WHO WE ARE
Meet the AKN Steering Commitee
The AKN steering committee (SC), comprised of 10 to 13 members, sets the priorities for the partnership and is designed to reflect the data and science needs for agencies and other institutions. The SC works together to identify and achieve shared goals while fostering the collaboration of diverse institutions, agencies, states, and others interested in improving the conservation of birds and their habitats through the use of data and partnerships. Representation includes, but is not limited to: federal and state agencies, NGOs, Joint Ventures, Flyways, Portal leaders, and informatics, industry and academic scientists.
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Manage & Explore Data
AKN offers tools for collecting, entering, uploading, managing, accessing and summarizing bird monitoring data.
Chair, Elizabeth Neipert
Elizabeth Neipert chairs the AKN Steering Committee, the primary decision- making body for the AKN, committed to fostering the international collaboration of diverse institutions and agencies with goals to improve the conservation of birds and their habitats utilizing scientific data and cooperat…
Secretary, Renee Chi
BLM HQ Wildlife Biologist. Wildlife career started with graduate research on sage-grouse reproductive ecology and assessment of habitat management effectiveness. Came into the federal government through a student internship program with USFWS Ecological Services working on Utah prai…
John Alexander
John Alexander, Klamath Bird Observatory Executive Director, has been an AKN collaborator since its inception. Dr. Alexander has been working to integrate bird conservation with natural resource management in the Pacific Northwest since 1992. He is focused on applying bird conservation science as…
Ruth Boettcher
Ruth has served as the VA Dept. of Wildlife Resources’ coastal nongame biologist since 2001. She is based on the Eastern Shore of VA and her area of responsibility includes the lower Delmarva Peninsula and adjacent seaward marshes and barrier islands as well the waters, shorelines, islands and ma…
Jennie Duberstein
Jennie Duberstein coordinates the Sonoran Joint Venture, an international partnership for bird and habitat conservation in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. She is a wildlife biologist and conservation social scientist who has spent her professional career working to build p…
David Hanni
David Hanni is the Bird Conservation Coordinator for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and member of the Avian Knowledge Network Steering Committee. David graduated from Colorado State University and is currently involved with the coordination and management of large datasets. David is part…
Russ Novell
Russ Norvell is the Avian Conservation Program Coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources stationed in Salt Lake City Utah, where he works to catalyze research, management, and conservation for non-game birds, from hummingbirds to condors, statewide, and helps guide Utah’s 2015 Wildl…
Sam Veloz
As the Director of Ecoinformatics and Climate Solutions at Point Blue, Sam leads a team that uses our science to help decision makers and natural resource managers prepare for future environmental changes. His group specializes in the development of models and tools that enable climate-smart deci…
Chris White
Chris has held various positions with Bird Conservancy of the Rockies since 2006. Initially hired as a data entry technician, Chris led the first Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) field crew in 2008. He served as the IMBCR program coordinator for several years, before b…