Board of Directors

Scott Wissinger, PhD, President

Dr. Scott Wissinger is a professor in the Biology and Environmental Science Department at Allegheny College. He received a BS in Biology & Geology from Susquehanna University and received his PhD in Biology from Purdue University. His research is focused on long-term study of the community ecology of high-elevation ponds and wetlands. His current projects include understanding the effects of detritus processing by caddisflies on nutrient mobilization and algal primary productivity, and on (in collaboration with Howard Whiteman) the causes and consequences of long-term population fluctuations in salamanders, the top predators in the ponds at Mexican Cut. He lives in Saegertown, Pennsylvania.

Ralph Benson, JD, Vice President

Ralph is executive director of the Sonoma Land Trust. Ralph attended Occidental College and Boalt Hall, University of California, Berkeley. He previously served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for the Trust for Public Land, one of the nation’s premier land conservation organizations. He lives in Berkeley, California.

Carol M. Johnson, JD, Treasurer

Carol is executive director of Amherst Cinema Arts Center, a nonprofit film center in Amherst, Massachusettts. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from University of Kansas and received her law degree from University of Connecticut. She is the granddaughter of the Lab’s founder, John C. Johnson. Carol first came to Gothic in 1952 with her parents, Chris and Dorothy Johnson. She is a corporate lawyer and served as executive manager with the MassMutual Financial Group, a Fortune 100 company. She has served on other nonprofit Boards, including the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and the Amherst Cinema Arts Center. She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Chris Floyd, PhD, Secretary

Dr. Chris Floyd is an assistant professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He received a BS in zoology from the University of Oklahoma and a PhD in ecology from the University of California-Davis. Chris’s main research focus is on habitat selection by the red-naped sapsucker, a woodpecker that nests in the aspen woodlands near the RMBL. Chris lives in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
 

Alison Brody, PhD

Alison is a Professor of Biology at University of Vermont. Alison is an evolutionary ecologist interested in multi-species effects on the ecology and evolution of floral traits. She began working at the RMBL in 1981 and conducted her Master’s and Doctoral research at the RMBL. After completing her Ph.D., Alison served two, 5-year terms on the Board as an elected member. Alison brings to the Board a long history of work for and dedication to the Lab, as well as energy and commitment to furthering the Lab’s goals. She provides perspective as a long-time member of the RMBL, researcher, and summer resident, and has long-term connections to the RMBL membership and alumni base.

Cindy Carlisle, MA

Cindy has a B.A. and M.A. in English as well as certification from the Kennedy School of Government’s Program on State and Local Government. She was elected and served as a University of Colorado regent for the second congressional district. In her capacity as a regent she served in a number of roles, including chairing the Capital Construction Committee and helping oversee a $2 billion annual budget. Having lived in Boulder, CO for over 40 years, she has served on Boulder’s City Council, where her achievements include chairing the committee that produced Boulder’s first master transportation plan and helping broker the agreement that created the CU Research Park. She served as the first Director of the Virgil Grillo Center for Cancer and has served on numerous boards, including the Center for Energy and Environmental Security (CU Law School), the Friends of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, and Ecocycle. Because of her passion for the environment and her interest in policy, she is a strong supporter of the RMBL’s institutional mission.

Philippe Cohen, PhD

Philippe is the administrative director of Stanford University’s Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. He holds an undergraduate degree from Pitzer College and a PhD in Geography from University of Minnesota. He previously was director of University of California’s Granite Mountains Reserve. He has been the vice president of the Organization for Biological Field Stations. Additionally, Philippe has served on on the boards of the Children’s Center for the Stanford Community and the Golden Gate Biosphere Reserve. He lives in Palo Alto, California.

Bruce Driver, JD

Bruce graduated from Yale University, and earned an MBA from Columbia University School of Business and a JD from the University of Michigan School of Law. He began his career in 1973 on Capitol Hill as an adviser to the House subcommittee on the environment. He later served as a lawyer for the Federal Energy Administration. He was the scholar-in-residence for the Western Governors’ Association. He authored a groundbreaking book, “Western Water: Tuning the System,” published iin 1986. Bruce headed up the Boulder-based Western Resource Advocates, an environmental policy and law organization. He retired in 2005 to his home in Crested Butte, Colorado.

Dan Jones

Dan has broad experience managing software and systems engineering teams. Dan serves on a number of local and national boards including the Gunnison County Land Preservation Board and the Comprehensive Plan Economic Development Focus Group. Dan was a founding board member and past president of the Crested Butte Land Trust. He resides in Gunnison County.

Kristina Jones, PhD

Kristina is director of the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens. She holds a PhD in Ecology from University of California, Davis. Kristina has extensive previous experience the Lab as a coursework student, research assistant, doctoral student, faculty member, and researcher. She has teaching, research, and administrative experience at diverse academic institutions. She lives in Auburndale, Massachusetts.

Christopher Still, PhD

Chris is associate professor of Geography, at University of California, Santa Barbara. He holds a degrees from Colorado State, and a PhD in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. Chris has extensive experience at the Lab beginning in 1990 as a coursework student, and later as research assistant, work crew member, and researcher. Chris’s subdisciplines include isotope biogeochemistry, plant ecophysiology, biogeography, and earth system science. He maintains research at four University of California Natural Reserve System sites and sits on the UCSB Natural Reserve System Advisory Committee. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.