Nik grew up in rural Eastern Washington, and took an early interest in computers and programming. He followed this passion throughout childhood and into college, attending The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA and studying software design and media. While at Evergreen, Nik found a job working on software to manage and visualize environmental data. This introduced him to the challenges of collecting, organizing, and communicating scientific data, and the roles that software and technology can play in addressing these needs.
Nik moved to Corvallis and joined the Conservation Biology Institute in June of 2010. He works as a software engineer on the Data Basin team and enjoys tackling the many challenges addressed by the project. He also tends to CBI’s growing technology needs. Outside of work, Nik pursues a variety of other software projects and enjoys the many nearby mountains, cycling, and tap dancing.
Pamela A. Frost earned a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Maine, Machias in 1984 and a M.S. in Natural Resource Information Systems from Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio) in 1994. While at Ohio State, she was involved in a number of Federally funded conservation GIS projects including database construction and analysis for the U.S. Forest Service as well as support work for the Northern Spotted Owl Recovery Planning Project . Pam’s Masters thesis emphasized the design and construction of an extensive conservation digital database and demonstrated how to use it in conservation planning for The Nature Conservancy on a globally imperiled ecosystem in northwestern Ohio – The Oak Openings.
Pam has had considerable experience working in the private sector. She founded and later sold a successful biological insect control company (Bionomics, Inc.) in the Adirondacks, New York, worked as a GIS analyst for The Wildlands Project in Oregon, and now serves as Secretary/Treasurer for the Conservation Biology Institute. Besides her administrative duties as an officer, Pam serves as the GIS lab supervisor. She lives with her husband Jim, sons Jonathan and Jacob, daughter Sarah, and four-legged friends in Corvallis.
Tara joined Conservation Biology Institute in March of 2010 as a Software Engineer. She brings over 15 years of experience in the software industry with a focus on web applications. Tara has a passion for building intuitive, helpful web applications that run smoothly. She’s currently working on the Data Basin system…doing what she can to make conservation data more available, more understandable, and more manageable for more people.
Mike got his Bachelor of Arts in English from Oregon State University. After becoming a technical writer, he discovered that he enjoyed writing code more than he enjoyed writing documentation. He has spent the last 10 years working with programming languages and databases while designing and maintaining software used internally by credit unions.
Mike is an avid reader, and enjoys hiking and spending time with his family. Mike lives in Corvallis with his wife, Tina, and daughter, Amanda.
Wendy joined the CBI staff as a Soil Scientist/GIS Analyst in July, 2010. She studied Environmental Sciences at Oregon State University, where she worked as a GIS technician in the Crop and Soil Science Dept. In June, 2010, she defended her MS in Soil Science thesis on “Predictive Mapping of Landtype Associations in Three Oregon National Forests,” and in June, 2014, she defended her PhD dissertation on “Using Soil Data to Enhance Modeling of forest responses to climate change. She also has a BA in Dance, which she puts into use in volunteer work with mixed abilities communities.
Ken Ferschweiler has 30 years of experience in computer science, and in 2010 he jumped at the opportunity to join CBI’s climate change research group and use that experience in addressing ecological modeling problems. Ken has worked in the US and in Europe in areas ranging from artificial intelligence to massively parallel computing, but has been happiest when using computers to help scientists solve scientific problems.
Kathy joined CBI in August, 2008 as an accounting assistant. Kathy has A.S. Degrees in Accounting Technology and Business Management, over 25 years of accounting experience, and a strong personal commitment to protecting and preserving the environment. Kathy grew up on a small 10 acre farm outside of Sodaville, Oregon and still enjoys a rural farming lifestyle with her husband. Kathy and her husband completed their six month Oregon State University Master Woodland Manager Program and a two-year LBCC A.S. Agriculture Degree in June 2007. They focused on living sustainably and making a positive influence on the environment. For example, they installed a smaller irrigation pump, heat pump, solar panel, and focus on reusing or recycling.
When she is not clearing blackberries or preparing garden plots, Kathy enjoys digital photography and traveling both locally and abroad, including trips to Bali, Israel, and Egypt. She also spends time learning more about plant types, pest control, propagation, and composting. With her strong background and experience in business, and her personal commitment to conservation, Kathy is an excellent fit at CBI and is delighted to contribut towards CBI’s mission of protecting and preserving the environment.
Patricia Gordon-Reedy is a Botanist/Senior Vegetation Ecologist with 30 years of experience in endangered species research and conservation planning for private, government, and non-profit sectors throughout the western U.S. and in Europe. She has been involved in all phases of Natural Community Conservation Planning programs in multiple ecosystem types throughout California—preserve design for endangered species, developing protocols and conducting rare plant surveys, large-scale vegetation mapping and classification, research and risk assessments for invasive plants, and writing prescriptive habitat management and monitoring plans. She is effective in working with scientists and land managers to synthesize and apply the latest scientific research to practical land management and conservation issues. Ms. Gordon-Reedy developed an adaptive management framework plan for the federally threatened and state endangered plant, Acanthomintha ilicifolia, and worked with the California Invasive Plant Council and other partners to map invasive species and develop a regional strategy for prioritizing treatments of invasive plants in San Diego County, CA. She serves on several regional subcommittees and working groups in San Diego, including subcommittees on Vegetation Mapping and Rare Plant Survey Protocols and an Acanthomintha working group.
Tim joined the Conservation Biology Institute in 2008. He has an M.S. in Geology from the University of Missouri – Columbia and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Colorado – Boulder. His experience includes porting and tuning climate modeling software on massively parallel supercomputers as well as developing high data flow applications in networked realtime environments. He is interested in developing, expanding, and linking ecological models to further the understanding of current ecosystems and to examine alternative futures in the face of climate change and human activity. In 2012, he completed an M.S. in Biology at the University of Oregon – Eugene, his research concentrated on modeling fire and its effects in the Willamette Valley.
Tim and his wife Kim share their Eugene, Oregon home with several furred and/or feathered companions of various sizes. In his spare time he occasionally paddles a sea kayak or works on building one.
Patrick joined CBI in October 2010. He brings thirty years of accounting and management experience working for various non-profits. Patrick earned his BBA degree from the University of Michigan in 1980.