Officers

Gary Whelan
President

MI DNR Fisheries Division – retired
P.O. Box 241
Shaftsburg, MI 48882
TEL: 517-580-2715
Email: gwhelan@fisheries.org

Gary is a recently retired Program Manager with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources – Fisheries Division. His former responsibilities included managing the Division’s Fish Production Section, Fish Health Program, Habitat Management Program, Tribal Coordination Unit, and Aquatic Species and Regulatory Affairs Unit. He worked for MI DNR for 35.5 years in many capacities and professionally for over 40 years. Currently, Gary is the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP) Board’s Science and Data Committee Co-Chair and has been working on NFHP since 2004. He has been active on multiple Association of Fish and Wildlife Agency committees for over 20 years. On any given day, Gary has worked on topics ranging from 5-micron pathogens to the landscape ecology of the U.S. He received his B.S. in Zoology and Physiology with an emphasis on fisheries science from the University of Wyoming and M.S. from the University of Missouri in fisheries management. Gary is a life member and Fellow of AFS and has been a member for 47 years. Gary has served on 14 Society committees, as President of the North Central Division, as President of 4 Sections, as Meeting Chair for 2 Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conferences, and on the Governing Board and Management Committee multiple times.

Margaret Murphy
President Elect

Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department
Rutland, VT
Email: mmurphy@fisheries.org

Margaret H. Murphy, Ph.D. is a Fish Program Manager for the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. She has spent the past six years overseeing Lake Champlain programs including Lake Sturgeon research, habitat assessment and restoration, and coordinating with NYS and USFWS on salmonid management and sea lamprey control. In addition, Margaret provides statewide coordination for flow and hydropower relicensing projects. Prior to joining VT FWD, Margaret spent over 25 years in private consulting primarily focused on fish, water quality, and habitat issues related to contaminated sediment sites. Her final four years in consulting were spent running her own small business in the Adirondack Mountains in New York providing services related to water quality, habitat, and fisheries management throughout the region. Margaret has taught courses in Environmental Science, Fish and Wildlife Management, and a field course on Adirondack Fish Ecology as well as serving on several graduate committees. Margaret received her B.S. in Biology from Siena College and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Fisheries from SUNY-College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Margaret has been an AFS member for over 35 years and has served as president of two chapters, the Northeastern Division, and Water Quality Section as well as chair of numerous committees and meeting planning teams. Margaret has participated or chaired the Strategic Plan revision committee for the past four updates. Margaret has been a Certified Fisheries Professional since 2002 and became an AFS Fellow in 2022.

Marlis Douglas
First Vice President

University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR

Email: mdouglas@fisheries.org

Brent Nichols
Second Vice President

Email: bnichols@fisheries.org

Miguel Garcia-Bermudez
Past President

Email: mgarcia@fisheries.org

Miguel Garcia-Bermudez, Ph.D., is Fish and Wildlife Administrator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Science Application Program (U.S. Caribbean). Prior to joining the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, Dr. Garcia had a 25‐year professional career at the local level for the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources (PRDRNA), eventually becoming Director of Fisheries and Wildlife. He worked to help catalyze and support the professional development of agency staff, including establishing cooperative agreements with academic institutions in the mainland USA and founding the AFS Puerto Rico Chapter. Garcia has also served as Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Champion (May 2020) and in the fisheries field, Puerto Rico Delegate for the Caribbean Fisheries Management Council, and President of the Puerto Rico Chapter of AFS. He also led the inclusion of Puerto Rico in the Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership in 2016, steered hosting of the first ever AFS Southern Division Meeting outside the continental USA in San Juan in 2018, and co-led the first Latin American Caribbean Theme Day session during the recent AFS Virtual Annual Meeting in September 2020.