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About Us >
About Us
Staff & Bios
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Chrissy Albanese, Education Director,
Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center
A native of Virginia, Chrissy is a graduate of Virginia
Tech with a degree in Environmental Science. She
has worked in a variety of jobs from an interpreter for
the South Carolina State Park Service to the tour and
outreach coordinator on the Poplar Island Environmental
Restoration Project in the Chesapeake Bay. She enjoys
cooking, hiking and camping, as well as playing with her
dogs, Woodstock and Snoopy. |
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Rich Anderson, Assistant Director,
Constitution Marsh Audubon Center and Sanctuary
Rich has been with Audubon since 1995 and has been the
Assistant Director of the Constitution Marsh Audubon Center
and Sanctuary since 1999. Before coming to Audubon,
Rich worked as an environmental educator for New York
State Parks and the Department of Environmental Education. He
is an avid birder and naturalist who received his B.S.
from the State University of New York College of Environmental
Science and Forestry. At the Marsh, Rich does a little
bit of everything, from teaching school groups and leading
canoe trips, to buildings and grounds maintenance. His
main responsibilities, however, are overseeing the intern
program, coordinating invasive plant control efforts and
managing the M.A.P.S. (Mapping Avian Productivity and
Survivorship) bird-banding research station. |
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Blair Broughton, Sanctuary Caretaker,
Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center
A native of Canada, Blair is a graduate of the University
of Calgary and has been a resident of Long Island for
over 11 years. During this time he has worked as a groundskeeper,
estate manager, and horticulturalist for several private
homes and country clubs. Blair is a vice president of
Huntington Audubon Society and enjoys golf and birding,
as well as spending time with his two daughters, Sierra
and Prairie. |
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Alice Bryant, Wildlife Care Coordinator,
Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center
Alice grew up in Rochester, NY and has a degree in Psychology
from Ithaca College. Her first career was working with
people with special needs. In 1989, Alice began working
with macaws which led to helping wildlife rehabilitators
with raptors. In 1991, she continued caring for raptors
doing medical treatments, captive breeding, training and
public education. Alice enjoys travelling, especially
to learn more about Native Americans and their traditions,
sailing, photography and beading. |
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Mike Burger, Director of Conservation
and Science, Ithaca
Mike has been with Audubon New York since 1999, first
as a forest ecologist conducting research in the Adirondacks,
then as Director of Bird Conservation for seven years,
and most recently as Director of Conservation and Science. Based
at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, Mike functions
as Audubon New York's chief scientist, with a responsibility
of providing a solid, science-based foundation for all
of the organization's programs. Additionally, Mike oversees
several of Audubon New York's conservation programs, including
the Important Bird Areas, grassland bird conservation,
and forest biodiversity programs. Prior to coming to Audubon,
Mike earned M.S. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of
Michigan where he studied climatic and physiological determinants
of bird ranges and was supported by a Department of Energy
Global Change Fellowship. |
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Camille Burns, Teacher- Naturalist,
Montezuma Audubon Society
Camille graduated from Southern Illinois University,
Carbondale, with a BS in Forestry. She enjoys awakening
the curiosity of young people to the natural world.
She has held a number of seasonal environmental education
positions with a variety of organizations such as the
Keystone Science School in Colorado, the Ashokan Field
Campus in the Catskills, and the Wild Center in the
Adirondacks. She also served as an AmeriCorps volunteer
for the Maine Conservation Corps as a trail crew team
leader.
Prior to joining the Montezuma Audubon Center, Camille
was a Naturalist for the Adirondack Park Agency Visitor
Interpretive Center in Paul Smith’s, NY. Camille
loves to canoe and backcountry ski with her husband
and their furry friend, Ivy.
