisconsin where she learned to love the outdoors from her father, a naturalist and writer. After receiving her B.A. in political science and history from Macalester College in 1995, she moved to San Diego and began her career in nonprofit development at Project Concern International and later at the Salk Institute. She earned her Certified Fundraising Executive designation in 2003 and is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She serves on the Board of Directors of the San Diego Audubon Society and the Western Museums Association.
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- Vice President, Anderson 's SeedCo
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- Collections Manager / Dean Leavitt, Ph.D., Herpetologist
- Herpetology Collections Manager
Frank grew up in San Diego and is interested in the conservation, ecology, and taxonomy of reptiles and amphibians. He has field experience with conservation of amphibians native to southern California and Baja California. Since becoming the Collections Manager in 2019, he has contributed to expeditions and surveys along the Baja California peninsula, deserts of southern California, and throughout much of San Diego County. Frank is also involved in citizen science and education projects. His work is currently focused on the conservation ecology of the endangered California Red-legged Frog in southern California and Baja California. His favorite frog is the spadefoot, which can be coaxed by mother nature from their underground burrows to mate and forage on rainy and humid nights. Frank can be reached at 619.255.0313 or fsantana@sdnhm.org.
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- Executive Director, Pronatura Noroeste, a.C
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- Member of the Executive Management Team
- Interim Chief Financial Officer / the San Diego Natural History Museum
The San Diego Natural History Museum traces its roots to an enthusiastic group of amateur naturalists, who formed the San Diego Society of Natural History in 1874.
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- Professor of History, University of San Diego
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- Director, IAMSA Development Group / Board Member, Pronatura Noroeste
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- Paleontology Postdoctoral Researcher / Professional Start Date
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- Parabotanist Manager / General Botany Staff
Jeannie Gregory began work as a volunteer in the Botany Department in April 2003 with general herbarium and field work. Already very familiar with San Diego County and its flora, she was able to help organize the record-keeping, recruitment and training of the volunteers for the Plant Atlas Project. As Parabotanist Manager, she is responsible for all of the incoming parabotanist collections from data and locality verification, to labeling and preparing the specimens for expert identification and finally by entering the corrections in the Plant Atlas database.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Executive Director, Downing Family Foundation
John developed and manages the Botany databases and its two websites, Plant Alas and Baja Flora. A retired mechanical engineer, John started working for the museum in 2000 as a collections assistant. He then developed the database and check-out system for the Loan Library, after which he was recruited to the Botany department at the initiation of the Plant Atlas project in April, 2003. The databases and web tools are foundational elements in the department's management of the collection and implementation of Plant Atlas and Baja projects.
Jon P. Rebman, Ph.D. has been the Mary and Dallas Clark Endowed Chair/Curator of Botany at the Museum since 1996. He has a Ph.D. in Botany (plant taxonomy), M.S. in Biology (floristics), and B.S. in Biology. Dr. Rebman is a plant taxonomist and conducts extensive floristic research in Baja California and in San Diego and Imperial Counties. He has over 15 years of experience in the floristics of San Diego and Imperial Counties and 21 years experience studying the plants of the Baja California peninsula. For Jon's complete biography, click here . Jon can be reached at 619.255.0247 or jrebman@sdnhm.org .
Judy Gibson has managed the collections of the Botany Department for over 20 years. She has a B.A. from SDSU and over 25 years experience with the flora of San Diego County, which includes the curation and management of voucher specimens, fieldwork, technical writing, and education through teaching botany classes, leading field trips and giving tours of the collection.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Executive Management Team
- President
Judy Gradwohl joined The Nat in July 2016 as the organization's first woman president and CEO, following more than 30 years at the Smithsonian Institution. She brought a passion for and wide range of experience in natural history research, science communication, and museum management.
Under her leadership, the Museum developed a new strategic plan that focuses on regional science, collections, education, and conservation (highlights of this plan are available in our Strategy Roadmap). A new master plan for the building emphasizes energy conservation, maximizing visitor experiences, safeguarding collections, and improving working conditions for staff and volunteers.
