Our Staff

Doug Gorby
Coordinator
Phone: 517-351-8286 / Mobile: 517-388-5258 / Fax: 517-351-1443
E-mail: douglas_gorby@fws.gov

Mohammed Al-Saffar
Bird Conservation Modeler
Phone: 517-351-8334 / Fax: 517-351-1443
Email: mohammed_al-saffar@fws.gov

Anna Sidie-Slettedahl
Assistant Coordinator
Phone: 612-713-5129
E-mail: anna_sidie-slettedahl@fws.gov

Jayme Strange
Northern Forests Conservation Delivery Network Coordinator
Phone: 763-486-9090
E-mail: JStrange@abcbirds.org

Science Coordinator – Vacant

“We abuse land because we see it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”

– Aldo Leopold

Management Board

Shawn Graff, Chair
Vice President, Great Lake Region
American Bird Conservancy

Nathaniel Miller
Director of Conservation, Upper Mississippi Flyway,
National Audubon Society
Audubon Great Lakes

Jason Hill
Director of Conservation Programs
Ducks Unlimited

Don Kahl
Field Operations Section Head
Wildlife Resources Division
Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Vacant
Indiana Department of Natural Resources

Todd Bishop
Chief, Wildlife Bureau
Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Brad Rueschhoff
Region 2 Wildlife Supervisor
Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

Steve Chadwick
Senior Great Lakes Wetland Advisor
Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Ricky Lien
Wetland Habitat Team Supervisor
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Dawn Henderson
Terrestrial, Technology, and Social
Sciences Section Chief
Missouri Department of Conservation

Patrick Lydon
Landscape Architect
National Park Service

Sam Adams
Assistant State (IA) Conservationist for Programs
Natural Resources Conservation Service

Ted LaGrange
Wetland Program Manager
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

Jack Scott
VP Sustainability and Responsible Sourcing
Nestle Purina PetCare

Dave Sherman
Wetland Habitat Coordinator
Ohio Division of Wildlife

Brent Rudolph
Director of Sustainability Partnerships
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever

Jon Steigerwaldt
Forest Conservation Director:
Great Lakes/Upper Midwest
Ruffed Grouse Society/American Woodcock Society

Michele Kille, Vice Chair
Strategic Partnerships Manager
The Nature Conservancy

Brian W. Smith
Assistant Regional Director, Migratory Birds
Midwest Region
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Tracy Grazia
Eastern Region Wildlife Program Manager
U.S. Forest Service

Christopher Churchill
Chief – Ecological Sciences Branch
Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
U.S. Geological Survey

Tim Lizotte
Land & Habitat Conservation Supervisor
Bureau of Wildlife Management
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Science Team

The JV Science Team is comprised of four bird group committees (Waterfowl, Landbirds, Waterbirds, and Shorebirds) plus a JV Technical Committee. The bird-group committees are ad-hoc, providing expertise for planning and evaluation as needed, whereas the Technical Committee is a standing committee in the JV by-laws. In addition to the duties related to the bird-group committees, JV Technical Committee members are responsible for reviewing, ranking, and providing funding recommendations for research and monitoring projects to fill formation gaps in our science program and to test planning assumptions via the annual Joint Venture Flex Fund Grant Program.

Science Team Chair – Vacant (JV Science Coordinator)

Waterfowl

John Simpson, Co-Chair (WPMC)
Mike Eichholz, Co-Chair (SIU)
Mohammed Al-Saffar (FWS-JV)
Auriel Fournier (IL NHS)
Robert Gates (OSU)
Adam Janke (ISU)
Randy Knapik (MI DNR)
Kiandra Rajala (FWS-SA)
Amy Shipley (WDNR)
Randy Smith (TNC)

Waterbird

Mike Monfils, Co-Chair (MI NFI)
Rachael Pierce, Co-Chair (FWS-MB)
Mohammed Al-Saffar (FWS-JV)
Auriel Fournier (IL NHS)
Brian Loges (FWS-NWR)
Sumner Matteson (WDNR)
Frank Nelson (MO DOC)
Sarah Saunders (Audubon)
Brendan Shirkey (WPMC)
Anna Sidie-Slettedahl (FWS-JV)

Shorebird

Vacant, Co-Chair
Vacant, Co-Chair
Mohammed Al-Saffar (FWS-JV)
Robert Gates (OSU)
Shawn Graff (ABC)
Sumner Matteson (WDNR)
Ben O’Neal (Franklin College)
Mike Wells (FWS-MB)

Landbird

Chris Tonra, Co-Chair (OSU)
Andy Forbes, Co-Chair (FWS-MB)
Mohammed Al-Saffar (FWS-JV)
Kelly VanBeek (FWS-MB)
David Ewert (ABC)
Allisyn-Marie Gillet (IN DNR)
Shawn Graff (ABC)
Jim Herkert (IL Audubon – retired)
Sarah Kendrick (FWS-MB)
Mark Nelson (USFS)
Mike Ward (IL NHS)

JV Technical Committee

Andy Forbes, Co-Chair (FWS-MB)
Auriel Fournier, Co-Chair (INHS)
Mike Eichholz (SIU)
Robert Gates (OSU)
Frank Nelson (MO DOC)
Kiandra Rajala (FWS-SA)
Kelly VanBeek (FWS-MB)