In addition to providing programming at Montezuma,
Camille will be delivering programs at the Seneca Meadows
Environmental Education Center through a stewardship
agreement with Seneca Meadows Landfill, Inc. |
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Al Caccese, Executive Director,
Albany
After a 28 year career on the Executive Staff of the New
York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation,
Al became Director of Conservation and Government Relations
for Audubon New York in 2003. When the executive
director's position became available in the spring of
2007, Al was interviewed and offered the position, which
he happily accepted. Al is thrilled with the quality
of Audubon New York staff and Board of Directors and has
identified improved alignment of National Audubon, the
state programs and the chapters and centers as his top
priority. Al is a graduate of Villanova University
and St. John's University School of Law and lives with
his wife Rosanne in Albany. They have three grown
children. |
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Tesi Copa, Teacher-Naturalist
A resident of Long Island, Tesi earned a bachelor’s
in education from Hunter College. She has a strong background
in developing curricula for early childhood education
programs, and has been a youth soccer coach. Tesi is involved
with community-theater and has taught children’s
drama classes. In her downtime she enjoys hiking, yoga,
being outdoors, reading, live music, and eating good food. |
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Graham Cox, Open Space and Forestry
Program Coordinator, Albany
Graham works part-time in the Albany office, responsible
for coordinating open space and sustainable forests programs,
mainly in the Adirondacks Park, Catskill Park and with
neighboring Northern Forest states. He is helping guide
the design and implementation of the habitat conservation
plan for the Fort Edward grassland IBA. He has been with
Audubon since 1990 in various jobs, and before that provided
staff support to the Commission on the Adirondack Park
in the 21st Century, chaired by then Audubon
President Peter Berle. He was an environmental reporter
for Gannett Newspapers in the 1960s, later a natural resource
planner, then DEC Education Director and business editor
for the NYS Economic Development Department until retiring
from state service. He returned to graduate school at
RPI and in 2003 earned a doctorate in ecological economics.
It only took 40 years! He is on the board of the Adirondack
Research Consortium, is a charter member of the US Society
for Ecological Economics and is on the Core Group of the
National Roundtable for Sustainable Forests, providing
advice to the US Forest Service, co-chairing the communications
committee. |
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Larry Federman, Assistant
Warden/ Educator, Rheinstrom Hill, Buttercup Farm, RamsHorn-Livingston
Sanctuary
Larry's history with the Audubon family goes back almost
15 years when he first got involved in his local chapter. He
has served his chapter in numerous capacities and is currently
president, newsletter editor, council delegate, and field
trip leader. Prior to his employment at Audubon,
Larry was a professional musician. His career afforded
him the opportunity to travel the US, Europe, and Western
Caribbean. While traveling and pursuing his musical
endeavors, Larry always made time for birding and experiencing
the marvels of nature. Larry feels that environmental
education is one of the most important keys to maintaining
and furthering an appreciation of birds, wildlife, and
their habitats and in instilling a commitment to conservation. |
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Robin Foster, Education Coordinator
for Audubon New York's For the Birds! Program, Niagara
County
Robin is a lifelong resident of western NY. She has
a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Canisius
College, and earned both a Bachelor’s and Master’s
Degree in Biology from Buffalo State College, where
she studied population decline of the hellbender salamander.
In addition to her research, Robin has worked in a variety
of educational capacities, including elementary school
teacher, pet training instructor, children’s zoo
educator, and most recently, college biology instructor.
Robin also interned as a zookeeper and has volunteered
as a wildlife rehabilitator for the past 7 years. She
enjoys birding, hiking, camping, kayaking, and horseback
riding, and loves to spend time with her two rescued
German Shepherds, Rex and Jasmine. |
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Lisa Ganguzza, Events Associate,
New York City
Lisa graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans,
LA with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and
minors in Environmental Studies and Business. She joined
Audubon New York’s Development Department as Events
Associate, where she assists in the preparation for, and
execution of, Audubon New York events. A native of Miami,
FL, Lisa loved to kayak and go to the beach in her free
time, but is adjusting to the different climate, and hobbies,
New York City has to offer. |
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Jack Impellizeri, Teacher Naturalist,
Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center
A Long Island native, Jack is a recent graduate from SUNY
Purchase with a degree in Environmental Science.
Jack has had a variety of jobs from an athletic assistant,
to an actor-extra, to a summer educator in Florida.
He enjoys spending time with family and friends, drawing,
and finding good restaurants. |
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Kim Keirnan, For the Birds!
