Invasive Species Working Group

Susan (Su) Jewell retired in 2024 after 31 years as a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For the first 6 years, she was the Senior Biologist at the A.R.M. Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in the Everglades where she oversaw the management of natural resources, including controlling invasives species. Then she moved to the USFWS’s national HQ, where she spent 11 years working on outreach and listing for endangered species. The next 14 years she spent as Injurious Wildlife Listing Coordinator, overseeing the regulatory listing of high-risk wildlife designated as injurious to prevent their importation. She is an authority on the history of injurious wildlife since 1900 and on John Lacey, who was the author of “the Lacey Act of 1900” and known as “the father of conservation legislation.” Pre-USFWS, Su spent 2 years at Everglades National Park doing fieldwork on alligators, wading birds, and fisheries. She also did wading bird research for the National Audubon Society in the Everglades. Other previous fieldwork includes wood storks, Atlantic puffins, bobcats, and gopher tortoises. Su is a freelance writer of environmental subjects and has published three books. She is focusing her retirement on writing, primarily on invasive wildlife. She has a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Vermont and M.S. in Systematics and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Connecticut and is a Certified Wildlife Biologist®.

Scott Goetz is a biologist with the USDA National Wildlife Research Center conducting studies on wildlife pathogens. Throughout most of his career, Scott has conducted research on invasive reptile and amphibian species, primarily bioinvasions in Florida and on the Marianas archipelago in the Pacific. His work takes an applied approach – attempting to better understand the natural history and ecology of invasive species in service of improving methods to contain and minimize the impacts of already established non-natives. Scott is also interested in refining early detection and rapid response networks, in particular, applying decision science principles to help determine the best use of limited response resources. Scott’s dissertation research focused on Cuban treefrogs, invasive to Florida at the time and now found in multiple locations throughout the US southeast. This work included investigations of immunological tradeoffs as one possible mechanism to explain the rapid range expansion observed in many bioinvasions. Over the past six years, Scott has worked as a herpetologist/invasive species ecologist for Auburn University, the National Wildlife Research Center, and the US Geological Survey. Recently, most of his time was devoted to studying aspects of invasive brown treesnake ecology on the island of Guam, specifically assessing approaches to suppress their abundance to facilitate possible native species reintroductions.

Dr. Jane Anderson is a wildlife biologist working at the interface of One Health, invasive species, and the wildlife trade. She has held positions in the public, private, academic, and non-profit environmental sectors. Jane’s specialty is charismatic invasive species and the unique social challenges of managing these populations. She previously studied and developed management plans for invasive monkeys in Florida and parakeets in Hawaii. She holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Ecology from University of Florida, as well as a B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences and a M.S. in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology from North Carolina State University.

Ben Wishnek is an Early Detection Rapid Response Project Manager for the federal government. His work concentrates on prevention of, and early detection and rapid response to priority invasive species of all taxa in southwest and southcentral Alaska. He has been in this position for 5+ years and previously worked as a Wildlife Biologist for the federal government in Idaho. Previously he was a member at large for the board of the Invasive Species Working Group and the Habitat Restoration Working Group for the Wildlife Society. He also recently completed a term on the Alaska Invasive Species Partnership Board of Directors as Secretary. He looks forward to this new opportunity to help the Invasive Species Working Group.

Grant Sizemore has earned B.S. degrees in Zoology and Environmental Science from Miami University and an M.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida. He is a Certified Wildlife Biologist® and has worked in wildlife conservation for over 15 years, including roles in field research, education and policy. Grant is currently the Director of Invasive Species Programs at American Bird Conservancy, where he has worked for over 12 years on invasive species policy, education and outreach, including leading the organization’s Cats Indoors program. Grant has published peer-reviewed articles, technical reports, and popular articles associated with invasive species management. Grant is a former Secretary of the Virginia Chapter and is a current At-large Member of the Invasive Species Working Group Board.

Laurel Borders graduated from Tennessee Tech University (Cookeville, TN) with a Bachelors of Wildlife and Fisheries Science in December of 2018 and has been a member of TWS since 2017. Her most recent position as a Big Game Technician with Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources included working with hunters and the general public; communicating issues surrounding invasive species, hunting practices and disease spread. She has extensive prescribed fire experience (her favorite method of invasive plant management) and recently became a Certified Burn Boss with the state of Kentucky. Ecological education surrounding disease awareness and invasive species management has been a passion of hers, especially as it pertains to her favorite animal species. Previous work includes radio tagging of White-tail Deer, Bobwhite Quail, Ducks, Wild Turkey and Lesser Prairie Chickens.

Natalie Claunch, PhD, is a Wildlife Biologist at the USDA APHIS Wildlife Services National Wildlife Research Center Florida Field Station, where she conducts research on human-wildlife conflict management focused on invasive reptiles and birds. Additional research interests are the intersections between invasion ecology, herpetology, and eco-physiology, such as how the physiological responses to novel or stressful environments that accompany introduction to new areas or exposure to diseases influence success of invasion or resistance to novel pathogens. She has worked with invasive pathogens (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans) in amphibians, stress and immune physiology of invasive Burmese pythons, brown tree snakes, curly-tailed lizards, Peters’ rock agamas, and native rattlesnakes, and thermal physiology in panther chameleons, curly-tailed lizards, and native Sceloporus lizards. Natalie received a B.S. in Zoology from NC State University, M.S. in Biology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and Ph.D. from University of Florida.

Hailey Shanovich, PhD, is a Biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center (SE CASC), where she supports climate-smart wildlife and land management across the Southeast and U.S. Caribbean. Her background is rooted in invasive species research, and invasive species management remains a priority for her work and for the Center. The SE CASC is involved in supporting the Southeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change Management Network, which connects researchers and practitioners to address invasive species challenges under climate change.

Gabrielle Ripa is a PhD candidate in Virginia Tech’s School of Plant and Environmental Sciences. At Virginia Tech, she is also a member of the Invasive Species Collaborative Steering Committee, which oversees a collaborative group of invasive species scientists on campus working in various fields and interfaces with local, regional, and national partners in invasion science and policy. Her PhD research focuses on how to limit invasive plant species on urban stream restoration projects and the impacts that both invasion and restoration have on soundscapes. Gabrielle also holds a M.S. in Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture from Mississippi State University and a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Management from Auburn University. She is passionate about invasive species management and public outreach and her research interests include investigating applied solutions to the issues facing native plant and animal communities.

Ricky Garibay is a Ph.D. student at Tarleton State University’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Stephenville, Texas. His research focuses on feral pig behavior and ecological impacts, with a dissertation examining diel activity and occupancy patterns of feral pigs in riparian habitats across the Cross-Timbers ecoregion of Texas. Using camera-trap data and statistical modeling, he investigates how environmental and anthropogenic factors, such as water availability, temperature and land use, affect detectability and movement. His broader research interests include riparian ecosystem conservation, wildlife–habitat interactions and data-driven management strategies for invasive species. In addition to his research, Ricky teaches Big Game Ecology and Management and mentors undergraduate students in field data collection, camera trapping and scientific writing.