2012 Board of Governors

Mission Statement | Bylaws | Long Range Plan | Board of Governors

OFFICERS

CHAIR
Melissa Toni
Federal Highway Administration – Albany, NY

1st VICE CHAIR
Frances Reese
Rochester, NY

2nd VICE CHAIR
Michael Fishman
Barton & Loguidice, P.C. – Syracuse, NY

TREASURER
Stephanie Wojtowicz
NYS Department of State, Division of Coastal Resources – Albany, NY

SECRETARY
Frances Reese
Rochester, NY

AT-LARGE BOARD MEMBERS

Kathleen M. Bennett, Esq.
Bond, Schoeneck and King, PLLC – Syracuse, NY

Charlotte Brett
Buffalo, NY

Johanna Duffy
Barton & Loguidice, P.C. – Syracuse, NY

Edward Frantz
NYS Department of Transportation – Utica, NY

Peter B. Gibbs
Regional Biologist, NRCS – Watertown, NY

Joseph McMullen
Terrestrial Environmental Specialists, Inc. – Phoenix, NY

Sandra Doran
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Cortland, NY

Kurt Weiskotten
NYS Thruway Authority/Canal Corporation – Albany, NY

Kevin Bliss
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation – Cortland, NY

Donald Lockwood
Shumaker Consulting Engineering & Land Surveying, P.C. – Binghamton, NY

Sheila Hess
Conservation Connects – Alexander, NY

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BOARD BIOGRAPHIES

Bliss , Kevin R.

Kevin R. Bliss (Forum Chair 2007 -2010) is a Senior Environmental Analyst with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. He functions as project manager in the review of permit applications for all Department jurisdictions, most frequently including those related to water and wetland impacts.  Kevin is also an adjunct professor at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry where he teaches Wetland Practicum, an evening graduate course related to wetland ecology and management, and also teaches Ecology  at Bryant and Stratton College.  Past employment included private consulting with an environmental and civil engineering firm as well as environmental planning within local government.  Kevin is a Ph. D. candidate studying water and wetland ecosystems at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry where he received his M.S. in Environmental Science, concentrating in Water Resources Management.  Kevin's undergraduate degrees are in Hydrology, and in Fisheries and Wildlife Technology.   Kevin is a charter Board member of the Great Swamp Conservancy, a non-profit environmental education nature center.  Kevin's goals for the NYS Wetlands Forum are to expand student membership, update the web site, and continue to improve communication on and understanding of wetland issues pertinent to New York State.

Brett, Charlotte

Charlotte Brett brings to the Board professional experience providing wetlands education, delineations, mapping, impact assessment, avoidance-minimization-mitigation plans, monitoring, and research. This is supplemented by her personal experiences bird-watching, hiking, swimming, and picnicking at freshwater and coastal wetlands, rivers, lakes, and playas in the Great Lakes, Prairie Pothole, and Finger Lakes regions; Atlantic and Pacific coasts; Gulf of California; and Mediterranean, Adriatic, Tyrrhenian, and Baltic Seas. Charlotte has more than ten years experience in the private sector, following shorter bouts in the public and non-profit sectors. She has a MPS degree in Environmental Science from SUNY-ESF and a BA in Environmental Studies from Prescott College. Charlotte has been active with the Forum since 2007 and a Board member since 2010. She lives in Buffalo, and is currently taking a respite from paid employment to stay at home with her baby daughter.

Doran, Sandra L.

Sandie is a Fish and Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's New York Field Office in Cortland, New York. She works in the Endangered Species Branch and the Conservation Planning Assistance Branch (Federal Activities). Sandie previously served on the New York State Wetlands Forum Board when working as a Regulatory Biologist for the Buffalo District Corps of Engineers in the Auburn Field Office where she worked for 12 years. Sandie has been with the USFWS for 6 years, primarily working on Federal projects including energy development projects, transportation, and residential/commercial subdivisions, assessing impacts to fish and wildlife trust resources, and providing technical assistance to other agencies and organizations. She is also responsible for reviewing consultations under the Endangered Species Act, teaching the Clean Water Act course for the National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia, and leads the Chesapeake Bay Forest Restoration for Wildlife Team and the Upper Susquehanna Conservation Alliance. Sandie spends her free time getting involved in her community by attending town board meetings and serving on two boards; one as Chair for the Owasco Flats Nature Reserve, and the other as Committee Chair for the Owasco Watershed Lake Association (OWLA) Board, two non-profit organizations working to protect the Owasco Lake Watershed and the diverse flora and fauna found in the Finger Lakes Region. She enjoys music, riding horses, canoeing, and camping.