Program Coordinator, New York City
Kim handles all the administrative aspects of the
program including strategic planning, curriculum
development, grant writing, managing volunteers, scheduling
schools, and planning habitat enhancement projects and
field trips. Prior to Audubon, Kim worked as
a Park Ranger and also has experience with
tree disease research. She has a BA from Cornell
University and an MS from SUNY ESF. Kim enjoys
backpacking and hearing live music with her family. |
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Jean Lynch Lauricella, Executive
Assistant to the Executive Director, Albany
Prior to joining Audubon, Jean served for over 20 years
in New York State Government as Executive Assistant to
the New York State Assembly Majority Leader; as Executive
Assistant for the New York State Department of Economic
Development, and as Confidential Secretary for the Governor's
Counsel's Office. In addition, Jean worked as the
Executive Assistant to the President of the Center for
Economic Growth and as Director of Corporate Relations
for the American Cancer Society. Jean is an avid camper
and enjoys birding, traveling and music. Jean is married
to Richard Lauricella and has two children, Meghan and
Josh Lynch; and two step sons, Matthew and Timothy Lauricella.
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Eric Lind, Center Director, Constitution
Marsh Audubon Center and Sanctuary
Eric is responsible for all aspects of planning, developing,
operating and managing the Marsh. Prior to this position,
Eric was the Assistant Manager and Education Director
at the sanctuary, where he has worked since 1993. A life-long
resident of the Hudson River Valley, he has a deep personal
connection to the Hudson River and its wild inhabitants.
Eric is an accomplished wildlife photographer and his
work frequently decorates Audubon New York publications. |
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Jillian Liner, Director of Bird
Conservation, Ithaca- at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
She is a native upstate New Yorker and has a BA in Biology
from Skidmore College and a MS in Ecological Planning
from the University of Vermont. Prior to coming
to Audubon NY in 2001, Jillian spent time in Florida,
Minnesota, Montana, and Vermont where most of her work
focused on raptors, but she also assisted NGOs and state
agencies with landscape inventories and conservation plans.
Jillian loves hiking, skiing, and biking with her husband,
Eric, and their quirky dog, Sadie, though much of her
free time lately has been spent assisting with the renovations
of their 1820s home. |
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Daphne M. Lumpkin, Office Manager
& Meeting Coordinator, Albany
Daphne is a native of Albany and a graduate of Bryant
& Stratton Business Institute. Before Audubon
she worked with child support services, a division of
Lockheed Martin IMS for 5 years. She has been with Audubon
since 1997 when she was hired as an Administrative Assistant
and is currently the Office Manager and Meeting Coordinator. Daphne
also does all the designing and layouts for our publications
and event invitations. In her spare time she
enjoys writing poetry, swimming, cooking and various volunteer
work for her church. |
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Sean Mahar, Director of Government
Relations and Communications, Albany
A graduate of Siena College, Sean began as the Grassroots
Coordinator for Audubon New York in 2002. He currently
works on advancing state and federal legislative priorities
for Audubon New York, and effectively promoting Audubon
in the media. When not at work, Sean enjoys biking, bird
watching, and being outdoors as much as possible. |
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Haley Main, Education Coordinator
for Audubon New York's For the Birds! Program,
New York City
Haley has worked as an educator with FTB! since
2002, reaching thousands of students within the NYC area
with the good word on birds. Originally from Ohio, Haley
received a BA in Botany from Miami University in 1996. Recently,
she also completed a Masters of Professional Studies in
Church Ministry, where she explored the issue of environmental
stewardship and the responsibility of the Church. Over
the last 10 years, she has pursued her passion for the
outdoors working as a naturalist for several non-profit
camping organizations, as well as an environmental center
in Michigan. Prior to her employment with Audubon NY,
Haley worked as a park interpreter for the Arkansas
State Park system, where her interest in birds first began.
