Leadership
Dwayne estes ph.d., co-founder and executive director
Dwayne Estes serves as executive director at SGI. He is a Full Professor of Biology, Director of the APSU Herbarium, and Principal Investigator for the Center of Excellence for Field Biology. In January 2017, he co-founded SGI with colleague, Theo Witsell. Under his leadership as director of SGI, the young organization has raised nearly $35 million in funding. He has been active in building diverse support for Southeastern US grasslands conservation, from national to local levels and across the Southeast he is often called the “Prairie Preacher.” He works with the Volgenau Climate Initiative as chair of the America’s Grasslands Coalition. Dwayne’s research interests include the biodiversity, ecology, history, and biogeography of the Southeastern U.S. with emphasis on grasslands and open woodlands.
Theo Witsell. CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF ConseRvation officer
Theo Witsell works to explore our native grasslands and gathers and synthesizes data on their ecological and historical significance, providing scientific direction and ecological context for the program. He is regarded as one of the most experienced field botanists in the Southeast, and he has some of the sharpest eyes in the business. Theo has worked as senior botanist and ecologist for the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission since 2000 and in 2013 was invited to serve as a research associate with BRIT. He publishes regularly and has authored or co-authored more than 30 scientific publications and book chapters, including the description of new species. In addition to his scientific expertise, Theo is intimately familiar with practical on-the-ground management of natural areas and conservation strategies and brings unique expertise in this area.
Layla Dunlap, chief of staff
Layla Dunlap is our Director of Finance and Operations. After living out west for over 20 years, Layla decided to come back to her hometown of Clarksville to help us achieve our restoration and conservation goals across the Southeast. While living in Montana, she honed her botany skills as well as her project and personnel management skills. Layla recently worked for the Montana Department of Agriculture where she managed multiple regulatory programs and supervised over 20 employees. Layla earned her Master’s of Science degree from the University of Idaho in 2015 and focused her research on different techniques for growing native plants for restoration. She has multiple years experience in growing native plants and conducting rare plant surveys in the western U.S. Layla’s favorite native plants include Pyrola asarifolia, Lupinus sericeus, Xerophyllum tenax, and Lewisia rediviva.
reed noss Ph.D., chief science adviser
Reed Noss is a writer, photographer, lecturer, and consultant in natural history, ecology, and conservation. He was formerly Provost’s Distinguished Research Professor of Biology at the University of Central Florida. He received a B.S. in education from the University of Dayton, an M.S. in ecology from the University of Tennessee, and a Ph.D. in wildlife ecology from the University of Florida. He served as Editor-in-Chief of Conservation Biology, Science Editor for Wild Earth magazine, President of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB), and President of the North American Section of SCB. He is an Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His recent research topics include disturbance (especially fire) ecology; ecosystem conservation and restoration; road ecology; and vulnerability of species and ecosystems to climate change. He has more than 350 publications, including eight books. His most recent books are Forgotten Grasslands of the South: Natural History and Conservation (Island Press, 2013) and Fire Ecology of Florida and the Southeastern Coastal Plain (University Press of Florida, 2018).
Jeremy French, Director of restoration & Stewardship
Jeremy French serves as the Director of Ecological Restoration and Stewardship for the Southeastern Grasslands Institute. Jeremy is based out of Clarksville, TN and serves as the SGI lead for the NPS IRA and BIL projects. In addition to these projects, Jeremy and his team spearhead grassland conservation projects across SGI's 24-state focal region, encompassing grassland research, restoration, and reconstruction. Prior to his role as the Director of Ecological Restoration and Stewardship, Jeremy served as the Interior Low Plateaus Ecoregion coordinator and successfully led a multi-state and multimillion dollar project geared towards restoring grasslands on private lands, which impacted thousands of acres. Jeremy's love for grasslands stems from his time researching the effects of Bison grazing on herpetofauna communities in tall grass prairie remnants and natural community response to oak savanna restoration.
