Ben Stegenga
Research Assistant
Ben Stegenga
Ben leads our species-based research and monitoring projects. He grew up at Table Rock State Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina, where his parents fostered a love of wildlife in him at an early age. He spent much of his childhood helping his dad and local biologists survey for wildlife in the park and caring for the animals in the park’s nature center. Ben received a B.S. in Biology at Southern Wesleyan University in 2011, and then went on to earn a M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology from Clemson University in 2014. After graduation, he taught herpetology as an adjunct professor at Southern Wesleyan University, then he spent a term with the Great Basin Institute studying Mojave Desert Tortoises. Ben maintains many of The Orianne Society’s captive reptiles, as well as some of his own, for use in public outreach. His hobbies include kayaking, backpacking, wildlife photography, and fishing.
Blake Adams
Longleaf Stewardship Center Manager
Blake Adams
Blake serves as the Manager for the Longleaf Stewardship Center. As part of the prescribed fire team, he also leads the groundcover restoration efforts in the Longleaf Savannas. Blake earned an Associates’ Degree in 2021 for Land Management, Wildlife Management, Timber Cruising, and Surveying. With his past experience in prescribed fire, he found interest in working within the Longleaf Savannas to apply conservation actions and help restore these beautiful habitats. His hobbies include hunting, fishing, fabricating, and working on his family farm.
Caleb Goldsmith
Director of Fire Ecology and Management
Caleb Goldsmith
Caleb grew up in Blacksburg, VA and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resource Conservation from Virginia Tech in 2014. He worked with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation as a natural resource specialist assistant where he got his introduction to fire as a management tool. His knowledge in fire ecology and forest management was enhanced while employed for the Department of Military Affairs at Fort Pickett, Blackstone, VA as a natural resource specialist, where he helped manage forest and wildlife resources on 41,000 acres of federally owned land. Curiosity and interest in fire ecology and science brought him back to academia where he completed a Master of Science degree from Mississippi State in 2021 while conducting numerous research projects for the Forest and Fire Ecology lab. His first study investigated upland oak and mesophyte response to single and multiple dormant seasons prescribed fire and the impacts on seedling growth, stand structure and species composition. The second investigated the impacts of the invasive species, Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stiltgrass), on seedling growth and survival of three common hardwood species. Outside of work, Caleb enjoys fishing, hunting, hiking, traveling, and various types of music.
Charli Thompson
Program Manager
Charli Thompson
Charli is the Program Manager for The Orianne Society. Her responsibilities include accounting and administrative tasks. She worked for a CPA firm as a bookkeeper for 8 years before coming to The Orianne Society and graduated in 2016 with an associate’s degree in accounting. In her spare time you can find her outdoors with her husband and dog, or reading or crafting on her front porch.
Dr. Chris Jenkins
Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Chris Jenkins
Chris received a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Massachusetts in wildlife biology and wildlife conservation, respectively. He received his Ph.D. in biological sciences from Idaho State University. He has worked with Wildlife Conservation Society, the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, University of Massachusetts, University of British Columbia and National Geographic. Chris’ current projects include land protection in Longleaf Pine ecosystems, ecology and conservation of Timber Rattlesnakes and the conservation of Giant Tortoises. He founded and formally chaired the IUCN Viper Specialist Group and has served on many board and committees including the National Committee for Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, University of Georgia Press, and the Indian Ocean Tortoise Alliance. 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, Venomous Snakes of the Southeast.
Gary Baldaeus
Chief Financial Officer
Gary Baldaeus
After completing eight years of military service during the 1960’s, he obtained his B.B.A. in accounting from City University of New York-Baruch College. Upon graduation, he joined Ernst & Young and retired after 30 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 nonprofit 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.
Heidi Hall
Director of Development
Heidi Hall
Heidi is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of a strategic plan to broaden the reach of and raise funding for the organization. Her interests include determining and implementing effective ways to communicate the need for reptile and amphibian conservation; educating the public about the importance of these species; building strong partnerships with private, non-profit, and state and federal organizations; developing and implementing strategic fundraising campaigns; and organizing citizens to participate in necessary and useful research on reptile and amphibians that enhance The Orianne Society’s conservation efforts. She studied fisheries and wildlife management at Hocking College in Ohio where she earned a degree in fisheries and wildlife management and continued her education at the University of Idaho, studying wildlife management, earning degrees in biology.
Dr. Houston Chandler
Director of Science
Houston Chandler
Houston leads our science-based conservation projects. He previously served as Species Coordinator and Director as part of the Longleaf Savannas Initiative. Houston has a PhD and MS degree in Fish and Wildlife Conservation from Virginia Tech, where he worked with Dr. Carola Haas. His graduate studies focused on understanding how a variety of factors influence Eastern Indigo Snake and Reticulated Flatwoods Salamander populations. He also completed several projects examining the ecology and hydrology of ephemeral wetlands. Previously, Houston completed a B.S. in Biology at Georgia College and State University and worked as an Aquatic Diversity Intern for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Houston is broadly interested in the conservation and management of reptile and amphibian populations, especially in the southeastern US. He has particular interests in understanding responses to global change, population biology, wetland hydrology, and using creative techniques to fill important data gaps in our natural history knowledge for rare herpetofauna. While at Orianne, Houston has worked on a wide variety of species, including Eastern Indigo Snakes, Reticulated Flatwoods Salamanders, Spotted Turtles, Eastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnakes, and Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtles.