The interest quickly turned to passion over the past five
years working with Audubon NY. |
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Connie Mayer, Development Director,
Constitution Marsh Audubon Center and Sanctuary
Connie has been an environmental activist and naturalist
for three decades. She was active in the Sierra Club leadership
in college and, after being introduced to wolves at Berkeley
worked to protect them in the wild through legislation,
education and by introducing them to the general public
in wildlife programs. She has been with Audubon's Constitution
Marsh for over 10 years, first as Program Director and
now as Development Director. She grew up along the Hudson
River and is dedicated to preserving the river and marsh
as natural resources for future generations. |
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Laura McCarthy, Grassroots Coordinator,
Albany
Laura oversees the grassroots efforts of the conservation
and policy programs of Audubon New York and works very
closely with our Audubon chapters. Laura is a Central
New York native who graduated from St. Lawrence University.
Some of her most notable former activities and jobs include
being a "birthday artist" for a paint-your-own pottery
studio, leading a nature discovery camp for preschoolers
in Vermont, and interning at a women's rights non-profit
in Kisumu, Kenya. Laura most recently worked with the
New York advocacy organization, Citizens Environmental
Coalition (CEC), where she focused on pollution prevention
and residential green building and authored a book entitled
"The World at Home: A Household Guide to Building Green."
Laura lives in Albany where she enjoys shopping at farmers
markets, designing and creating jewelry, painting with
watercolors, playing ultimate frisbee, skiing and hiking.
She aspires to one day be a 46er. |
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Rich Merritt, Director of Operations
and Administration, Albany
Rich began working for Audubon in 1998 and he handles
the finances and administration for the state program
as well as infrastructure, information systems, human
resources, grant processing and pretty much all the stuff
that nobody else wants to do. In his spare hours, which
his boss likes to point out is most of the time; Rich
enjoys hiking, campfire gatherings, birding, skiing, laughing,
singing, cooking and hugs. |
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Mike Morgan, Wildlife Ecologist,
Ithaca
Mike coordinates the Grassland Bird Program, which includes
cooperating with the NYS DEC to implement an incentive
program encouraging private landowners to conserve grassland
habitat, and organizing a partnership of conservation
agencies and organizations committed to grassland bird
conservation in New York. Prior to joining Audubon,
he worked for the USFWS and NYSDEC in western NY, and
conducted graduate research on techniques for estimating
productivity of grassland birds at Iroquois National Wildlife
Refuge. In his free time, Mike volunteers for the Friends
of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex, and enjoys canoeing,
camping, dog training, mountain biking, soccer, ultimate
frisbee, carpentry, gardening, raising chickens, maple
syruping, home remodeling, snowshoeing, skiing, hunting,
and more. |
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Frank Moses, Center Director,
Montezuma Audubon Center
Frank has been Director of the Montezuma Audubon Center
since October, 2006. Frank is a graduate of Paul
Smiths College, former Development and Outreach staff
member and graduate of SUNY ESF. He was also a Program
Coordinator for an outdoor education company called Nature's
Classroom and Director of an Environmental Education Camp
for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Frank enjoys Finger Lakes Winery Tours and writing songs
on his guitar. |
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Pam Musk, Director of Centers
and Education, Albany
Pam joined Audubon New York in 2007 as Director of Centers
and Education. She supervises the 6 Audubon Centers currently
operating in New York, works on creating new centers and
directs the education program statewide. Pam's background
includes 7 years as a Sanctuary Director at Mass Audubon.
She has extensive experience as an educator at a variety
of nature centers and as a high school biology teacher
both in the United States and in the Peace Corps in Kenya.
Pam holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology and Environmental
Studies from St. Lawrence University. She also has a Master
of Arts degree in Educational Studies from the University
of Connecticut and a Master of Science degree in Environmental
Studies from Antioch New England Graduate School. |
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Lauren Newton, Supervising Educator,
Prospect Park Audubon Center
Lauren, a Brooklyn native, came to PPAC in late 2006.