Duffy, Johanna

Johanna is a Project Environmental Scientist with Barton & Loguidice, P.C., a multi-discipline engineering firm headquartered in Syracuse, New York.  In addition to her 5+ years of experience in the consulting world, Johanna has also held positions as a Wetland Biology Technician with the Environmental Division at the Fort Drum military installation on and as a Research Associate, studying black bear population dynamics, with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (CTDEP).  Johanna’s current duties encompass a variety of environmentally related activities including SEQRA and NEPA compliance, wetland assessments and delineations, hazard mitigation planning, ecological surveys, hazardous waste and contaminated materials screenings, and environmental permitting.  Johanna has a B.T. in Wildlife Management from the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill (SUNY Cobleskill) and recently earned a M.P.S degree in Wetland and Water Resources from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF).  Through her service on the NYSWF Board, Johanna hopes to help promote the Forum as a platform for multiple generations of wetland and water resource professionals to interact and openly exchange ideas. 

Fishman , Michael S.

Michael Fishman is a certified Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS) and Certified Wildlife Biologist (CWB®) in charge of Ecological Services for Barton & Loguidice, P.C., Engineers, Environmental Scientists, Planners, in Syracuse, NY.  Michael has 25 years of professional experience in the fields of natural resources regulation, management, research, and consulting.  He is a Qualified Indiana Bat Surveyor in NY and PA, holds an Endangered Species License and License to Collect and Possess bats and birds in NY, an Endangered Species License in PA, and a federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act Salvage Permit for collection and disposal of migratory and listed birds at wind energy facilities.  His experience includes wetlands habitat restoration, creation, and management, environmental impact assessment, design of study protocols for wildlife surveys and vernal pool ecosystem functions, and rare, threatened & endangered species surveys, consultations, and permitting for a variety of listed plants and animals. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources (concentrations in wildlife and aquatic sciences) from Cornell University, and will complete a Master of Science degree in Conservation Biology at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in 2012, studying landscape scale habitat metrics of the endangered Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis) in Central New York.

Frantz, Edward

Mr. Frantz is an Environmental Specialist III with the New York State Department of Transportation and currently serves as the Adirondack Park and Forest Preserve Manager.  Over the past 15 years at DOT he has been involved in regional and statewide wetland issues including wetland banking, in-lieu fees, and other innovative wetland mitigation efforts. He previously worked for NYSDEC in the Wetlands Program.  He has over 20 years of wetland science and wetland mitigation experience.

Hess, Sheila

Sheila Hess has over 17 years experience in wetland ecology, natural resource conservation and aquatic resource mitigation. She holds a B.S. degree in Environmental Biology from SUNY College at Brockport, and a M.S. degree in Wetland Ecology from SUNY-ESF, Syracuse. She is a member of the Society of Wetland Scientists, Association of State Wetland Managers and serves as adjunct faculty at the Finger Lakes Community College. She worked for 12 years with a non-profit conservation organization focusing on landscape level planning and restoration of wetland systems in 18 states across the Great Lakes and Atlantic Region. She has coordinated several watershed-based planning efforts and has worked extensively with conservation organizations, watershed groups and regulatory staff to developed wetland avoidance, minimization and compensation strategies for individuals, agencies and corporations. Sheila formed Conservation Connects in 2009 and now works directly with communities and corporations to integrate natural resource conservation into economic development and facilitate the creation of sustainable growth models.

Lockwood, Donald J.

