President
Karan Rawlins
UGA Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
krawlins@uga.edu

Karan is the Invasive Species Coordinator at the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at the University of Georgia. She has a Bachelors of Science Degree from University of Texas in Arlington and graduate work at the University Of Texas with degree pending. Previously, Rawlins worked at the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge as a naturalist developing many programs including invasive species awareness. She also worked with the Texas Invaders Program as a Regional Coordinator, collecting data, training volunteers and validating data submitted by volunteers. Her duties at UGA include; development and delivery of outreach materials and presentations, expanding the development and operation of the Georgia Invasive Species Task Force, developing Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas in Georgia, classification of images and information into the Bugwood Image Database System, development and training associated with the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS), and field work including installation and management of research plot and collection of field survey data. Her goal is to help preserve and restore our native habitats and landscapes by working in the field of invasive species.

President Elect
Bodie V. Pennisi
Associate Professor and Extension Landscape Specialist
Horticulture Dept., The University of Georgia
bpennisi@uga.edu

Dr. Bodie Pennisi is an Associate Professor and Extension Landscape Specialist at the University of Georgia. She received her Masters in 1996 and a PhD in 1999 from Environmental Horticulture Dept. of University of Florida, Gainesville. She joined the Horticulture Department at UGA in June of 2000. Until July 2010, she had responsibilities for the floriculture industry. Currently, Dr. Pennisi has statewide responsibilities for the Georgia landscape industry.
She teaches two undergraduate courses, Plant Propagation, and Herbs, Spices, and Medicinal Plants, on the UGA's Griffin campus.
Her major areas of research have included landscape applications of tropical plants as means to develop niche markets for floriculture producers; evaluating the cold hardiness of tropical perennials, the use of plant growth retardants as means to improve post-harvest performance of interiorscape plants; and developing cultural guidelines for foliage plants. Most recently, Dr. Pennisi has been researching phytoremediation removal of volatile organic compounds by interiorscape plants and quantifying carbon dioxide assimilation in interiorscape plants.
Dr. Pennisi is on the board of the national non-profit organization Green Plants for Green Buildings (GPGB). She works with Florida Nursery Greenhouse and Landscape Association (FNGLA) and the National Foliage Foundation (NFF) to furnish scientific data to support the argument for LEED credits in green sustainable interiors based on the use of living plants.
Dr. Pennisi’s organizes county and state educational programs. Dr. Pennisi serves as an educational advisor to The Georgia Green Industry Association.
Dr. Pennisi has been a recipient of the John Hutchison Extension Educator Award from the Southern Region-American Society for Horticultural Science and the Outstanding Educator of the Year from the Georgia Green Industry Association.
Dr. Pennisi has made numerous educational presentations at national industry conferences and trade shows, among which are:
CalScape
Ohio Short Course
Tropical Plant International Exhibition
Southeast Greenhouse Conference and Trade Show
Mid-Atlantic Horticulture Short Course
Gulf States Horticulture Expo

Secretary
Meghan Hedeen
georgia.eppc@gmail.com

Meghan graduated from the Wildlife Conservation program at the University of Delaware with a B.S. in Entomology. For years she worked as a field biologist and as an educator. Now, she works as an Ecologist for the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Treasurer
J. Mincy Moffett, Jr. Botanist
Nongame Conservation Section
Wildlife Resources Division
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
mincy.moffett@dnr.state.ga.us

Mincy holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of the South (Sewanee) and a M.B.A. from Georgia State University. These served him well in earlier careers as a banker, and then as Administrative Director for the international environmental group, Greenpeace. As part of a career change, Mincy later received a Ph.D. in Plant Ecology from Auburn University. His current duties for DNR include rare plant surveys; monitoring rare plant/natural communities; and stewardship and restoration of critical habitats. He is “red-card” certified for prescribed fire and is actively involved with the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance (GPCA). His particular areas of botanical interest include: Blue Ridge mountain bogs, Ridge and Valley seeps and springs; Piedmont oak/pine woodlands; and Coastal Plain riverine sandhills.

