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Tag: 2024

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Faculty Advisor Staff

Laura Swessel

LAURA SWESSEL

Faculty Advisor

Laura holds an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from MIT. She worked at Lockheed Martin as a Mechanical Test Engineer, building commercial satellites while earning an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from NJIT. She moved to Indiana in 1999 and started Lean Sigma, a consulting business for appliances, automotive, advertising, and healthcare industries and taught Physics at the local Purdue University campus. In 2012, she began as a long-term substitute Honors Physics teacher at Providence High School and found a love teaching high school. She now teaches Aviation, Physics, and Environmental Science at Mercy Academy in Louisville, KY. Laura has established STEM Clubs and Camps for elementary and middle school students in the area. She has been a volunteer with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources since 2008 as a docent at Falls of the Ohio and as a faculty member for the annual Family Paleontology Camp. She also serves on the county Native Habitat Restoration Team. She and her husband have four children, a dog and a cat.

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Faculty Advisor Staff

Lillian Herring

LILLIAN HERRING

Faculty Advisor

Lillian Herring (she/her) works as a Wildlife Field Technician gathering research data for
conservation management projects. She is currently working on a grassland research in  Southern Illinois tracking Bobwhites and Black Racer snakes as well as conducting vegetation surveys and bird counts. Her past projects include trapping and tagging Bobwhites to study habitat use also located in Southern Illinois, and a small mammal mark and recapture project to study population distribution on GrandFather Mountain in North Carolina. Lillian graduated from Appalachian State University with a Bachelors of Science in Ecology, Evolution, & Environmental Biology. Lillian is a 2016 WYSE alumna and a former JFA. When not working Lillian enjoys cooking, hiking with her dog and cat, and hanging out at the rock climbing gym.

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Faculty Advisor Staff

Donna Downing

DONNA DOWNING

Faculty Advisor

Donna Downing is the Senior Legal Policy Advisor at the Association of State Wetland Managers (ASWM).  Prior to coming to ASWM in December 2020, Donna was a policy analyst and attorney at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and served as Jurisdiction Team Leader in EPA’s Office of Water for fifteen years. Donna works on a variety of issues, with a focus in recent years on which waters are protected by the Clean Water Act (CWA) in light of the U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Donna previously worked for the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment, and in private law practice. She has a BA from Harvard University magna cum laude, a MPP from the University of California at Berkeley, a JD from Georgetown University cum laude, and a LLM in Environmental Law summa cum laude from George Washington University. Donna teaches environmental law as an adjunct professor at George Washington University Law School, and was awarded the Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award in 2012. In what’s left of her time, Donna moonlights as a professional potter and an unprofessional horse trainer.

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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 Staff

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.

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Faculty Advisor

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.