Board of Directors

president@stpeteaudubon.org

Holley is the Tampa Bay Shorebird Program Manager for Audubon Florida and joined the board in 2018. She has a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology & Conservation from the University of Florida and started her birding journey after college. Her favorite bird is the Snowy Plover. In her spare time, she loves being outdoors with her husband and dogs or being cuddled on the couch with her book and cats.

vp@stpeteaudubon.org

Beth Forys is a Professor of Environmental Studies and Biology at Eckerd College. She is a Conservation Biologist who is passionate about waterbird conservation and has a strong interest in both the use of technology and citizen scientists to educate and protect. She is one of the co-leaders of the Suncoast Shorebird Partnership of the Florida Shorebird Alliance. Before coming to Eckerd she worked for the Florida Game Commission and received her PhD from the University of Florida and her Masters and undergraduate degrees at the University of Virginia.

susan.benson@stpeteauduon.org

Susan Benson is a Professor of English for Academic Purposes at St. Petersburg College. She holds a PhD in Second Language Acquisition from the University of Maryland. Susan began volunteering for Audubon Florida as a bird steward in 2019, and she enjoys educating residents and tourists about shorebirds. Her favorite bird is the Black Skimmer.

treasurer@stpeteaudubon.org

Eve’s passion for birds was nurtured by her parents who shared their love for wildlife and the environment with their children, inspiring them to observe and respect nature through their adult lives. Eve loves volunteering as a shorebird nesting steward with Audubon Florida and brings her Accounting and Finance education and practical experience to help the chapter meet its financial goals.

suzanne.short@stpeteaudubon.org

Suzanne has always loved watching birds in her yard but fell in love with them when a pair of Carolina Wrens moved into the mailbox attached to the side of her home. The pair continued to nest in the mailbox for the next 15 years, and she looked forward each spring to watch the birds return to nest. Suzanne is excited to be more involved in the local community and to learn more about the birds in this area.

surya.sajnani@stpeteaudubon.org

courtnee.parr@stpeteaudubon.org

Courtnee has always managed to have birds in her life by assisting her closest friends with their work with birds since undergrad—they succeeded in inducting another fellow bird nerd. She moved to St. Pete in 2020 and joined the board that year. She has a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida and currently works full-time in research. Her favorite bird is the classic Northern Cardinal.

ashlee.minor@stpeteaudubon.org

Ashlee is currently a Biology Instructor at Eckerd College and a Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Georgia. She was born and raised in southeastern Louisiana, where she completed her undergraduate and Master’s degree in Biology. During her Master’s degree, she had the opportunity to work with Royal and Sandwich Terns nesting on barrier islands and absolutely loved this experience. She went on to complete her PhD at Southern Illinois University researching waterfowl and grassland songbirds in the Prairie Pothole Region. Ashlee is passionate about avian conservation and ecological restoration for wildlife species, particularly in the Gulf Coast Region. Her favorite bird is the Eastern Phoebe, and in her spare time she enjoys being outdoors, hiking and cooking with her husband, Jeff. She also spends her days spoiling her three Boston Terriers, Tucker, Finn and Ralph, and Red-lored Amazon parrot, Taco.

laura.dimartino@stpeteaudubon.org

Born and raised in Chicago, Laura was a teacher and resource specialist for 20+ years in Joliet, Illinois. She ran the after-school STEM program, Mission to Mars, and the Chess Club. Besides her passion for birds and wildlife, Laura loves to travel. She has a book of poetry published and is working on a series of short stories and a novel. She recently moved to St. Peterburg permanently and loves it!

lpackard.edu@stpeteaudubon.org

Laura is a retired Pinellas County educator and a Florida Master Naturalist. She has been on the board since 2015. Laura currently facilitates the Dr. Harold Albers Teacher Ecology Camp. She started birding later in life and along with Florida has birded hotspots in Arizona, Minnesota, and Texas. Laura's passion is creating backyard habitat that welcomes birds. Visitors are always welcome to her yard.

conservation@stpeteaudubon.org

Lisa Reich is St. Pete Beach resident, homeowner, business owner, local artist, and wildlife conservationist. She has lived here for over 40 years. She has patrolled local beaches for the past 13 years. She has enjoyed being a Black Skimmer bird steward over the past several years and has also volunteered as a wildlife rescuer. Her primary mission is to work with the local coastal municipalities in Pinellas County to protect our coastal wildlife and preserve the coastal habitat on which they depend. Her passion for the protection of our coastal wildlife is in response to the growing concerns of the human impacts to our coastal wildlife and their habitat. She is dedicated to coastal wildlife conservation by making a positive impact through advocacy, education and community and municipal engagement.

peter.plage@stpeteaudubon.org

Peter is retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, where he worked for almost 30 years. His last 6 years of work were based in St. Petersburg, where he addressed the impact of federal projects on endangered and threatened species. He has been a birder since his teens and maintains an interest in conservation of the red knot and other migratory shorebirds.

Francesca is a graduate of the Philadelphia High School for Girls and received a B.S. in Architecture from Temple University in 1975. After working in architecture and city planning, she began her federal government career at the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development working in community and economic development projects as well as construction projects. She then moved on to FEMA as a planning and management specialist; the Dept. of Health and Human Services, working with the Office of the Inspector General; the Dept. of Commerce, Economic Development Agency, working in community economic development planning; and finally to the Environmental Development Administration, where she managed an extensive international training and capacity building program, working in over 15 countries during her career. After 36 years with the federal government, Francesca and her husband, who was a successful restaurateur in Philadelphia, retired to Redington Beach, where they enjoy the sun, the sand, the birds, and their garden.

joel.conrad@stpeteaudubon.org

Joel was born and raised in St. Petersburg and has spent decades exploring the Sunshine State’s great outdoors. Joel’s love of wildlife led to his career in conservation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and policy from the University of South Florida - St. Petersburg and a master’s degree in wildlife forensic sciences and conservation from the University of Florida. Joel has a passion for photography, with a recurring theme being the birds of St. Pete. When he’s not taking photos, you’ll find him hanging with his wife, Lily, and their two dogs, Ollie and Murray.

c.obrien@stpeteaudubon.org