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Faculty Advisor

Gary Swick

GARY SWICK

Faculty Advisor

Gary Swick used his BS in Natural Resource Mgt. from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point and a MSEd in Outdoor Teacher Education as the foundation for developing a field-based High School Environmental Science suite of eight courses.  The related projects have earned numerous state & national acclaim for their innovative approaches and impressive results.  Individually, Gary has received several recognitions on the national level as an outstanding Environmental Educator. With the motto, “Environmental Action through Education”, his students have been active agents of change in their communities. His primary focus has been getting students into their local streams as “Watershed Watchdogs”, collecting data and becoming stewards. He previously taught at Northern Illinois University and is now retired. In addition to teaching, Gary spent 18 summers as a whitewater raft guide in Wyoming.  Gary serves as the President of the Friends of the Fox River, the Board President of the Elgin Math & Science Academy, and is a board member on several other non-profit conservation groups. He is an avid outdoor recreationist.

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Faculty Advisor

Corey Payne

COREY PAYNE

Faculty Advisor

Corey earned his PhD in Science Education from the University of Florida studying issues of representation in STEM.  He is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at St. Mary’s College of Maryland leading a grant through the American Physics Society that targets professional identity and self-efficacy to increase the recruitment of K12 science teachers. His primary research interests include mentoring, developmental network analysis, and inquiry-based science education. During graduate school, he worked on an NSF-funded project to redesign the chemistry laboratory curriculum for engineering majors to increase the retention and performance of underrepresented students. Outside of his educational research interests he has also worked with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in the forest ecology lab studying canopy structures and their relation to global climate change. He has also volunteered at the Whitney Labs studying climate change and the effect of the northern expansion of mangroves into Florida. In his free time, he enjoys restoring vintage mountain bikes, tubing in the Florida springs, and swimming in the ocean with his dog Maple.

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Faculty Advisor

Mike McDavit

MIKE MCDAVIT

Faculty Advisor

A native Washingtonian, Mike earned a BS in Environmental Science from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and a MPA from The George Washington University.  He first realized his passion for the environment while attending his suburban Maryland high school in the 1970’s. Mike, who just retired from federal service in 2021 after 38 years, worked in government, private sector and academe in the environmental field. His environmental experience spans wetland restoration and protection, pesticide regulation, hazards materials management, and air and water pollution control and testing. Mike lived and worked in Germany for nine years, managing hazardous wastes for the US military in Europe and Middle East. In that overseas position and other jobs at the US Environmental Protection Agency, Mike embraced the challenges associated with solving tough environmental problems. Mike is an adjunct professor of environmental biology at Montgomery College. In his free time, Mike enjoys birding, fishing, visiting museums/historical sites, and attending cultural events. He delights in showing people the marvelous cultural and historical sights of Washington, DC.

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Faculty Advisor

Kevin Magerr

KEVIN MAGERR

Faculty Advisor

Mr. Kevin Magerr is a professional engineer with nearly forty years of experience in environmental protection.  Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Widener University and a Masters of Science in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering from Villanova University, and has completed more than two dozen specialty courses and certifications throughout his career.  Recently retired from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, he worked in the Water Protection Division for thirty years. His work there, his numerous publications, and his teaching experience in several universities and at the high school level have been recognized by multiple awards, including the Gold Medal for Excellence in Government. Kevin continues teaching and advising at Temple University in several areas: Biotechnology, and Civil and Environmental Engineering at the graduate level, Environmental Science at the undergraduate level, and as Senior Faculty Advisor for the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment at George Mason University. Kevin is very active in the community by working with high school students in track and cross-country programs, being on the Executive Boards of the Global Water Alliance and the Nicholas Newlin Foundation for the Historic Newlin Grist Mill, and by providing technical assistance to the Chester, Ridley and Crum Watersheds Association. When not working he enjoys hiking and kayaking.

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Faculty Advisor

Maction Komwa, Ph.D.

MACTION KOMWA

Faculty Advisor

Maction Komwa is a multi-disciplinary researcher and educator with expertise and experience in geospatial technologies in support of climate and land-use change, biophysical sustainability of food production systems, conservation of natural resource and management.  He is currently teaching in the department of Geography and Geoinformation Science at George Mason University. For the past 11 years, Maction has collaborated and conducted research with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington DC on various projects related to policy framework for agricultural transformation, sustainable food security and nutrition, and crop monitoring for early warning using remote sensing techniques.

He received a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Policy from George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia and obtained a Master’s in Geographic Information Science for Development and Environment (GISDE) from Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts. Maction will be returning as a Faculty Advisor for WYSE for the eighth time and he is very eager to meet the esteemed 2023 delegates.

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Faculty Advisor

Marieke Kester Jones

MARIEKE KESTER JONES

Faculty Advisor

Marieke graduated from George Mason University with a PhD in Environmental Science and Policy in 2017. For her dissertation research, she studied reproduction and chemical communication in the maned wolf with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. After graduation, Marieke was delighted to take a position at the University of Virginia as a Data Specialist, assisting life sciences researchers with data analysis. Aside from her deep passion for statistics, data, and endangered species conservation, Marieke tries to live sustainably, with a minimal carbon footprint. She bike commutes to work, is installing solar panels on her home, grows some of her own food, and plans to plant a large native pollinator garden this season.