Donald J. Lockwood is a conservationist with a background in wildlife, biology, ecology, and wetland science. He earned an Associate's Degree in Applied Science, majoring in Fisheries and Wildlife Technology, and a Bachelor's Degree in Technology, majoring in Wildlife Management, from The State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill. He maintains certifications as a Professional Wetland Scientist through the Society of Wetlands Scientists and as a Wildlife Biologist through The Wildlife Society. He has obtained 14-years of experience working in the environmental field, and is pleased to be an employee of Shumaker Consulting Engineering & Land Surveying, P.C. Other interests include ornithology, waterfowl hunting, stock-car racing, music, and being with family. He is grateful to his family, friends, and colleuges who have taught and mentored him throughout his life and looks forward to each time he goes in the field to see what he will learn or observe.

McMullen, Joseph

Joseph M. McMullen is a Principal and one of the founders of the environmental consulting firm of Terrestrial Environmental Specialists, Inc.  Mr. McMullen holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in biology with a concentration in botany.  He is certified as a Professional Wetland Scientist by the Society of Wetland Scientists.  He has over 36 years’ experience in environmental consulting, with over 25 years active experience in wetland study.  His specific expertise in wetlands studies includes: aerial photograph interpretation; wetland delineations; wetland vegetation identification; state and federal permitting; wetland creation planning; wetland construction monitoring; post-construction monitoring of created and restored wetlands; and expert testimony.  Mr. McMullen has been involved in hundreds of wetland studies in New York, and has made numerous presentations on various aspects of wetland permitting and wetland delineation and descriptions.  He also specializes in habitat restoration, and has performed numerous vegetation surveys, including endangered and threatened plant surveys, vegetation/habitat cover mapping, and descriptions of plant communities.

Reese, Frances

Ms. Reese is a Senior Project Environmental Scientist with Barton and Loguidice Engineers, located in Rochester, NY. She holds a B.S. degree in Zoology and M.S. degrees in Water Resources Management and Soil Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Her Soils master’s research focused on physical and chemical characterization methods for organic soils.  Her Water Resources masters’ work focused on developing watershed solutions to lake eutrophication.  Ms. Reese was formerly employed with the Wisconsin State Department of Natural Resources and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, developing methodology for National Wetland Inventory.  She has mapped soils in Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and North Carolina, and served as an instructor for courses in soil science, watershed management and geography at SUNY Brockport’s Earth Sciences Department for ten years.  She has been a consulting environmental scientist for over 25 years, focusing on wetland delineation, mitigation, monitoring and permitting. Ms. Reese currently supports a variety of environmental and planning projects in throughout NYS, PA and MD for Barton and Loguidice.  She assisted with the organization and development of recent technical training sessions on hydric soils and the new Northeast/Northcentral Regional Supplement to the Corps Wetland Delineation Manual, and will continue to provide assistance in the development of high quality technical workshops.

Toni , Melissa

Melissa is an Environmental Protection Specialist for the Federal Highway Administration, in Albany, NY. She is responsible for ensuring that the projects that FHWA funds are designed and constructed in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. Her background is mostly related to wetland policy and includes positions with a private environmental engineering firm, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Army National Guard, and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection.  Through her prior work experience, she has managed a state-level wetland regulatory program, managed the CT Army National Guard’s environmental program, worked as a federal wetland regulator, and was a consultant for private infrastructure projects. Melissa’s education is from the University of Connecticut, and SUNY Cobleskill. She is also active in local politics and serves as the Chairman of the Town of Nassau’s Planning Board. She is a Professional Wetland Scientist, certified by the Society of Wetland Scientists.

Wojtowicz, Stephanie

Ms. Wojtowicz is a Coastal Resource Specialist with the New York State Department of State, Division of Coastal Resources.  Working in the Watershed Management Unit, she assists communities with the preparation and implementation of watershed plans and water quality improvement projects.  Prior to joining the New York State Department of State, Ms. Wojtowicz was employed by Ducks Unlimited, Inc. where she worked with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service on the Wetlands Reserve Program as a wetland restoration biologist.  Ms. Wojtowicz earned two baccalaureate degrees from Clarkson University in Environmental Science and Policy,  and Engineering and Management.  She also holds a Master of Science degree from Antioch New England University in Applied Land Ethics.  She hopes to bring her experience in land use and watershed planning to promote effective protection and restoration of New York’s vital wetlands.