Brian Arnold
SongBird LandCare, Inc.,
brian@songbirdlc.org

Brian earned his B.S.A. in Ornamental Horticulture at the University of Georgia in 1987 and has enjoyed a successful career in the Green Industry. He specializes in management of Tree/Shrub & Turf Care programs and has become increasingly alarmed by the damage resulting from non-native invasive species, including insects, pathogens, and plants. As a wildlife enthusiast, Brian became involved with GA-EPPC to contribute to the collaborative effort of combating non-native invasive plants and protecting habitat.

Malcolm Hodges
Conservation Biologist
The Nature Conservancy
malcome_hodges@tnc.org

Hodges has a Master’s in Biology from Mississippi State, and has worked for TNC over 17 years. "Non-native invasive plants and animals are the second greatest threat to natural species and ecosystems, after development. I think GA-EPPC offers an effective avenue of combating invasive plant problems statewide, so my involvement with GA-EPPC is important for my work at TNC."

Stewart Chandler
Plant Health Manager
Cairo, Georgia
Monrovia
schandler@monrovia.com

Stewart’s commercial production experience started at the age of 15 in a shade foliage nursery in southern Florida and he has worked in the nursery industry or a closely related field for the past 32 years. Stewart joined the Monrovia production team in 1994 and led the Research and Development program for the Monrovia location in Georgia for more than 10 years. This included the development of a new plant evaluation program working closely with top plant breeders and originators across the Southeastern United States. He also conducted practical nursery research projects to support growers at that same facility and has worked extensively in environmental stewardship programs to include nutrient management initiatives and implementation and ongoing research on the nursery’s constructed wetlands. In 2009, Stewart returned to plant production at the Cairo, Georgia growing facility and currently works as the Plant Health Manager at that location dealing with all technical aspects of plant production.

Gary Dye
Sr. Environmental Analyst
Georgia Power Company
gbdye@southernco.com

Gary has an Associates of Science in Wildlife and Forest Technology from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. He has worked for Georgia Power Company for thirty-five years. Eleven years in nuclear construction as an Environmental Inspector and twenty four years as an Environmental Analyst with responsibilities for radiological environmental monitoring, water quality sampling, aquatic plant control, endangered species, and wetland delineation.

Pete Pattavina
US Fish and Wildlife – Georgia Ecological Services
pete_pattavina@FWS.GOV

Joanne Baggs

My education is in plant ecology. I have a Bachelor of Science in Plant Biology from University of Nevada, Las Vegas and a Master of Science in Biology from New Mexico State University. My research and first jobs were in botany and plant ecology across a variety of habitats in the West. Since 1996, my professional career has involved more and more issues with invasive species.
I started working with non-native invasive species in my position as Research Botanist at The Arboretum at Flagstaff in 1996. At The Arboretum, my responsibilities mainly focused on research on federally listed plants. In that position, I was also involved in restoration with native species, monitoring for invasive plants, and education through workshops. In my next position as Forest Botanist for the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, I managed the botany program from 2001 to 2009. The botany program had two main focuses: conservation of rare plants and restoration of native species. My involvement with the invasive species program focused on analysis and training. As part of implementing projects on Forest Service land, we would identify risks and establish prevention and mitigation measures to reduce the risk of introducing and increase invasive species. With the spread of cheatgrass, I worked with the Forest staffs to change the standard practices to reduce the rate of invasion of cheatgrass such as eliminating fertilizers, timing of treatments, species selection for seed mixes, and development of appropriate native plant materials.
I have been the Forest Botanist/Ecologist for the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest since 2009. As part of that position, I manage the botany, ecology and non-native invasive plant programs. The NNIS program on the Forest has grown in the past 5 years with treatment of over 500 acres in the past 2 years. With declining budgets, one challenge this year is to establish priorities for treatment by identifying the high priority species and areas for treatment. An additional focus is to continue development of the inventory program and monitoring for treatment effectiveness. Prevention is also a key component of the program.

Linda G. Chafin
lchafin@uga.edu

Linda Chafin has worked as Conservation Botanist with the Plant Conservation Program at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, in Athens, since 2004. The Botanical Garden and the University of Georgia Press published her book, “The Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia” in 2007. Since then she has been working on a variety of conservation-related projects with state agencies and private organizations, including the Memorial Park Weed Warriors in Athens.