Kristin Hopkins, Native Seed Program Director
Kristin Hopkins serves as SGI’s Native Seed Program Director. Based out of SGI’s headquarters in Clarksville, Kristin and the seed team serve as the lead coordinators for the Seeds of Success Southeast program in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management and Fish & Wildlife Service. Before joining SGI, Kristin was the Natural Resource Manager for the City of Murfreesboro’s Parks Department. In that capacity, she led the Natural Resource team in managing habitat in Parks’ natural areas, working with community volunteers, and developing youth-based learning opportunities for careers in designing resilient landscapes. Her passion for native plants led her to develop the Murfreesboro Indigenous Plant Project, a program that seeks to provide access to appropriate native plant materials for the community. Kristin also serves as Board Chair of the Tennessee Naturalist Program, a state-wide adult natural history course with 13 chapters across the state.
southeastern Native Seed Program
Gus Rasich, native seed program Seed Technician
Gus is working as a Seed Technician at SGI for the 2023 season. His interest in native seeds started when he began volunteering for SGI in August, 2022. Gus attended Virginia Commonwealth University, where he studied scientific illustration before entering a year of AmeriCorps service as an Environmental Educator. When he moved to Tennessee, he was introduced to SGI's work and is excited to have the opportunity to participate in grassland restoration efforts.
holly l., Seeds of success Collection Coordinator
Holly serves as SGI's Seeds of Success Collection Coordinator. She prepares herbarium specimens and conducts comprehensive germination tests, ensuring the viability and integrity of collected seeds from the Seeds of Success program. Holly most recently worked in the Great Plains and in Florida performing plant diversity surveys. She also spent several years working in microbiological laboratories. Holly obtained her Master of Science degree from Austin Peay State University in 2022. Holly's favorite plant genera are Liatris, Equisetum, and Achillea. Beyond her professional pursuits, she finds joy in birding, reading, and maintaining an extensive houseplant collection, reflecting her deep appreciation of nature and conservation.
regional coordinating ecologists
Zach Irick, Southern Appalachian Grasslands Coordinator/ECOLOGIST
Zach serves as the Southern Appalachian Grasslands Ecologist based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Zach works with a variety of partners to accomplish on the ground research and restoration activities of rare plant species and plant communities across the Southern Appalachian region.
Email: zach.irick@segrasslands.org
Hope wilson, Interior Plateau Grasslands Coordinator/Restoration Ecologist
Hope Wilson serves as the Interior Plateau coordinating restoration ecologist, based in Clarksville, Tennessee. She works with a variety of landowners to preserve, restore, research, and recreate grassland ecosystems on private, public, and corporate land. Hope’s love for grasslands began as a child in the GSMNP exploring Cades Cove and was nurtured as a fisheries and wildlife management student at the University of Tennessee. She is excited to bring her passion and background in restoration to the SGI team and is looking forward to being a part of the effort to restore grassland ecosystems throughout her region.
Email: hope.wilson@segrasslands.org
Alaina Krakowiak, Central Appalachian Grasslands Coordinator/Ecologist
Alaina serves as the Central Appalachian Grasslands Coordinator based in Roanoke, Virginia. Alaina works with a variety of partners to study, restore, and advocate for the conservation of grasslands throughout her region. Alaina initially fell in love with grasslands while conducting a floristic inventory of a remnant site near Chattanooga, Tennessee. She studied the conservation genetics of an endangered species from this site (Clematis fremontii) as a graduate student in Colorado, where she spent her summers working as a field botanist with the Colorado Natural Heritage Program. Alaina is happy to be back home in the Southeast, and is excited to get to work on protecting the landscapes she loves.
zach wood, georgia grasslands coordinator
Zach works jointly on behalf of SGI and the State Botanical Garden of Georgia at the University of Georgia in Athens. Zach provides leadership and technical assistance to land managing organizations and individuals in Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina whose goal it is to restore and manage native grassland habitats. Zach’s expertise is in prescribed fire as a land management tool for endangered species in the coastal plains ecoregion. Zach is also a vocal advocate for management of grasslands in Georgia.
