Dr. Chris Jenkins is Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of The Orianne Society. Chris has also worked with Wildlife Conservation Society, the US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, University of Massachusetts, University of British Columbia, and National Geographic. He has worked on the conservation of reptiles and amphibians throughout North America and is currently expanding his work internationally. Chris’ primary interests are in the ecology and conservation of snakes and managing nonprofit conservation organizations but he has strong interests in the conservation biology of all reptiles and amphibians. He received a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Massachusetts in Wildlife Biology and Conservation and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Idaho State University. His dissertation focused on the effect of livestock grazing, invasive plants, and altered fire regimes on the reproductive ecology of Great Basin rattlesnakes. Chris’ current projects include protection and management of indigo snakes and their habitats, understanding the factors responsible for the decline of indigo snakes, restoration of gopher tortoise and indigo snake populations, and the conservation of vipers including rattlesnakes of the Rocky Mountains, Appalachian populations of timber rattlesnakes, Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes, and Bushmasters. Chris founded and chairs the IUCN Viper Specialist Group and serves as co-chair on the Steering Committee for the Southeast Region of Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. Chris has contributed to multiple scientific papers and has written multiple book chapters including Modeling Snake Distribution and Habitat in the recently published book titled Snakes: Ecology and Conservation. Chris is currently writing a book titled, The Indigo Snake: A Complete Guide to their Biology, Behavior, and Conservation.
Staff
Gary serves as The Orianne Society’s Chief Financial Officer. After completing eight years of military service during the 1960’s, he obtained his BBA in accounting from City University of New York-Baruch College. Upon graduation he joined Ernst & Young and retired after thirty years with the Firm. While with Ernst & Young he served in numerous capacities as an audit and consulting partner, including, among other things, as a specialist in the healthcare and non-profit industries. He is a practicing CPA, and a member of the AICPA, NYSSCPAs, and other professional and social organizations. He has presented to a broad array of professional organizations on all aspects of accounting and operating matters and has served as an adjunct professor at New York Medical College. He is a member of the board of directors and serves as Audit Committee Chairman of Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center, a tax exempt nursing home organization located in New York City serving children with significant medical needs.
Growing up in Arcadia, California, Fred spent his early years scouring the San Gabriel Mountains in search of reptiles and amphibians. By his early teens, he maintained an impressive collection of local herps along with exotic pythons, monitor lizards, and eventually venomous snakes; the latter becoming his focal area of interest and research to this day. Fred pursued his formal education at Montana State University, graduating with a degree in Fish and Wildlife Management (Bachelor of Science, 1975). His career in the zoo field began as an Elephant Keeper at the Central Florida Zoo, Reptile Keeper at the Dallas Zoo, and Research Assistant at the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission’s Wildlife Research Lab, where he worked with the critically endangered Dusky Seaside Sparrow. Fred joined the staff of Santa Fe Community College Teaching Zoo, and as Zoo Curator taught students in the Biological Parks Program who were pursuing careers as keepers in the zoo field. Fred returned to the Central Florida Zoo in 1989, where he was Director of Operation/General Curator prior to joining the Orianne Society in May, 2009. Fred has served the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) as Population Manager for the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, Vice Chair for Studbooks and Population Management Plan for the Wildlife Conservation Management Committee (WCMC), and is currently a member of the Steering Committee for the AZA Snake Advisory Group. Fred’s interest in the Eastern Indigo Snake began early in his career when he successfully reproduced indigos at the Central Florida Zoo and Santa Fe Teaching Zoo. In 2008, he published the first AZA Eastern Indigo Snake Regional Studbook and Population Management Plan to scientifically manage the captive population. With the upcoming construction of the OCIC facilities, Fred exclaims that "this is an incredible opportunity to expand our knowledge of snake behavior and reproductive physiology by providing novel environments that promote long-term breeding success."
Javan Bauder received his B.S. in wildlife resources from the University of Idaho in 2007, and his M.S. in biology from Idaho State University in 2009. For his master’s research, Javan studied prairie rattlesnake movements and habitat selection in the Frank Church Wilderness of central Idaho and how mountainous topography and prey availability influenced those movements. Javan is currently studying the thermal ecology of eastern indigo snakes in southern Georgia to understand how alterations to their thermal environment may have contributed towards their declines and is assisting in the development of an occupancy monitoring program for indigo snakes in the Altamaha River drainage. Javan’s primary research interests are the spatial ecology and conservation biology of reptiles and amphibians. He has previously studied amphibian use of manmade wetlands, and used genetic techniques to determine the source of a potentially introduced population of salamander in northern Idaho. Javan has also worked on a variety of wildlife research projects including amphibian landscape genetics in northern Idaho, southwestern willow flycatcher nest monitoring in Arizona, prairie falcon surveys in southern Idaho, and raptor monitoring on the Washington coast. Javan currently lives in northeast Georgia.
