Background
We live in a bountiful country, rich beyond measure with mountains, forests, lakes, rivers, plains, diversity of species and game. I feel honored to have invested nearly all of my adult life enhancing and preserving this natural resource. I spent 22 years conducting genomic research on conifers and mapping genes that control important adaptive traits like dormancy release and cold-hardiness. Five of those years were focused on isolating the DNA sequence in sugar pine responsible for resistance to the invasive fungal pathogen that causes White Pine Blister Rust. In the final six years of my employment with the Pacific Southwest Research Station, I was fortunate to migrate from studying trees back to working with wildlife. Though I have some experience with reptiles and birds, my strength and enthusiasm revolve around terrestrial mammals. My varied background in plants and animals, molecules and landscapes is woven into an intricate web of understanding, connecting molecules to traits to populations to environments and behaviors. I am never bored because this world offers countless new avenues of discovery and connections.
Education
- M.S. in Genetics, University of California, Davis, CA (1997)
- B.S. in Animal Conservation Biology, California State University, Sacramento, CA (1981)
- A.A. in General Education, American River Community College, Placerville, CA (1976)
Employment
USDA Forest Service, Institute of Forest Genetics, Pacific Southwest Research Station (1989 – 2016, Retired)
Many thanks to colleagues and mentors David Neale, Kathryn Purcell and Sandra Jacobson for a rich and gratifying career in research.