WWA staff

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Wisconsin Wetlands Association Staff

Tracy Hames, Erin O'Brien, Stephani Pescitelli, Alexia Sabor, Katie Beilfuss, and Kyle Magyera in 2012

Staff

Tracy Hames became Executive Director of the Wisconsin Wetlands Association in November 2011. From 1989 to 2011 he was employed as a Waterfowl Biologist with the Yakama Nation Wildlife Resource Management Program and was the lead biologist in the Yakama Nation’s Wetlands and Riparian Restoration Project in Washington State. He received a BA in Biology and Environmental Studies from Macalester College, St. Paul, MN in 1989 and a MS in Natural Resources from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point in 1990. Email Tracy at tracy.hames [at] wisconsinwetlands.org .

Katie Beilfuss joined our staff in 2003. She is currently WWA's Outreach Programs Director, working on our annual Wetland Science Conference, Private Landowner Outreach Program, quarterly newsletter, Wetland Gems program, and Ramsar initiative. She is also Vice-Chair of the U.S. National Ramsar Committee. Katie began her tenure with WWA as Membership and Operations Coordinator and launched our Threats Analysis in 2006. She rejoined our staff in September 2008 after an 18-month leave of absence while her family lived in Mozambique to work on the restoration of Gorongosa National Park. Katie has a Masters degree in Land Resources from UW-Madison's Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. She has nearly 20 years of nonprofit and environmental experience with organizations including the Gorongosa Restoration Project (Mozambique, Africa), the International Crane Foundation, and The Nature Conservancy. Email Katie at katie.beilfuss [at] wisconsinwetlands.org.

Kyle Magyera, WWA’s Wetland Policy Specialist, joined the staff in March 2009. As part of WWA’s expanding policy program, Kyle primarily coordinates local government outreach and provides assistance to citizens and local groups with questions and concerns regarding wetland protection, restoration, and management. He previously worked as a Water Regulations and Zoning Specialist at Wisconsin DNR, and holds Master’s of Science degrees in both Urban and Regional Planning and Water Resources Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Email Kyle at kyle.magyera [at] wisconsinwetlands.org.

Erin O'Brien, WWA's Wetland Policy Director, joined our staff in February 2004. She originally served as our Wetland Policy and Conservation Specialist, and has helped expand our policy programs significantly. Her work focuses on strengthening state rules and regulations governing wetland management and providing support to individuals and communities interested in protecting local wetlands. This work was recognized in 2010 when Community Shares of Wisconsin selected Erin to receive their Linda Sundberg Civil Rights Defender Award. Erin has a Masters degree in Land Resources from UW-Madison and more than seventeen years of experience managing projects for non-profit organizations. Since moving to Wisconsin in 2001, she has also worked on water policy and advocacy projects for the River Alliance of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Association of Lakes. Email Erin at erin.obrien [at] wisconsinwetlands.org.

Stephani Pescitelli became the Wisconsin Wetlands Association’s Office Manager in July 2010, and in 2011 took on additional responsibilities providing assistance to our membership and outreach programs, including managing our field trip program and providing key assistance to our annual Wetland Science Conference. She is a recent graduate of Eastern Illinois University’s Environmental Biology program where she worked in several social justice organizations, did outreach for the Office of Study Abroad, and became the first campus Sustainability Intern. Stephani hopes to eventually attend graduate school at the University of Wisconsin, but is looking forward to time off from academics in order to decide the area of conservation on which to focus her studies. She is grateful for the opportunity to work with the WWA team and looks forward to learning more about the wetlands in this region and how to protect them. Email Stephani at stephani.pescitelli [at] wisconsinwetlands.org.

Key Volunteers

Tara Davenport has been volunteering weekly for Wisconsin Wetlands Association since 2013, assisting with outreach programs and data analysis. Tara grew up in Eugene, Oregon and will happily talk about the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. She received her BS in Biology from Linfield College (McMinnville, OR), MS in Biology from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and is currently working on her PhD in Environment and Resources at UW-Madison. Her graduate research concerns land-use legacies and their effects on fens in Southern Wisconsin. Tara says studying fens has been incredible and she is now a life-long wetland enthusiast!

Kathy Dutilly has been volunteering weekly for Wisconsin Wetlands Association since 2007, assisting with member communications, clerical work, and small research projects. A retired teacher, Kathy wanted to combine her recreational interests with her volunteer work and thought WWA was the perfect place to do that. She and her husband have three sailboats, a kayak and a canoe, all of which are used primarily on the Yahara lakes. Kathy says she appreciates that wetlands are a key component of the water quality they enjoy. Kathy was also recognized with a Backyard Hero Award from Community Shares of WI in November 2011. We thank Kathy for her dedication to wetland conservation.

Rick Jones has been volunteering weekly for Wisconsin Wetlands Association since 2005, assisting with member communications, clerical work, and database management. He is happily retired from the Dane County Library Service and now volunteers with a handful of Madison-based organizations. He’s been a WWA member since 1997 and says he is "happy to be contributing to WWA’s efforts to educate people about the importance of wetlands." WWA recognized Rick for his dedication and with a volunteer award at our 2006 Annual Meeting. Rick was also recognized with a Backyard Hero Award from Community Shares of WI in May 2007. We thank Rick for his dedication to wetland conservation.