GIS
chip morgan, gis analyst
Chip started as a volunteer leading the Witness Trees Project, which mapped the locations of over 21,000 trees from historical survey records dating from the 1780s - 1810s in central Tennessee. That only whet Chip’s appetite for mapping, and now he works with the team on numerous mapping related projects including using the advanced Ecozone methodology developed by noted mapping veteran Steve Simon.
Email: chip.morgan@segrasslands.org
research
jared gorrell, biologist
Jared is a Biologist at SGI. He grew up in the former prairies of central Illinois, became enthralled by grasslands in the remnant sand prairies of the Illinois River Valley, and decided to become a botanist as a result. In 2019 Jared completed his undergraduate degree in botany at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2019 and he is currently working to finish his Master’s degree in Biology under Dr. Estes at Austin Peay State University. In addition to plants, Jared loves looking for birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects and spends most of his free time tracking down species new to him. He recently observed his 100,000th observation on iNaturalist where he goes by the handle of “wildlander.”
Gabby Le Fevre, Ecologist
Gabby received her MS in Biology from Austin Peay State University in 2023. While at APSU, she investigated the effects of climate change and invasive species on tall-grass prairies using a novel open-top chamber design. Prior to her graduate research, she worked with Midwestern birds, West African mammals, and sea turtles. She enjoys field work and has a passion for research-driven grassland conservation. She is excited to join the Grasslandia team to further explore the Southeast's diverse flora and fauna.
Vero Tessier, Ecologist
Vero is a Ecologist at SGI. She grew up in the Blackland Prairie region of North Texas and gained a passion for grasslands while doing prairie restoration work during her undergraduate years at Austin College. She has since done vegetation monitoring in longleaf pine and tallgrass prairie ecosystems, as well as in the grasslands of the South Texas Sandsheet. She plans to eventually return to school to study plant ecology.
Allison wilson, biologist
Allison serves as SGI’s Biologist for the Little Rock, AR Grasslandia Team. She grew up in Mobile, AL and received her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from the University of South Alabama in 2019. She is currently finishing her Masters degree from the University of Southern Mississippi where her thesis project is conducting a floristic inventory of Lamar County, Mississippi. Her love for grasslands and native plants was sparked after observing the diversity that longleaf pine savannas have to offer along the Gulf Coast.
tribal team
gabrielle patterson, tribal liaison
Gabrielle serves as a Tribal Liaison and is a tribal member of the Choctaw-Apache Tribe in Ebarb, Louisiana. She has a background in education and previously taught history at the community college level. Her MA in history specifically focused on Native America/early America, where she examined American history from a Native American perspective. Her research interests include first contact among Natives and non-Natives, Christian missionary relations with Natives, and reading accounts of Spanish and French explorers in the New World. Her MEd in community college leadership allowed her to focus a portion of her coursework on how to assist American Indian students succeed in higher education. Gabrielle is also working on her EdD in Adult Education Leadership from the University of Arkansas. Given her immense interest in education and ethnohistory, she is excited to use her background to strengthen SGI's relationships with Southeastern tribes and collaborate on biodiversity conservation throughout the Southeastern United States. In her spare time, Gabrielle enjoys hiking, camping, kayaking, and spending time with her two dogs—Sir Jasper and Lady Jewel.
Katie smith-easter, Tribal Liaison
Katie Smith-Easter is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma from Tahlequah, Oklahoma. She has a background in fisheries and wildlife biology, a Master of Public Health, and is pursuing a master's in geographical information systems (GIS). Her research focuses on public health and wildlife issues throughout the Cherokee Nation Reservation such as the environmental and cultural implications of poultry farms, describing the epidemiology of Oklahoma’s only freshwater parasitic jellyfish, degrading water quality on tribal lands in the Spring Creek watershed, and exploring the reasons why private wells are testing positive for E.coli using GIS. Katie also works part-time as a federal contractor for the United States Geological Survey looking at the potential socioeconomic effects of chronic wasting disease in Native communities.
