Education

2002-2004

Conservation Biology Graduate Certificate, Northern Arizona University

1991-1994

University of Arizona , Ph. D. Program in Entomology.

1988-1991

M. A. from California State University, Fullerton. Research advisor: C. E. Jones Thesis: Reproductive Biology of the Endangered Santa Ana River Woolly Star, Eriastrum densifolium sanctorum (Miliken) Mason.

1981-1987

B. A. Biological Sciences, California State University, Fullerton.

Professional Experience

2002 - 2004

Graduate Assistantship with the Center for Sustainable Environments, Northern Arizona University. My primary responsibility was to help staff create a management plan for Estero El Sargento, Seri Indians Tribe.

2001-Present

Tour leader for La Ruta de Sonora: this is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of ecotourism at the community level through several destinations in the Sonoran Desert Region. My primary duty was to facilitate the interaction between the tourists and the local guides.

1997-2001

Education Specialist at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum:

• Amigos del Desierto Program Coordinator : Coordinated museum partnership with schools predominantly of Hispanic students. Planned classroom presentations, field trips to the ASDM grounds, outreach classes to Amigos schools, parent and teacher workshops, and camping trips. I was primarily responsible for creating schoolyard pollination habitats for the schools, and with co-workers help, created the associated curriculum and workshops for the teachers.
• Curriculum Development : Worked with museum education staff to create classes for elementary school (K-6), labs for middle school (6-8), and field excursions for high school. These were science-based and developed over a two-year period. These classes included pre- and post-visit teacher information packets and a class presentation using hands-on activities, plants and animals, and museum artifacts. All classes were correlated with the Arizona State educational standards.
• Training of Docents, Jr. Docents and Student Interpreters: Helped with training in areas of interpretation and natural history of the Sonoran Desert Region. This included how to create an interactive presentation, how to identify plants, butterflies, identification and biology of aquatic invertebrates, and many others.
• Public Field Trips: Developed educational and entertaining public field trips to the San Pedro River, Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point), Mata Ortiz and other locations in the Sonoran Desert Region.

Summer 1997

Youth Prevention Program Assistant, ASU. Work on a substance prevention program with the Yaqui youth in the town of Guadalupe.

1996-1997

Family Specialist at the Pinal Hispanic Council. My primary goal was to help at risk 4th to 8th grade youths and their parents. We worked to increase positive interactions between youth, their parents, teachers and peers. I developed culturally appropriate after school activities and workshops to involve youth and parents in a closer relationship. I also used my natural history and outdoors skills by taking the families camping in the summer. This was a very important way to rekindle severed interactions between the youths and their parents. Campfire conversations were mostly related to youth-parent communication skills. Our aim was not just to increase communications within these families, but to excite them about the future.

1995-1996

Interpretative Services Coordinator at the Hassayampa River Preserve, The Nature Conservancy. In this position I was primarily responsible for creating a riparian ecology curriculum for high school students, volunteer/docent coordination and riparian ecology training. I also worked at the bookstore, conducted special events, lead tours, fixed fences, etc.

1994-1995

Park Ranger II (Specialty/Environmental Education) at the Oracle Center for Environmental Education. My primarily function was presenting interpretative tours of the trails that included specific environmental education activities. I also was responsible for volunteer training regarding oak grassland ecology and natural history.

1987-1991

Teacher Assistant, California State University, Fullerton.

Skills

Bilingual: fluent in English and Spanish (both oral and written)

Proficient computer skills including Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, Excel, JMP, PowerPoint, Photoshop, and other programs used by IBM and Apple systems.

Scholarships and Honors

1992

Ford Foundation Doctoral Fellowship Program for Minorities Honorable Mention List, University of Arizona

1991-1994

Graduate Student Minority Fellowship, University of Arizona

1990

Outstanding Service Award, California State University, Fullerton

1990

California Pre-doctoral Fellowship

1990

Sigma Xi Fellowship

1988

Outstanding Service Award, California State University, Fullerton

1987

Dean’s List

1985

Outstanding Service Award, California State University, Fullerton

Student Group

1988-1990

California State University, Fullerton

President of the Rainforest Action Group : in this capacity I designed, wrote and was granted money for creating a lecture series on “ Tropical Forests, Biodiversity, and Conservation”. Speakers for this series included Norman Myers, Ariel Lugo, and Daniel Janzen among others. The lecture series was also utilized as fundraising events. The money raised was used for tropical conservation projects.

Professional & Other Interests

Conservation biology, plant-animal interactions, biogeography, ecosystem function.

Camping, snorkeling, tide pooling, birding, playing guitar and bongos, ultimate frisbee, getting together with friends.