Partners
Environmental issues from urbanization to climate change extend beyond state boundaries and are outside the scope of any one organization to address. Through SECAS, federal and state agencies and other partners are leveraging resources to coordinate conservation actions and invest in cost-effective science to achieve a connected network of lands and waters that supports fish and wildlife populations and improved quality of life for people. SECAS was initiated by states of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) and the federal Southeast Natural Resource Leaders Group (SENRLG).
* Indicates members of the SECAS Steering Committee, which comprises five state agency directors from SEAFWA and one federal agency representative from SENRLG. The role of the steering committee is to provide oversight and strategic direction to SECAS.
State Partners
The following states are involved through the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA):
Alabama
Charles F. Sykes, Director, Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division
Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
State Points of Contact:
Ericha Shelton-Nix, Nongame Wildlife Program Biologist
Traci Wood, Habitat and Species Conservation Coordinator
Arkansas
Austin Booth, Director, Game and Fish Commission
State Points of Contact:
Chris Racey, Chief of Staff
Allison Fowler, Assistant Chief, Wildlife Management
Florida
Roger Young, Executive Director, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
State Point of Contact:
George Warthen, Chief Conservation Officer
Georgia
* Ted Will, Director, Wildlife Resources Division
Department of Natural Resources
State Point of Contact:
Matt Elliott, Chief of Wildlife Conservation
Kentucky
Rich Storm, Commissioner, Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
State Point of Contact:
Vacant
Louisiana
Madison Sheahan, Secretary, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
State Point of Contact:
Kenny Ribbeck, Wildlife Division Chief
Mississippi
Lynn Posey, Executive Director, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks
State Points of Contact:
John Gruchy, Private Lands Program Coordinator
Larry Pugh, Fisheries Bureau Director
Missouri
* Jason Sumners, Director, Department of Conservation
State Point of Contact:
Nate Muenks, Natural Resource Planning Section Chief
Lorisa Smith, Government Affairs Specialist
North Carolina
Cameron Ingram, Executive Director, Wildlife Resources Commission
State Points of Contact:
Kyle Briggs, Chief Deputy Director
Shannon Deaton, Habitat Conservation Division Chief
Chris Wood, Landscape Planning Coordinator
Oklahoma
Wade Free, Interim Director, Department of Wildlife Conservation
State Points of Contact:
Wade Free, Assistant Director
Mark Howery, Wildlife Diversity Biologist
Puerto Rico
Anaís Rodríguez Vega, Secretary, Department of Natural & Environmental Resources
Point of Contact:
Miguel Garcia-Bermudez, Landscape Conservation Scientist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
South Carolina
* Robert H. Boyles, Director, Department of Natural Resources
State Point of Contact:
Ken Prosser, Assistant Deputy Director
Tennessee
Jason Maxedon, Executive Director, Wildlife Resources Agency
State Points of Contact:
Vacant
Texas
David Yoskowitz, Executive Director, Natural Resources
Parks and Wildlife Department
State Points of Contact:
Duane German, Landscape Ecology Program Manager
U.S. Virgin Islands
Nicole Angeli, Director, Division of Fish and Wildlife
Department of Planning and Natural Resources
Point of Contact:
Sean Kelly, Wildlife Biologist
Virginia
Ryan Brown, Executive Director, Department of Wildlife Resources
State Point of Contact
Cale Godfrey, Assistant Chief of Wildlife
West Virginia
* Paul Johansen, Chief, Wildlife Resources Section
Division of Natural Resources
State Point of Contact:
Scott Warner, Assistant Wildlife Resources Section Chief
Federal Partners
The following federal agencies are involved through the federal Southeast Natural Resource Leaders Group (SENRLG):
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Jim Kendall, Gulf of Mexico Regional Director
Federal Point of Contact:
Vacant
Department of Defense
Regional Environmental and Energy Office - Southern
Ruth Forrester, Regional Environmental Coordinator
Federal Point of Contact:
Cynthia Jester, Army Regional Energy Coordinator
Environmental Protection Agency
Jeaneanne Gettle, Southeast Acting Regional Administrator
Federal Point of Contact:
Vacant
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Gracia Szczech, Southeast Regional Administrator
Federal Point of Contact:
Kari Elkins, Southeast Unified Federal Review Coordinator
Federal Highway Administration
Derrell Turner, Director of Field Services - South
Federal Point of Contact:
Vacant
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Marine Fisheries Service
Andy Strelcheck, Southeast Regional Administrator
Federal Point of Contact:
Kristen Laursen, Gulf of Mexico Regional Coordinator
National Park Service
Mark Foust, Southeast Regional Director
Federal Point of Contact:
Vacant
Natural Resource Conservation Service
James Tillman, Southeast Regional Conservationist
Federal Point of Contact:
Bridgett Estel Costanzo, NRCS East Working Lands for Wildlife Coordinator
Tennessee Valley Authority
Rebecca Hayden, Director of Natural Resources
Federal Point of Contact:
Shannon O’Quinn, Senior Water Resource Specialist
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
BG Daniel Hibner, Commanding General, South Atlantic Division
Federal Points of Contact:
Gretchen Ehlinger, South Atlantic Division Water Resources Planner
Dave Bauman, South Atlantic Division Regional Environmental Specialist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
* Mike Oetker, Southeast Regional Director, Interior Regions 2 & 4
Federal Points of Contact:
Bill Uihlein, Assistant Regional Director of Science Applications
U.S. Forest Service
Ken Arney, Southeast Regional Forester
Federal Points of Contact:
Daniel McInnis, Environmental Issues and Policy Analyst
U.S. Geological Survey
Holly Weyers, Southeast Regional Director
Federal Points of Contact:
Greg Steyer, Gulf of Mexico Regional Science Advisor
Richard Rebich, Science Coordinator of the Office of the Southeast Regional Director
Nonprofit Partners
The following nonprofit organizations are involved:
National Alliance of Forest Owners
Nonprofit Points of Contact:
Kristin Sleeper, Director of Policy and Research
Kate Gatto, Chief Strategy Officer
Native American Fish and Wildlife Society
Nonprofit Point of Contact:
Mike LaVoie, Southeast Regional Director
The Nature Conservancy
Nonprofit Points of Contact:
Eric Krueger, South Carolina Director of Science and Stewardship
Laura Chartier, Southern U.S. Division Conservation Manager
Open Space Institute
Nonprofit Point of Contact:
Joel Houser, Southeast Field Coordinator
Southern Group of State Foresters
Nonprofit Point of Contact:
Gary Wood, Southeast Regional Coordinator of the Cohesive Wildland Fire Strategy
Other Organizations
The following organizations are actively involved in SECAS:
The Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center
Ryan Boyles, Deputy Director
The Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership
Todd Ewing, Program Director