Maryland-Delaware Chapter
The Wildlife Society
Members of the Board
President
Jennifer Mullinax
Current Employer:
Position:
Contact Information:
Background:
Vice President
Erin Geibel
Current Employer: Frostburg State University & University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Position: MS student - Frostburg State University
Resident Director - Frostburg State University
PhD student - University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Contact Information: mddechapter@gmail.com
Background: Erin will graduate in December of 2023 with her MS in Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology from Frostburg State University. For her MS research, she collaborated with the National Park Service to assess mammalian carnivore occurrence, distribution, and occupancy throughout the western portion of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park from Spring Gap to Hancock, Maryland. She began her PhD in August 2023 in Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Sciences at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science out of the Appalachian Laboratory. Her dissertation research will be an expansion of her previous research with a focus on assessing carnivore distribution and expansion from relatively undisturbed areas of western Maryland towards more human-disturbed areas of eastern Maryland. Erin enjoys engaging with and educating the public, specifically youth, on wildlife ecology and management topics pertaining to her research!
Treasurer
Carson Coriell
Current Employer: University of Maryland College Park
Position: Masters Student in Ecosystem Health & Natural Resource Management Applied, Spatial Wildlife Ecology Lab, Department of Environmental Science and Technology
Contact Information:
Background: Carson is a wildlife ecologist currently studying at UMD. He has been an active board member of the MD/DE chapter since 2017, previously serving as the president/vice president as well as the chairman for the Awards Committee. Over the years, Carson has been a part of many large-scale research projects centered around controlling zoonotic diseases such as Lyme and Avian Influenza. His current graduate school research involves the mark/recapture of small mammals and studying their relationship to tick-
borne diseases in urban areas. His dedication to TWS and passion for wildlife research is unwavering.
Carson enjoys engaging with other wildlife students and is not shy about approaching anyone. Please come say hello if you see him at the next conference!
MD Member at Large
Chris Cochran
President-Elect
Joshua Tabora
Current Employer: Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Position: Furbearer Biologist
Contact Information: mddechapter@gmail.com
Background: Joshua received a Bachelor of Science degree in Professional Wildlife Management (2017) from Frostburg State University, and has worked for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources since 2015 in several capacities. He currently serves as the Furbearer Biologist for the state of Maryland. Joshua enjoys hunting, fishing, trapping and woodworking in Allegany county, and currently resides in the city of Cumberland.
Past President
Luke Macaulay
Current Employer: University of Maryland Extension
Position: Wildlife Management Specialist
Contact Information: mddechapter@gmail.com
Background: Dr. Luke Macaulay conducts applied research and extension (outreach and education) in wildlife management and conservation, with a focus on practical approaches to enhance wildlife habitat and mitigate wildlife problems in agricultural, forested and grassland/shrubland systems. He runs a monthly Wildlife Wednesdays webinar series exploring a diversity of topics related to wildlife management.
Secretary
Maddy Ondo
Current Employer: Maryland Department of Natural Resources Wildlife & Heritage Service
Western Maryland Resource Conservation and Development Inc.
Position: Natural Resource Technician
Contact Information:
Background: Maddy Ondo is a Natural Resources Technician working in support of Maryland Department of Natural Resources Wildlife & Heritage Service; specifically the Maryland Wild Turkey Research Project. Her duties include using radio telemetry to monitor wild turkeys, supporting data management, and assisting in land management efforts on the lower Eastern Shore. Maddy graduated from Washington College with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science. She has an extensive background in wildlife and field work across the country from Southern California to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Maddy has worked with a broad range of avian species including the recently ESA protected California spotted owl. She was also a member of the Chesapeake Conservation Corps in 2020, working with the Center for Environment and Society at Washington College where she was bird bander at Foreman's Branch Bird Observatory. In her free time, Maddy enjoys birding, hiking, and traveling!
DE Member at Large
Sierra Patterson
Current Employer: Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever
Position: Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist II
Contact Information: mddechapter@gmail.com
Background: My name is Sierra Patterson and I am the Delaware Member at Large for the MD/DE Chapter of The Wildlife Society. I am currently based out of Dover as a Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist II with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. I was born and raised in Maryland where I developed a passion for wildlife from a young age through enjoying the natural resources in and around the Chesapeake Bay. I pursued this by completing my Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology at West Texas A&M University in Spring of 2020. During my time in school, I served as a member and eventually the secretary in our student chapter of The Wildlife Society which included regular secretarial duties along with assisting in events held by local conservation groups and coordinating/implementing local school outreach programs. As for field work, I gained a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience through opportunities provided by professors, graduate students, and local biologist as well as through my summer internship with Texas Parks and Wildlife at Matador Wildlife Management Area. These could range anywhere from arial pronghorn surveys to aquatic sampling to mist netting. After graduating and moving back to Maryland, I worked as a Biological Technician with the U.S. Geological Survey Breeding Bird Survey team to input past years’ count data. Most recently I come from working with the Maryland Park Service and Maryland Conservation Corps performing an array of habitat manipulation projects to improve parks throughout the state. Now starting as a biologist in Delaware, I’m excited to work with landowners to create wildlife and early successional habitat in an effort to improve Northern Bobwhite and other wildlife populations. As the Delaware Member at Large, I will not only utilize my knowledge, but also the knowledge of residents, local organizations, and wildlife professionals throughout the state to be an all-encompassing voice to the MD/DE Chapter for wildlife conservation in Delaware.