Jason grew up in rural Virginia. He attended The College of William and Mary, Appalachian State University, and North Carolina State University. He swore he would never leave the South, but he and his family have loved living in the Midwest since 2009. Jason has been a professor in The College of Natural Resources at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point (UWSP) for the past 13 years. He teaches courses in applied ecology, statistics, and wildlife research and management. His research interests are primarily in avian ecology and conservation as well as in statistics. In 2017 he was named the Gerald and Helen Stephens Professor of Wildlife.
Jason has been the advisor to the UWSP Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society since 2010. He considers the student chapter to be “the heart of the Wildlife Ecology and Management major” at UWSP. He also is a past-president of the Wisconsin Chapter of TWS and the North Central Section of TWS.
Jason’s family instilled a love of birds in him at a young age. While most of his research is on non-game and upland species, he especially enjoys pursuing waterfowl during the fall months. He also enjoys spending time with his family, kayaking, and Judo. Hajime!
