March 29, 2022

AFS members: Please see your email for voting instructions. Voting closes on April 29. BACKGROUND I grew up in rural northeastern Iowa and loved fishing any chance I could. I cherish many memories fishing with my grandfather, mostly for bullheads in area lakes, carp below lowhead dams, and pike at nearby rivers. In my junior year of high school, my guidance counselor asked my career plans. I suggested I’d probably go on for an accounting degree. He advised, “That’s not a good fit for you.” Instead, he handed me a flyer with fisheries and wildlife biology at Iowa State University. Really? No way!I received my BS in fisheries and wildlife biology (FWB) from Iowa State University (1996), worked temporary fisheries positions with Iowa Department of Natural Resources (1996–1997) and as a fulltime fisheries technician with David Wahl at Illinois Natural History Survey (1997–1999). I completed my MS from the University of Florida (2002) under the guidance of Mike Allen. I started with North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission as assistant biologist (2003–2004), promoted to District 1 Fisheries Biologist (2004–2009), Coastal Fisheries Research Coordinator (2009–2016), and Coastal Resident Fish Research Coordinator (2016–present), cumulating nearly 19 years of fisheries experience in the coastal region of North Carolina. Yes way! As I reflect on my fisheries career as an AFS Certified Fisheries Professional, I was fortunate to find an established network of fisheries management professionals within the respective AFS Chapters of Iowa, Illinois, Florida, and North Carolina. These connections helped me to gain insights and address challenges of the fisheries profession. As challenging as it was to move away from my family in Iowa, being able to connect with fellow fisheries professionals inspired my own professional growth and fueled my passion for effective fisheries management decisions based on sound science and applied research. I love what we do! AFS INVOLVEMENT My professional society involvement started at Iowa State University with the FWB Club. At the time, the FWB Club was a student subunit of The Wildlife Society (TWS) as there were too few students to support a student chapter each for both AFS and TWS. Still, I embraced the opportunity to support the club and fellow students through serving as student chapter president and hosting a Midwest student conclave. In 1999 I attended my first AFS Annual Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina with support from Wahl, where I met Allen. This opportunity led to my graduate project studying early life history of Black Crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus at three Florida lakes. This experience was instrumental in understanding the influence of networking at professional society meetings. Shortly after, I became a member of AFS and attended more AFS meetings to showcase my studies and network with professionals and students. I am an active member of the North Carolina Chapter of AFS (NCAFS) and enjoy serving the Southern Division of AFS and the Society as a whole. Opportunities that have prepared me for further society leadership include organizing the continuing education workshops at the Southern Division Meeting in Asheville in 2010, serving as NCAFS Chapter President in 2010–2011, and reviewing AFS John E. Skinner Memorial Award candidates (2015–2019). In 2018, I was graciously nominated by Wes Porak to serve as the Southern Division AFS representative to the C.W. Watson Award Committee, the most prestigious award presented to individuals contributing to fish and wildlife conservation in the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. The opportunity to serve for 3 years with fellow conservation professionals has been a fantastic experience, what a joy it is to collaborate with our conservation partners to recognize deserving individuals! In February 2020, I initiated the ad hoc NCAFS Mentoring Committee to highlight our Chapter’s dedication to advancing and fostering the next generation of fisheries professionals. In February 2021, I coordinated hosting a student–professional virtual workshop for students interested in conservation careers, with and attendance of over 30 students. Following the workshop, I have maintained weekly or more often email contact with this growing group (up to 65 individuals now), sharing job announcements and career insights through a series of communications. AFS VISION I fully support the AFS Strategic Plan to guide our Society. I will dedicate my service on the AFS Executive Committee and Governing Board to maintain these guidelines and principles as our priority. I firmly believe in the AFS mission “to improve the conservation and sustainability of fishery resources and aquatic ecosystems by advancing fisheries and aquatic sciences and promoting the development of fisheries professionals.” I value the relationship among the fisheries professional society and respective partners representing numerous allies within academia and organizations to achieve progress in fisheries and aquatic resource sciences and all our beneficiaries. In thinking about my vision and leadership style, I share three of my focal points to continue our society’s mission. Adaptive Relevancy In my agency, I collaborated with cross-divisional staff to develop a grassroots initiative, Partnership for Inclusion. With an Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Relevancy Roadmap Implementation Grant, our in-house group contacted available vendors that could provide support to our diversity and inclusion initiatives. Despite the pandemic, we adapted to provide two virtual workshops for staff representing agency divisions and offices. With support from our agency leadership, we were able to take a deep dive into elements of culture, capacity, governance, and policy. This immersion was a valuable insight to implementing strategies to promote welcoming and inclusive environments. I will bring the lessons learned on navigating the Relevancy Roadmap with consideration of available strategies for AFS to remain relevant for years to come. I have been inspired by a quote from Arthur Chan, in which he says, “Diversity is a fact. Equity is a choice. Inclusion is an action. Belonging is an outcome.” It is my hope to continue AFS’ diversity and inclusion efforts to ensure a welcoming and inclusive environment for all those who are and wish to be fisheries professionals! Conscientious Leadership In 2018, I completed the inaugural North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Leadership Development Program, an agency initiative designed after the National Conservation