Corlee Thomas-hill, Tribal Liaison
Located in Cherokee, NC, Corlee is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). She received her BA in History from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and previously worked for the EBCI as a GIS Technician researching historical EBCI lands, working with Natural Resources, and mapping for Wildland Fire. She then coordinated the Remember the Removal (RTR) bike ride for the EBCI from 2019 to 2022, a memorial bike ride that travels the Northern Route of the Trail of Tears in partnership with the Cherokee Nation. Corlee is a 2015 RTR alumni rider, which inspired her interest in supporting conservation efforts in the natural areas along the trail, including Port Royal State Historic Park, Pea Ridge National Military Park, and Dunbar Cave State Park, among others. She’s been involved in Indigenous land movements and climate change activism since 2016. In her free time, Corlee enjoys mountain biking, road biking, adventuring with her dogs, and spending time outdoors being active.
volunteer & outreach staff
LAURA HUNT, volunteer coordinator
Laura began volunteering for SGI in 2018 while she was an undergraduate at Lipscomb University. After completing her degree in Environmental and Sustainability Science, she joined the team as our Volunteer Coordinator in 2021. Laura’s outgoing personality, knowledge of grasslands and resolute curiosity makes her the perfect person to match SGI’s volunteers with opportunities to contribute to our conservation work as well as grow our volunteer base. Whether it is connecting our nature-loving volunteers with projects in the field or finding research work for our less outdoorsy participants, Laura is the conduit that makes community science happen.
Email: laura.hunt@segrasslands.org
jodi morgan, youth outreach coordinator
Jodi, a retired software engineer from Lockheed Martin, joined SGI in January 2022 as the Youth Outreach Coordinator. Jodi has a life-long affair with butterflies. She found her way to SGI from butterflies, to gardening, to native plants, to learning about Southeastern Grasslands. Recently, she assisted a boy scout obtain his Eagle Scout by planting a pollinator garden. She realized the gap existing with youth and Southeastern Grasslands. Jodi is hoping to inspire youth to study plant biology fields.
Email: jodi.morgan@segrasslands.org
Administrative Support
DEVAN GEARHART, TECHNICAL CLERK
Devan is SGI’s administrative assistant and technical clerk; essentially, the organization’s glue. She is a graduate of APSU with a degree in biology and in science education and has several years of experience in administrative support. Before joining the SGI team, Devan had volunteered with SGI at the Dunbar Cave prairie restoration. Contact Devan if you have any questions about SGI.
Melissa horn, Executive administrative assistant
Melissa comes to SGI from the business world, with over 20 years’ experience in various roles as an Administrative or Executive Assistant. She holds an AAS in Accounting and a BS in Business Management & Organizational Development.
technicians
Megan crapo, restoration, inventory, and monitoring technician
Megan is SGI’s Restoration, Inventory, and Monitoring Technician. She grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and began her love for botany, restoration, and field work while studying biology at Lake Forest College. During her undergraduate career and after, Megan has spent a couple of field seasons doing vegetation monitoring for the Inventory and Monitoring program with the National Park Service, seed collection for the Seeds of Success Program, prairie restoration in Illinois with Lake Forest Open Lands and the red spruce restoration with the Forest Service. She is excited for the opportunity to work for SGI combining both of her interests in restoration and monitoring to conserve and restore the grasslands of the Southeast!
LYNNE WELDEN, Botany/ECOLOGY TECHNICIAN
Lynne Welden is a botany/ecology technician with the Chattanooga branch of SGI. Originally from Alabama, their love of native plants budded in the foothills of the Appalachians and bloomed when they began assisting with rare plant surveys for the Tennessee Natural Heritage Program. Since starting with SGI, they primarily work with the City of Chattanooga Parks Department doing detailed research for an ongoing project that will restore native grasslands to various public parks throughout the city.