Dr. Javan M. Bauder
Independent Researcher
Dr. Javan M. Bauder
Javan Bauder is an Assistant Unit Leader at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Javan earned his B.S. in Wildlife Resources from the University of Idaho and M.S. from Idaho State University. Javan joined The Orianne Society in 2009 as an Assistant Conservation Scientist and worked on multiple projects. Javan returned to graduate school at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where his dissertation work examined landscape effects on Eastern Indigo Snake movement, population viability, and genetic connectivity. Javan then worked as a post-doc with the Illinois Natural History Survey studying population trends in mammalian carnivores in the Midwest before joining the Arizona Coop Unit in 2021. Javan continues to collaborate with The Orianne Society on Eastern Indigo Snake research focusing on habitat, connectivity, and population modeling.
Kevin Hutcheson
Research Technician
Kevin Hutcheson
Kevin Hutcheson is a seasonal research technician for The Orianne Society. He grew up in the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky where he frequently spent weekends in the mountains of the Cumberland Plateau. It was here that he really gained an appreciation for herpetology as he began to photograph salamanders and snakes. Kevin recently turned this passion into a professional career by graduating with a degree in wildlife science from the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. Through his time at Warnell he was able to make great friends through The Orianne Society and help out on a few projects here in Georgia. Kevin is excited to continue the good conservation work The Orianne Society has done on these amazing animals.
Kiley Briggs
Director of Conservation
Kiley Briggs
As the Director of Conservation, Kiley oversees The Orianne Society's landscape-based conservation programs. After a childhood flipping rocks in search of salamanders in Vermont, Kiley first came to Orianne as a field technician in 2011, a few years after graduating from the University of Vermont with a degree in Wildlife Biology. After some time away, during which he studied the habitat use of Texas Tortoises in pursuit of his Master’s degree at the University of Texas, Kiley returned to The Orianne Society in 2017. With experience working on research and conservation projects with many species, including Wood Turtles, Timber Rattlesnakes, Indigo Snakes, Gopher Tortoises, and Mudpuppies, Kiley strives to protect and restore critical habitat for imperiled reptiles and amphibians, especially on private working lands where farmers form the backbone of local farm-to-table economies. Outside of work, Kiley is an amateur photographer and aquarium hobbyist in Vermont where he also enjoys hiking and kayaking with his wife and dogs. Kiley is also a member of the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group.
Marcus Rehrman
Land Management Technician
Marcus Rehrman
Marcus is a land management technician for The Orianne Society. He is originally from the Sacramento area in California where he went to Chico State University and majored in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Zoology. While studying there, he developed an appreciation for herpetology. In 2021, he worked with the Giant Garter Snake, and in 2022, worked with the Oregon Spotted Frog and Cascades Torrent Salamander, both with USGS. Marcus is excited to work on prescribed burns and land management as well as see the incredible diversity of herps The Orianne Society has to offer here in Georgia.
Mel Lohrer
Research Technician
Mel Lohrer
Mel is a graduate student in Conservation Biology at Antioch University New England, where she is focused on conservation for threatened and endangered turtle species. For her thesis she is looking at habitat use by Wood Turtles in agricultural settings using GPS trackers. She received her Bachelor’s degree in ecology from Sterling College in 2020. From a young age Mel has loved amphibians and reptiles and enjoyed running through the woods near her Massachusetts home. She enjoys hiking, being outside, photography, working out, and being a coach at her local CrossFit gym. Mel has been with The Orianne Society in the northeast since 2018.
Nick Hughes
Land Management Technician
Nick Hughes
Nick is a land management technician with The Orianne Society. Having a passion for science and conservation, he received a Bachelors of Science (Wildlife Biology) at Texas State University in fall of 2021. In 2022, Nick spent time working with Alligator Snapping Turtles, Western Chicken Turtles, Eastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnakes and other non-herp species on different monitoring projects. Working with these fantastic creatures and understanding their place in the habitat sparked a passion for land management. Hoping to continue in the land management field, Nick is excited to accumulate knowledge and work on prescribed burns and other management tasks here in Georgia.
Ryne Huggins
Seasonal Technician
Ryne Huggins
Ryne is a seasonal technician for the Orianne Society, focusing on sandhill snake conservation. He grew up in Newberry, South Carolina where he fostered a love for snakes and other herps at an early age. Ryne got his bachelor's degree from Clemson University in Parks and Conservation Area Management with a minor in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology, where he also played baseball for four years. As an undergrad, he worked on various projects involving Northern Pine Snakes, Copperheads, and Northern Water Snakes in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Since undergrad, Ryne has worked at the UGA Savannah River Ecology Laboratory with a wide variety of Coastal Plains herp species, and for Marshall University, specifically working with Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes. Ryne is most interested in applied conservation strategies for upland Coastal Plains snake species such as Eastern Diamondbacks, Pine Snakes, and Southern Hognose Snakes.
Tracy Karplus
Director of Communication
Tracy Karplus
Born in Singapore, Tracy grew up within the Asia-Pacific region and travelled extensively. She spent many of her younger years keeping various reptiles and amphibians and nurturing a fascination with marine biology as an avid scuba diver. She attended Pitzer College in Claremont, California and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Fine Arts with a focus in photography. Tracy worked in television advertising as an Associate Producer and Prop Stylist for SoloVision Productions, Inc. in New York City, whose clients included the Food Network, HGTV and the CBS Evening News. She is now based out of North Georgia, and enjoys cooking, hiking, pyrography, printmaking and wildlife photography.