Current Board Members

 

Deborah Clark, Ph.D.
President
Deborah earned her Ph.D.in Botany and Plant Pathology (Ecology) from Oregon State University in 1996. She specializes in the ecology of wetlands and prairies, particularly regeneration processes; conservation biology; restoration ecology.

 

Thomas N. Kaye, Ph.D.
Executive Director

Tom Kaye is Executive Director of the Institute for Applied Ecology. He graduated with a B.S. from The Evergreen State College (1984) and received a master's degree (1989) and PhD (2001) from Oregon State University. After working for Olympic National Park (1984-1987), he joined the Oregon Department of Agriculture's Plant Conservation Biology Program where he conducted research and contributed to policy on management of threatened and endangered plant species. He has served on the IUCN Species Survival Commission, Re-introduction Specialist Group and is a member of the Native Plant Society of Oregon.  For more information about Tom, click here.

 

Dennis Isaacson
Secretary
Inventory and management of vegetation was a career for Dennis Isaacson. He started the Noxious Weed Control Program at the Oregon Department of Agriculture, which coordinated successful reductions in the impact of the poisonous introduced weed, tansy ragwort.  Dennis has also worked at Oregon State University’s Environmental Remote Sensing Laboratory characterizing elk use of vegetation, was Field Operations Manager for the ODA Commodity Inspection Division, served as the chairman of the Oregon Interagency Integrated Pest Management Coordinating Committee, was a member of an advisory panel to the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment on Biologically-Based Technologies for Pest Control, and has served as a consultant on weed and mapping programs in New Zealand,  Australia and Indonesia. Dennis is is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Environmental Science at Portland State University working on the invasive weeds, Spartina spp. and wild blackberry.  Dennis was our Board Treasurer from 2003 - 2004.

 

Vern Holm
Vern is the Coordinator for the Northwest Weed Management Partnership, an informal multi-agency network of individuals and organizations concerned with rural and urban invasive weed issues in northwestern Oregon and southwestern Washington. Previous to his work with the Weed Partnership he was employed at the Yamhill Soil and Water Conservation District (McMinnville, Oregon) where he focused on education and outreach activities. Vern's background includes grant writing, organizational development, and serving on the boards of steering committees of several non-profit organizations.  He is also actively involved in numerous outdoor education and restoration groups.

 

Brandy Humphreys

Brandy was born and raised in Eastern Oregon before moving to the wetter side of the state to attend Pacific University in Forest Grove, where she received her B.S. Degree in Biology.  Post-college, she took opportunities to study breeding birds in the cotton fields of Georgia and roam the grasslands and Coastal foothills of California’s San Joaquin Valley before returning to Oregon.  Brandy has been working for the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon since 2001 and is now their Environmental Resource Specialist.  Brandy’s extracurricular activities are as diverse as Oregon’s ecoregions.

 

Laurie Halsey

Laurie Halsey is a passionate advocate for nature and education.  As private landowners, she and her husband Warren, have spent over thirty years in active management of projects involving conservation and restoration of natural resources and environmental education.  Laurie served as a public school administrator and teacher from 1961-1992 and holds a B.S. in Education from Oregon State University and an M.A. from St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California.  She holds California Life Credentials for Administration, Teaching, and Special Education, as well as Early Childhood and Resource Specialist Certifications.  She has served on Boards of both educational and natural resources organizations.  Since 1998 the Halsey’s Raindance Ranch has been a site of active wetland and oak savanna restoration, institutional research and education for local and international groups of all ages.

Jackie Shaw

For over 20 years, Jackie has worked in the fields of administration and accounting. She currently divides her time between Get Organized!, a professional organization consulting business Jackie founded in 2007, and employment at a Corvallis high-tech company as the Controller and HR Manager. Jackie received an Honors Baccalaureate of Science at Eastern  Oregon University in 2004 combining Mathematics and Art. At graduation she was awarded the academic award for Outstanding Liberal Studies Student, the service award for Outstanding Student Leadership, and the Service Learning Award called the Cornerstone Experience. While at EOU, Jackie enjoyed her role as supplemental instructor for both the Art and Mathematics departments. During her senior year, Jackie was an AmeriCorp Member taking to heart the AmeriCorp slogan “Getting things done.”

 

Previous Board Members

Pat Muir	Member and Secretary, 2000-2009
Bob Hansen	Member, 2002-2008
Mike Blouin	Member, 2003-2008
Susan Aldrich-Markham	Member, 2003-2005
Keli Kuykendall	Co-founder of IAE, Board President, 2000-2004
Randy Wentross	Member and Secretary, 2000-2003
Colleen Gabriel	Member, 2000-2002
Heather Bonin	Member, 2000-2003