Linda has a M.S. in Botany from UGA, where she studied under Dr. Sam Jones, Jr. and wrote a thesis on the flora and ecology of Southern Appalachian boulderfields. She has conducted rare species surveys and natural community inventories throughout the southeastern U.S. since the mid-1980s. Linda is a native of Atlanta, Georgia.

Sharon Holbrooks

Conservation Easement Specialist
USDA NRCS
355 East Hancock Avenue
Athens, Georgia 30601
sharon.holbrooks@ga.usda.gov
Direct line: 706-546-2203

Sharon has been the Conservation Easement Specialist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service for the last 2 years. Her main role is in statewide implementation of the Wetlands Reserve Program, which purchases easements on wetlands and surrounding uplands for permanent protection, enhancement, and restoration, as well as NRCS-Georgia’s 4 other easement programs. Prior to this she worked as a Private Lands Biologist for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA DNR), Wildlife Resources Division, Nongame Conservation Section. Sharon graduated from the UGA Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources with a bachelors and masters degree in wildlife management in 2004 and 2007 respectively. Sharon is very interested in private lands conservation and hopes to continue on her career path in this aspect. Sharon has a 3-year old son, Luke, who is her other full time job!! Sharon currently serves as Secretary on the GA Chapter of The Wildlife Society and was recently elected as president-elect. Sharon has an interest in Exotic and Invasive plants as they pertain to Wetlands Reserve Program Easements that she manages and monitors.

Randy Tate
Natural Resource Program Manager
Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites Division
randy.tate@dnr.state.ga.us

Randy Tate works for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources as the Natural Resource Program Manager for Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites Division. In this role he administrates a program for natural resource management, interpretation and volunteer management for all Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites across the state, all 64 of them.
Before joining GA DNR, Randy worked for The Nature Conservancy for 20 years in four different positions from the FL Keys to Rhode Island. The last 10 years with The Nature Conservancy, Randy was Director of Science and Stewardship for the Georgia Chapter of TNC.
He has a Master’s degree in Biology from the University of Massachusetts at Boston. His thesis was on the breeding ecology of the Short-eared Owl and its competitive interactions with Northern Harriers and involved three field seasons on Nantucket, Island, MA.

David Moorhead
UGA Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health

Dr. David J. Moorhead is Professor of Silviculture at the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and the Co-Director of the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. Moorhead is a native of Louisville, KY and received a B.S. in Forestry from the University of Kentucky; an M.S. in Silviculture/Soils from Mississippi State University and his Ph.D. in Forest Ecophyiology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He has been with the University of Georgia for 26 years providing statewide and regional service/outreach programs for county extension agents, private landowners, foresters and natural resource managers on silviculture, forest vegetation, invasive species and forest health issues, forest regeneration, prescribed fire and forest management. He is involved in extensive program development in the area of invasive species awareness and management, and conducts workshops across the South on invasive plant identification, pathways of spread in forested/natural ecosystems, and management and control techniques. He received the 2007 Outstanding Service Award in Forest Health Protection from the Georgia Forestry Commission and the 2009 Award of Excellence in Public Education in Technology Transfer from the Southeastern Society of American Foresters. Dr. Moorhead is active in the SE-EPPC; he serves as the GA-EPPC liaison with the National Association of Exotic Pest Plant Councils, and as a member of the National Network of Invasive Plant Centers.

Chuck Bargeron
UGA Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health

Chuck is the Information Technology Director for the Center for Invasive Species & Ecosystem Health at the University of Georgia. A native of Tifton, GA, he graduated from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in 1997 with an Associate Degree in Computer Science and received a B.S in Computer Science in 1999, from Georgia Southern University. In 2004, he received an M.S. in Computer Science from Georgia Southwestern State University. He has been with the University of Georgia for 15 years where he has developed web applications, interactive CD-ROMs, databases and outreach publications. Websites that Chuck has designed for the University of Georgia have been featured twice in Science Magazine, received regional awards for content and design, and have received over 750 million hits in the last 10 years.
Chuck was the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Advocate of the Year in 2008 and received the Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council Award in 2009. He is the current President of the Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council He is also an active member of the Florida Invasive Species Partnership, Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area Steering Committee and the National Network of Invasive Plant Centers.