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Faculty Advisor

Gretchen Gorecki

GRETCHEN GORECKI

Faculty Advisor

Gretchen Gorecki (she / her) is the Natural Resource Manager at the Virginia Department of Conservation’s Division of State Parks. She works directly with district resource specialists to implement resource management activities across all 41 state parks in Virginia, including invasive species management, native species and pollinator habitat restoration, prescribed burning, and other beneficial stewardship activities. Gretchen relies on her GIS and mapping skills to provide additional support to these projects. She supports policy development, conducts regulation and guidance reviews, and promotes recreational and educational access for park visitors. She also serves as a DCR Prescribed Burn Crew Member and is working on becoming a Squad Boss. Gretchen was previously an environmental consultant, where she focused on natural resource program management, facility and environmental documentation programs, encroachment strategies, and geospatial analyses primarily for federal clients, including the U.S. Department of Defense. Gretchencompleted her MSc in Biodiversity, Wildlife, and Ecosystem Health from the University of Edinburgh. She obtained her BS from the University of Mary Washington, where she double majored in Environmental Science and Geography, and received a GISc Certificate. She is a certified GIS Professional (GISP), completed a National Fellowship with the Environmental Leadership Program, serves on the board of the Friends of Lake Anna State Park, volunteers as a Virginia Master Naturalist, participates as a judge at Virginia regional science fairs, and is a tenor drummer with the UMW Eagle Pipe Band. She is also a Master Hiker after completing Trail Quest by visiting all of the Virginia State Parks. Gretchen enjoys outdoor recreation, including hiking, backpacking, sup-ping, and rock climbing, and spending time at her backyard farm with her four dogs, horse, rabbit, and cows.

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Speakers

Donielle Nolan

DONI NOLAN

Greenhouse Coordinator, George Mason University

Doni Nolan graduated from Mason in the spring of 2014 with her BA in Biology. During her years as a student she volunteered for Monica Marcelli in the greenhouse and always dreamed of having her own greenhouse one day. For three years she was the President of the GMU Organic Garden Association. She joined the Office of Sustainability in 2013 as the summer intern for the Potomac Heights Organic Vegetable Garden and later as the assistant coordinator for the 2014 Permaculture Design Certification Course. After working all summer in the garden, she knew that growing food was her passion. She is delighted to continue teaching students and community members about growing their own food through her current position as the Greenhouse Coordinator for the President’s Park Greenhouse. The facility will utilize hydroponics to grow lettuce, micro greens, basil and other herbs that will be served at Ike’s dining hall. If you would like to get involved, please contact Doni at dnolan6@gmu.edu. To learn more about the Greenhouse, visit their Facebook page.

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Advisory Board Photographer

Meghan A.T.B. Reese

MEGHAN A.T.B. REESE

Photographer, Washington Scholars Program

Producer, Writer, & Photographer

Meghan Reese is a producer, writer, and photographer. Reese’s credits include producing and writing for National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Travel Channel, History Channel, Smithsonian Channel, A&E, Animal Planet, HGTV, Investigation Discovery, Discovery Family, PBS, Sony/IMAX’s 3Net 3D films, Capital TV Pakistan, the White House, and the Department of State. Reese also runs Ography, her own photography and multimedia shop, capturing events for the National Park Service, the White House, George Mason University, and many other businesses, families and couples. 

Reese’s first step into production was as a researcher and assistant director for WGBH PBS’s news coverage team, where Reese covered major news events including the 2008 presidential election, the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy, and Boston’s Craigslist Killer. Prior to making the switch to television and film, Reese was an award-winning writer and editor for several newspapers, medical, health and lifestyle magazines, and executive editor of Today’s Dietitian Cookbook. Her writing career began in the Life section of USA Today, covering fashion, trends, and popular culture. Reese holds a journalism degree from American University, where she held several prestigious internships around the Metro area, including The Washington Post, CNN, NPR, and at the White House.

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Counselor Leadership Staff

Rachel Cleaver, MPA

RACHEL CLEAVER, MPA

Student Support and Senior Associate Director, K-12 Partnerships

Rachel is the Senior Associate Director of K-12 Partnerships in the Office of Admissions.  In this role, she creates and oversees partnerships that help bring more students to the Mason campus.  She works with many departments and organizations across the campus as well as the community as a whole to talk about the great things happening at George Mason as well as College Access and Success overall.  Rachel oversees bringing groups of students of all ages to campus and you will often see her corralling large groups of middle school students around campus. Rachel provides general support to the Washington Scholars Program. Prior to coming to George Mason, Rachel has extensive experience leading the programmatic efforts at two college access and success programs on the East Coast, Let’s Get Ready and The Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund. She has extensive experience in curriculum design and program management and in helping under-served high school students achieve their college dreams.  She earned BS degrees in Elementary Education and Human/Organizational Development from Vanderbilt University and a Masters in Public Administration from George Mason University. She loves living in Washington, DC and looks forward to welcoming you here this summer!