Some of the most notable strategic shifts under Judy's leadership include transitioning from traveling to in-house exhibitions, developing an internal venture fund to encourage experimental thinking, bolstering awareness of the museum's important conservation work, and-amidst the backdrop of a global pandemic-rethinking the museum's programming as a new blended model of onsite, online, and nature-based activities.
A native Southern Californian, Judy received her B.A. and M.A. in Zoology from the University of California at Berkeley, where she also gained her first museum experience: developing and teaching classes at Lawrence Hall of Science, and dusting the case tops at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. Interest in tropical bird behavior took her to the Smithsonian's Barro Colorado Island in Panama and other parts of Central America and the Caribbean, where she conducted research for many years.
At the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., she produced science communication at the National Zoo, established the first substantial environmental program, and curated two major traveling exhibitions on tropical forest and ocean conservation. Judy led the team that developed the Smithsonian's first web site and developed early collections-based narrative websites. Her last position was as MacMillan Associate Director for Education and Public Programs at the National Museum of American History, where she was instrumental in reopening the Museum after an extended construction closure, and was the driving force behind a cluster of new education, performance and exhibition spaces.
She has published scientific and popular books and articles on animal behavior and ecology, conservation, and museum practice. Her favorite days at work are when she is in the field.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Management Team
- Vice President of Education and Engagement
- Vice President of Engagement and Education
Justin Canty joined The Nat in April 2020 as Vice President of Education and Engagement, where he provides leadership and creative vision for the development and delivery of education, public programs, exhibitions, citizen science, volunteer programs, and community partnerships.
Justin has background as a naturalist, environmental educator and certified wilderness first responder. Originally from the high sierra town of Graeagle, California, he grew up with a deep appreciation for the natural world and has spent his career inspiring this love for nature in others.
He most recently served as director of education for the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and Sea Center, and previously held the roles of community education manager and nature education manager. He oversaw a variety of educational departments, developed and evaluated nature-based play and learning exhibits, and served on the leadership committee for the museum's centennial exhibit renovation.
His previous experience includes roles as youth programs coordinator and TASC assistant manager at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, California, director of education for The Outdoor School at Rancho Alegre, and a naturalist, environmental educator, and raptor caretaker for both Rancho Alegre and Foothill Horizons Outdoor School.
Justin graduated of the University of California, Santa Cruz with a Bachelor of Arts in Analytical Philosophy.
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- Report Writer / GIS Technician
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- Collections Manager
- Collections Manager, Fossil Vertebrates
With more than 26 years of experience in scientific research and environmental consulting, Kevin manages and conducts surveys for a wide range of endangered species; holds permits to nest search, monitor, and band rare and endangered passerines, shorebirds, and seabirds; writes management plans for small and large properties; conducts general vegetation surveys and focused rare plant surveys; and is authorized to handle Flat-tailed Horned Lizards. He has extensive experience with management and monitoring of endangered species, having served as regional recovery coordinator for the threatened Western Snowy Plover and authored the Critical Habitat and Listing Rule for the California Gnatcatcher.
Job Titles:
- Ecologist / Ornithologist / Biostatistician
Kim has over 25 years of focused research experience, from study conception and design to fieldwork, data analysis, and reporting. She has designed and directed numerous avian field studies including life history, community, post-fire, and behavioral studies. She has federal and state permits to survey and nest monitor California Gnatcatcher, Least Bell's Vireo, Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, and Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and has worked extensively with all four species. She has a strong statistical background in multivariate statistical analyses, utilizing software such as SYSTAT, SAS, and R.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Proyecto Fronterizo De Educacion Ambiental a.C
Layla Aerne Hains has a M.S. in Plant Systematics from San Diego State University and more than seven years of experience with the flora of San Diego County. She started as a graduate student intern in the department working on the Plant Atlas project. Currently, her duties in the herbarium include general curation, managing loans and processing incoming specimens. Layla also manages contract/fieldwork including rare plant surveys, floristic studies and biological monitoring. Layla can be reached at 619.255.0229 or laerne@sdnhm.org .