Previously she worked at the Brooklyn Children's Museum
as an Early Childhood Assistant and as a teaching Fellow
at the Bronx Zoo. No stranger to animals, Lauren has also
worked at both Central Park and Prospect Park Zoos and
holds a BS in Wildlife Science from The SUNY of Environmental
Science and Forestry. |
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Tom O'Handley, Director of Development,
New York City
Tom oversees Audubon New York's statewide development
programs, working with a team that includes, in addition
to his own and other Audubon staff, Board members and
numerous volunteers. During the 2006-2007 year, the team
raised a record $2.1 million for annual programs, as well
as more than $1 million in capital and endowment commitments
for various projects. Prior to joining Audubon in 2004,
Tom worked in development for a variety of institutions,
including Poly Prep Country Day School (Brooklyn), The
Huntington Theatre Company (Boston), Washington College
(Maryland), and the University of Wisconsin (Madison),
his alma mater. Tom and wife Jayme Koszyn live in Brooklyn
with their son Billy. |
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Meghan Pino, Supervising Educator,
School Programs, Prospect Park Audubon Center
Meghan started her environmental career by introducing
humans to the world of backcountry camping in 2002. She
has guided wilderness trips throughout Mexico and California
in areas as diverse as backpacking, kayaking, and spelunking.
She took some time off to make really good café
lattes, but is back where she belongs, fostering a love
of nature in Brooklyn’s children as the Supervising
Educator of School Programs. She also reads good books,
eats popcorn, and is earning an MFA in literary nonfiction. |
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Carolyn Spilman, Long Island Bird
Conservation Coordinator, Long Island
Carolyn holds a B.S. in Biology and a M.S. in Wildlife
Management from the State University of New York. She
has worked across the country on various avian research
projects involving loons in the Adirondacks, grassland
birds in Nebraska, and waterfowl in California. Her research
interests include the effects of human activities and
development on wildlife populations. In her spare
time Carolyn enjoys birding, reading, and hiking with
her dog, Oakley. |
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Carol Stokes-Cawley, Education
Manager, Montezuma Audubon Center
Carol holds a B.S. in Chemistry from St. Lawrence University
and M.S.P.H. from the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill. She spent nine years with EPA Region
III working on Superfund sites and the Clean Water Act.
Before her tenure at the Center, Carol headed up the Syracuse
Nature in the City program for the Centers for
Nature Education at Baltimore Woods in Marcellus, NY. Carol
is on the Board of the New York Outdoor Educators Association
and in her off time, enjoys kayaking, swimming, and hiking
with her husband and three teenagers. |
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Aaron Virgin, Center Director,
Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center
A native of Oswego, NY, Aaron has a master's in wildlife
management from the College of Environmental Science &
Forestry, Syracuse. He has been with Audubon for over
5 years, working in National, state and local capacities.
Previously he has worked for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service and NYS Parks as a biologist and educator, respectively.
Kayaking, birding, and long nature walks occupy much of
his free time. |
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Jessica Wells, Assistant Director
of Development and Major Gifts Associate, New York City
Jessica began working for Audubon New York in June 2008
in this newly-created position. She is pleased to be working
with individuals across the state, using her fund-raising
powers to help the environment, promote conservation,
and protect animals. Previously, she worked in development
at Barnard College, Juilliard, and Theatre Development
Fund. A graduate of Barnard College, Jessica has lived
in uptown Manhattan for 12 years. She has published short
stories and is an amateur cartographer. In 2005, she founded
the New York Hamster House, which has rescued over 600
animals. Her grandfather Mac, an underground architect,
helped encourage her love of wildlife and conservation. |
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Jonathan Wells, Manager of Education
Programs
Jonathan escaped the corporate world in 2003 to connect
people with nature and hasn't looked back since. Before
working for Audubon he worked as a Park Ranger specializing
in wilderness survival, tracking, and urban environmental
education. Currently, Jonathan is completing his
Master's of Environmental Conservation Education at New
York University while working in the greatest urban park
in the world. |
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David Wheeler, Warden/Sanctuary
Manager, Rheinstrom Hill Audubon Center and Sanctuary
Dave worked for Mr. Rheinstrom before it became an Audubon
Sanctuary and is the longest tenured employee of Audubon
New York. His trail care and carpentry skills are utilized
regularly at Centers throughout the state. In his free
time Dave enjoys fishing and hunting down poachers. |
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