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Tag: 2021

Jesi Hessong-Brown

JESI HESSONG-BROWN

Faculty Advisor

Jesi Hessong-Brown is a first generation WYSE-r! She attended the inaugural conference in 2010 and quickly became apart of the WYSE family. She has been a WYSE fall intern, summer intern, and faculty advisor. Since her first WYSE conference, Jesi has received her B.S. in Conservation and Environmental Biology with a double minor in Applied Conservation Skills and Non-Profit Studies from George Mason University where she graduate Magna Cum Laude and received the Senior Award in Biology for her undergraduate research. Jesi spent many years work in wildlife conservation before finding her true passion- teaching. Jesi has since completed her Masters in Education and is currently the wackiest middle school science teacher in her district. When not at work Jesi i is usually out rock climbing, hiking with her 1 year old daughter, looking for
amphibians, playing with her pet lizards or walking her two dogs Hobbes and Holly.

Gretchen Gorecki

GRETCHEN GORECKI

Faculty Advisor

Gretchen Gorecki is the Natural Resource Manager at the Virginia Department of Conservation’s Division of State Parks. She also serves as a DCR Prescribed Burn Crew Member and is working on becoming a Squad Boss. Gretchen was previously an environmental consultant for federal clients. She completed her MS in Biodiversity, Wildlife, and Ecosystem Health from the University of Edinburgh. She obtained her BS in Environmental Science, BS in Geography, and a GISc certificate from the University of Mary Washington. She is a certified GIS Professional (GISP), completed a National Fellowship with the Environmental Leadership Program, participated as a Fellow in the Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute, serves on the board of the Friends of Lake Anna State Park, judges Virginia regional science fairs, and is a tenor drummer with the UMW Eagle Pipe Band. Gretchen enjoys outdoor recreation and spending time at her backyard farm with her four dogs, horse, and cows.

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.

Dr. Thomas Lovejoy

DR. THOMAS LOVEJOY

Explorer at Large, National Geographic and Professor, George Mason University

Thomas E. Lovejoy was elected University Professor at George Mason in March 2010.  He previously held the Biodiversity Chair at the Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment and was President from 2002-2008. An ecologist who has worked in the Brazilian Amazon since 1965, he works on the interface of science and environmental policy. Starting in the 1970’s he helped bring attention to the issue of tropical deforestation and in 1980 published the first estimate of global extinction rates (in the Global 2000 Report to the President). He conceived the idea for the long term study on forest fragmentation in the Amazon (started in 1978) which is the largest experiment in landscape ecology, the Minimum Critical Size of Ecosystems project (also known as the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project). He also coined the term “Biological diversity”, originated the concept of debt-for-nature swaps and has worked on the interaction between climate change and biodiversity for more than 30 years. He is the founder of the public television series “Nature”. In the past, he served as the Senior Advisor to the President of the United Nations Foundation, as the Chief Biodiversity Advisor to the World Bank as well as Lead Specialist for the Environment for the Latin American region, as the Assistant Secretary for Environmental and External Affairs for the Smithsonian Institution, and as Executive Vice President of World Wildlife Fund-US. In 2002, he was awarded the Tyler Prize, and in 2009 he was the winner of BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Ecology and Conservation Biology Category. In 2012 he received the Blue Planet Prize. He has served on advisory councils in the Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Clinton administrations. In 2009 he was appointed Conservation Fellow by the National Geographic Society. He chaired the Scientific and Technical Panel for the Global Environment Facility which provides funding related to the international environmental conventions from 2009-2013 and serves as Advisor to the current Chair. He received his B.S. and Ph.D. (Biology) from Yale University.