Lea Squires specializes in avian surveys including presence/absence surveys, point counts, nest searching, and banding. She has been a lead surveyor and nest monitor for California Least Tern and Western Snowy Plover in San Diego County for more than 16 years, and has performed fieldwork in support of the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan. She is proficient in mist net setup and bird extractions, preparation of museum study skins of birds and mammals in lab and in the field, and preparation of museum-quality mounted display specimens.
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- Research Associate
- Professor of Biology, La Sierra University
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- Trapdoor Spider Photographer
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- Departmental Associate
- Librarian / Curator Emeritus
Mark Roeder received a B.A. in anthropology from San Diego State University. Since 1975, Mr. Roeder has been analyzing fish remains from a number of prehistoric and historic archaeological sites in central and southern California including presidio, mission, adobe, Chinatown deposits, and other historic sites. Currently in the San Diego area, Mr. Roeder is working on fish remains from the San Diego Presidio Gateway project (1790's) and the Spindrift village site (SDi-39) in La Jolla, California (from approximately 8,900 years B.P. to contact). He is a field associate with the Vertebrate Paleontology Department of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and the Department of Paleontology, San Diego Natural History Museum.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Sustainable Northwest
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- Member of the Executive Management Team
- Curator
- Curator of Entomology / Vice President of Science and Conservation
- Vice President of Science and Conservation
Michael Wall, Ph.D., conducts research on insect evolution and spearheads the biodiversity research and conservation efforts at The Nat. A key part of the leadership team, he joined the Museum as curator of entomology in January 2006 and was subsequently named director of the Biodiversity Research Center of the Californias (BRCC).
Dr. Wall is passionate about collections-based research and regional exploration. In 2008, Dr. Wall coordinated the Museum's first-ever BioBlitz in which 1,035 species were discovered in Balboa Park over a 24-hour period. He is currently working to develop online resources that will increase public accessibility to the Museum's rich biological collections.
Dr. Wall's interest in natural history began with plants. While working on both a bachelor of science (B.S.) and master of science (M.S.) in botany at Auburn University, he became interested in the ecological relationships between plants and insects. After completing his doctorate of philosophy (Ph.D.) in entomology at University of Connecticut in 2004, Dr. Wall received a postdoctoral fellowship to join a global biodiversity inventory (organized by the American Museum of Natural History and the Australian Museum). He is an award-winning teacher and Fulbright Fellow. He can be reached at 619.255.0266 or mwall@sdnhm.org.
Job Titles:
- Entomology Collection Manager
- Entomology Collection Manager / Collections Registrar
Pamela Horsley happily returned to The Nat as Entomology Collection Manager and Collections Registrar in 2020. She previously worked at the museum from 2009-2012 as part of a National Science Foundation Improvements to Biological Collections grant to curate and increase the accessibility of the entomology collection.
Pamela has more than 15 years of experience working in collections management and museum registration and has a keen interest in the best practices and management of pinned, slide, and fluid-preserved invertebrate collections. She earned her M.S. in entomology from McGill University studying the systematics of central American weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Her duties include general curation, coordination and management of museum-wide collection transactions and compliance, collection digitization and database management, supervision of department science volunteers and project staff, and whenever possible joins in to conduct fieldwork for the museum. Pamela can be reached at 619.255.0193 or phorsley@sdnhm.org
Job Titles:
- Curator of Birds and Mammals
Phil Unitt, Curator of Birds and Mammals, focused his attention on the Guadalupe ruby-crowned kinglet (Regulus calendula ssp. obscurus), a small passerine with a reddish-pink patch on its head. Once an abundant nester among the cypress trees, this species was also thought to be extinct.