Erin Gamst, Field TECHNICIAN
Erin is a Field Technician through SGI located in Roanoke, Virginia. Erin grew up in Minnesota where she participated in a variety of avian research projects in urban settings and forested peatland systems in Northern Minnesota. Erin gained a passion for prairie restoration work during her time at Three Rivers Park District in the twin cities area, and, since 2023, Erin has worked on a variety of habitat management projects for prairie and big woods ecosystems. She is very excited to continue working on grassland restoration and learn more about the unique ecosystems in the Southeast region.
Ben Goddard, Field Technician
Ben is a Field Technician with SGI located in Roanoke, Virginia. Ben grew up in Virginia and received a B.S. in Ecological Restoration from Virginia Tech in 2024. During his undergraduate studies, he developed a love for native plants, ecology, and restoration. Since graduating, Ben has done invasive species monitoring and inventory with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is now starting his journey with SGI. His love for grassland restoration came from learning about various graduate student research projects at Virginia Tech that have big impacts on biodiversity, conservation, and restoration success. He is excited for the opportunity to learn more and make a contribution towards conserving and restoring southeastern grasslands.
Hailey Harper, Virginia Lead Field Technician
Hailey originally graduated from APSU in 2021 with a B.S. in Biology. It was during her undergraduate where she found a love and passion for ecology and conservation work. Hailey initially worked with aquatic ecosystems and assisted part-time with a professor at APSU. During her last year at APSU, Hailey took a class with Dwayne and learned about SGI and the need for grassland conservation. After graduating, she did a variety of jobs including invasive species management and monitoring. Hailey is excited to be given this opportunity to learn more about grassland conservation and to be given the chance to be apart of the SGI family.
communications
Brynn pedrick, native seed program communications officer
Brynn is the Communications Officer for the Native Seed Program. She has a background in zoology, environmental science, and conservation, and is pursuing her MA in Science Writing from Johns Hopkins University. She believes in the power of narrative to communicate science to the public, and her writing has appeared in Hakai Magazine, Popular Science, She Explores, and LOST Magazine, among others.
Beyond science writing and nonprofit development, Brynn enjoys photography, horseback riding, hikes with her dog, and planning road trips and adventures overseas.
Seasonal & Temporary STaff
Jaron Sedlock, Seasonal Technician
Shanna Lee, Seed Team Technician
Matthew Trotter, Seasonal Technican
Gregg Elliott, Communications Consultant
Eve Bohnett, Research Associate
SGI AFFILIATED PARTNERS
JENNIFER CESKA, C0-SUPERVISOR GEORGIA GRASSLANDS COORDINATOR
Jennifer is the Conservation Coordinator for the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and State Coordinator for the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance. A grant provided by the Riverview Foundation allowed SGI and the State Botanical Garden of Georgia to create a position for a grasslands coordinator in Georgia and surrounding states. Jennifer, the co-supervisor of the Georgia coordinator, is well suited for the role. Jennifer’s expertise is in working to protect imperiled plant species through a number of different recovery actions and her passion and skill in networking and assembling expert teams for conservation projects is extraordinary.
Alan Weakley, ph.D., CHIEF botanist
Alan Weakley, is widely regarded as one the leading botanists and plant community ecologists in the eastern U.S. with extensive on-the-ground experience in all Southeastern states. He holds a B.S. degree in botany from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a Ph.D. in botany from Duke University. He currently serves as Director of the Herbarium at the North Carolina Botanical Garden and adjunct professor at UNC. In his 40-year career, he has served as Senior Regional Ecologist for The Nature Conservancy and Chief Ecologist for NatureServe. He served as Trustee of the N.C. Natural Heritage Trust Fund from 2008-2013 and Chair of the N.C. Plant Conservation Program’s Scientific Advisory Committee. He is the author of Flora of the Southern & Mid-Atlantic States, a botanical manual covering about 7000 plant species, now the standard in use across much of the southeastern U.S., and has been a leader in the development of the U.S. National Vegetation Classification System.