Sue Bottoms, a native of north Georgia, worked as a paralegal for a law firm. Sue had the privilege to fulfill her desire to serve the public when she was elected to the office of Probate Judge. She has owned three businesses and enjoys taking on new challenges. After deciding to pursue a new venture in life and learning about the mission of The Orianne Society, Sue began working as an Administrative Assistant for the organization. Sue is currently a board member of a non-profit school and enjoys the fundraising aspect of her position. Sue and her husband have one son and three dogs. She enjoys spending time with family, camping, and traveling.
Jeff Brewer is the Field Operations Coordinator for The Orianne Society's Land Management Team. He was born in California and has lived in South Carolina, Florida and Georgia. He graduated high school in Prattville, Alabama with vocational forestry training. Jeff has attended timber cruising workshops at the University of Georgia and numerous short courses on Rare and Endangered Species, Water Shed Protection, Georgia Master Timber Harvester, Georgia Certified Prescribed Burner and is a member of the Georgia Prescribed Fire Council. His 20 years of forestry work here in South Central Georgia consists of cruising timber, buying timber, marking timber, timber sales preparation, logging supervision, reforestation and prescribe burning. He has an extreme fondness for the outdoors and is an avid hunter and fisherman.
Kiley Briggs grew up in Vermont and earned a B.S. in wildlife biology in 2008. Since then he has worked as a field and office assistant for the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas Project and as a technician on a project aimed at developing an adequate sampling method for Mudpuppies in the northeast. During this time he was also the TA for a field herpetology class taught at UVM. In addition to working with reptiles and amphibians he served as a technician in a field study looking at the nesting success of grassland birds in agricultural environments and spent a summer working in the field with a graduate student studying the population dynamics of Rainbow Smelt after the introduction of Alewife into Lake Champlain. His primary interests lie in the conservation and restoration of Rattlesnake populations in New England and hopes to soon be pursuing a masters degree in that field.
Heidi Hall (Holm) studied Fisheries and Wildlife Management at Hocking College in Ohio where she earned a degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Management. After a little globe-trekking, she continued her education at the University of Idaho, studying Wildlife Biology, earning a B.S. in Biology in 2003. Upon graduating, Heidi began her career as a consultant, working primarily with the Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act; working with various species ranging from sage grouse to salmon. Heidi has conducted and written numerous Biological Assessments, Environmental Impact Statements, and Habitat Assessments, and is also proficient in grant and proposal writing. Having always wanted to work in the non-profit realm, Heidi is very pleased to be the Program Manager for The Orianne Society. She currently resides in the Southern Appalachian Mountains with her husband and two dogs; where they enjoy an active life full of motorcycle riding, fly fishing, and hiking.
Drew is a Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW) who previously served as the Principal Web Designer of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. His experience in natural and historical resource conservation includes work as a field and lab technician for Janus Research, duty as a wildland firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service, and involvement in ecosystem restoration for the Pinellas County Park Department. He was conferred his CIW from St. Petersburg College and holds a B.A. cum laude in Mass Communications from the University of South Florida. He has served as the Legislative Assistant to a Florida State Senator and founded Ventureus Inc., a web consulting firm helping small businesses compete in the online global marketplace. Drew and his wife, Faith, live in Rabun County where they hike Appalachian trails and endeavor to save turtles crossing the road.
Throughout his career Mike has worked to engage the public and raise awareness on a number of important environmental issues, from energy efficiency and conservation to land use planning and management. He has a degree in communications from Park College—a small liberal arts school located in Parkville, MO.—where he was an all-American in track and field. He currently serves on the board of trustees for the Little Tennessee Watershed Association and is the founder of a non-profit community group working to promote civic engagement on local issues in Macon County, NC. Mike lives with his wife, a research ecologist, and their young son in the mountains of western North Carolina. When he’s not working or spending time with his family he enjoys playing guitar with his rock and roll band.
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