Philip Unitt is the Dennis and Carol Wilson Endowed Chair of Ornithology and curator of the Department of Birds and Mammals. Phil is a specialist in subspecies identification, distribution, and history of distributional change of California birds. He has led large survey projects, organizing hundreds of volunteers; analyzed and interpreted extensive data sets; and prepared more than 4,000 bird specimens.
Phil edits and produces publications on a wide variety of scientific subjects for diverse audiences, both public and professional. He authored The San Diego County Bird Atlas and The Birds of San Diego County, coauthored Birds of the Salton Sea, and is editor of Western Birds, the regional journal of ornithology for western North America.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Communications
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- Associate
- Research Associate
Richard A. Erickson , associate/biologist at LSA Associates, Inc., is a recognized expert on birds of western North America, especially their status and distribution in California and Baja California. With his extensive field experience with terrestrial vertebrates and rare species, he has regularly served as a technical advisor, and published and edited widely.
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- Conservation and Science Associate Program Officer, Packard Foundation
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- Partner, Alumbra Advisors
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- CEO and General Manager, Rancho La Puerta
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- Land and Planning Development
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- Executive President, Fundea ( Fundación Mexicana Para La Educación Ambiental AC )
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- Director
- Founder and Executive Director, STEM Next Opportunity Fund
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- Regional Coordinator With the U.S. Fish
Samantha Marcum is the coastal program regional coordinator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She coordinates research on a wide range of species, including birds and bats throughout California and southern Oregon.
Scott Tremor specializes in surveying for and identifying southern California mammals to the subspecies level. He holds permits to capture California Species of Special Concern as well as federally endangered species (Pacific pocket mouse, Stephens' kangaroo rat, San Bernardino kangaroo rat). Scott is the principal author and editor of the San Diego County Mammal Atlas. His expertise with mammals, especially rare rodents, spans both Southern California and the Baja California Peninsula. This local experience and relationships with the experts in the region have helped bring this book to completion.
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- Grant Director, Sandler Family Supporting Foundation
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- Digital Communications Manager
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- Director
- Northern Trust Bank ( Retired )
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- Attorney & Counselor at Law
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- Research Associate
- Co - Director of SDZL
- Co - Director of the San Diego Zooarchaeology Laboratory
Susan Arter , co-director of the San Diego Zooarchaeology Laboratory, is a specialist in the identification and analysis of animal skeletal remains from archaeological sites. San Diego Zooarchaeology Lab .
Susan holds anthropology degrees from San Diego State University (B.A.), and The George Washington University (M.A.). She has over 33 years of zooarchaeological experience including 11 years of zooarchaeological training and zooarchaeological research experience at The National Museum of Natural History's Center for Archaeobiological Research with Dr. Melinda Zeder. During this time Susan spent many years supervising students in zooarchaeological identification and analysis. Susan's Near Eastern experience includes over 15 combined field seasons at Tell Halif (Israel), Gordion (Turkey), and Tell Qarqur (Syria). She has worked on historic and prehistoric assemblages from southern California for over 29 years, including a numerous of sites within San Diego and Ventura Counties. Susan has maintained research affiliation with the San Diego Natural History Museum's Bird and Mammal Department since 1997.
Job Titles:
- Biological Consultant, Aecom
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- Director
- Senior Information Technology Executive, Semi - Retired and Consulting
Zaira received an A.A. degree in Archaeology from Palomar College, a B.A. in Anthropology from San Diego State University, and an MSc in Environmental Archaeology and Paleoeconomy from The University of Sheffield, U.K. She has volunteered at various scientific and educational institutions, including the S.D. Archaeological Center, S.D, Museum of Man, S.D. Natural History Museum, SDSU, and has served as board member for the San Diego County Archaeological Society. Her experience analyzing faunal assemblages ranges from prehistoric to contemporary sites from the U.S., Mexico and the U.K. Zaira has also worked as a laboratory assistant for Palomar College and The University of Sheffield, and is currently involved in cultural resource management.