AFS members: Please check your email for voting instructions. Voting closes April 29. BACKGROUND My journey into fisheries science is based on a passion for fish and fishing that comes from growing up in northeastern New Jersey during the 1960s and early 1970s, spending every available minute fishing and wandering around in rivers, lakes, and in coastal saltwater areas of New Jersey. Salt was put into my veins, never to really leave, by older family members who found me to be the perfect excuse to get (force) other relatives to take everyone fishing in the waters around southern New Jersey barrier islands and I spent much of my youth in the salt marshes and surf around Long Beach Island. Looking back at those days, it seems as though my profession choice was preordained and my deep interest in fisheries got me to wander way off to college at the University of Wyoming. There, I was really introduced to fisheries science and the American Fisheries Society, completing my BS there and spending a summer/fall after graduation working for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. My next stop was the University of Missouri, where I completed my MS in fisheries management under Charles Rabeni and started my professional journey in earnest. After completing my MS, I bucked the migration tide south during the first great recession in the early 1980s and moved north to work for nearly 5 years at Michigan State University as a soft money research biologist, where I had the unique opportunity to work with William Taylor during that time, who is still a close colleague and mentor.With the 1985 expansion of the Sport Fish Restoration Program that was strongly backed and supported by AFS, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division (Fisheries Division) hired 30+ positions in 1987, including myself. I have worked in many positions for Fisheries Division, ranging from evaluating the effects of 5-micron parasites on salmonids to hydropower project analysis to Native American Treaty Consent Decree implementation to landscape conservation on spatial scales ranging from individual fish and waters to the entire United States. Currently, I am a program manager responsible for our research section, the Fish Health Program, and small parts of other Fisheries Division programs. I have also been fortunate enough to work on a number of regional and national fish conservation efforts through my committee work for AFS and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. These include work on forming and leading the Instream Flow Council (Past President), on Landscape Conservation Cooperatives steering committees and other duties, and on the development and implementation of the National Fish Habitat Partnership, where I am currently co-chair of the board’s Science and Data Committee and serve on the board staff. My current job duties require working closely with a broad range of fisheries and other resource professionals who work for entities ranging from nongovernmental organizations to state, tribal, and federal biologists to consultants to academics. These duties have directly or indirectly allowed me to travel to 49 of the 50 U.S. states (catching fish in 35 of those states) and number of Canadian provinces. This broad range of discipline, institutional, and geographic exposure in my career has given me some really unique insights on the issues and needs of members and nonmember fisheries professionals at all levels and geographic regions of AFS. AFS INVOLVEMENT Like many members, I was “encouraged” to become an AFS member as an undergraduate at the University of Wyoming, becoming a member in 1978. I have been a life member since 1985 and am recertifying at this time as an AFS certified fisheries biologist. My focused involvement in AFS started in the 1980s when I served as: Secretary–Treasurer of the Michigan Chapter (1987–1988), a 1987 AFS Annual Meeting Program Committee member, and an Environmental Concerns Committee member (1988–1989). In the 1990s, I served as President of the Fisheries Information and Technology Section (1997–1999), a member on the Society’s Special Management Committee (1998–1999), a member of the Governing Board (1997–1999), and as a Distinguished Service Award Committee member (1998–1999). During the 2000s, I served as a Fenske Award Committee member, a Fenske Fellowship Committee member, Meeting Co-Chair of Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference (2002–2005); as a member of the Board of Professional Certification (2002–2008) including Board Chair from 2004-2008, President of the History Section (2008–2010), a member of the Society’s Management Committee (2009–2010), and as a member of the Governing Board (2008-2010). During the 2010s and this decade, in addition to the Fenske Award and Fellowship Committees, I have served as President of the North Central Division (2011–2012), a member of the Society’s Management Committee (2011–2012), a PFIRM II Committee member (2012–2014), Outstanding Chapter and Sub-Unit Award Committee Chair (2014–2016), Meeting Co-Chair of Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference (2011–2016), 150th Anniversary Meeting Committee including the Unit Exhibits Subcommittee (2018–Present), Meetings Oversight Committee (2019–Present, Co-Chair), President of the Fisheries Administration Section (2020–Present), and President-Elect of the Habitat Section (2020–Present). I was also inducted as an AFS Fellow in 2019. Additionally, I am an active member of the Michigan Chapter, along with four AFS Sections: Fisheries Administration, Fisheries Management, Fisheries History, and Fish Culture Sections. Over the past 4 decades, I have been remarkably fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend Chapter meetings in 8 states and 1 province, all of the Division meetings at least once, and 25 Annual Meetings. Having the opportunity to participate in this range of AFS events and positions has allowed me to observe the Society from many angles and have provided me a remarkable vehicle to expand my knowledge of our Society. I have also published a number of papers in AFS journals and have served as a publication reviewer for a number of submitted papers in AFS and other journals. My participation in the AFS over five different decades has allowed me to develop many professional and personal relationships that I deeply cherish and have provided me extensive experience in every level of