The Nature Conservancy in Florida - Green Earth Expo Speakers

Scheduled Speakers:
May 15:

Tricia Martin – Planning for a Green Future
Monica Folk – Ecosystem Restoration at The Conservancy's Disney Wilderness Preserve

May 16:

Zachary Prusak – Florida: Shaped by Fire

May 17:

Laura Geselbracht – Florida & Global Climate Change: What Can We Expect & What Can We Do?
Kris Serbesoff-King – Fighting Invasive Species with Landscape Scale Conservation

Speakers Biographies:

Tricia Martin, Lake Wales Ridge Program Director
The Nature Conservancy
Ms. Martin has been with The Nature Conservancy since 1994. Her duties include developing cooperation among 14 private and public partners to acquire and manage 41 sites encompassing 188,000 acres. She provides leadership for the Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem Working Group, the ecosystem's land management consortium. In addition she negotiates and implements contracts, cooperative agreements, and projects, including federal, state, local and private grants and contracts.

Monica Folk, Ph.D.
The Nature Conservancy
Monica Folk has been a biologist, planner and science manager with The Nature Conservancy since February 1992. Dr. Folk’s training is in wildlife ecology and management, with a specialty in conservation of natural systems and endangered species protection. Her experience includes several decades of work on the endangered Key deer, conservation and management planning for The Nature Conservancy preserves, mitigation project development, and leadership of a long-term ecological research program at The Disney Wilderness Preserve. She has written numerous land management plans and scientific reports, as well as a watershed conservation analysis, restoration procedures manual and several other educational documents. She has been an instructor with the Natural Areas Training Academy since its inception in 1998. Her long-term research and conservation interests include restoration of ecological processes, listed species population restoration and management, wetland restoration monitoring and use of mitigation as a conservation tool. She currently manages all permit and science programs at The Disney Wilderness Preserve, where she has worked since it was established in late 1992.

Education:
1985. University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point: Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Management
1987. Purdue University: Master of Science in Wildlife Ecology
1991. Southern Illinois University: Doctor of Philosophy in Wildlife Ecology

Zachary Prusak, Florida Fire Manager
The Nature Conservancy
Zachary A. Prusak has been the Florida fire manager for The Nature Conservancy since January 2005. The Nature Conservancy owns and manages approximately 49,000 acres of conservation land in Florida, most of which requires some level of fire management. Zach supports members of the Florida fire team, which represent the on-site fire leaders and crew at places such as the Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve, The Disney Wilderness Preserve and the Tiger Creek Preserve by making sure they have the training necessary to safely implement prescribed fires. He also works with state, federal, local and private conservation groups in order to promote fire training opportunities and facilitate fire-on-the-ground partnerships, while serving as the Florida Conservancy liaison on national fire issues. Prior to joining The Nature Conservancy, Zach worked with the Brevard County Environmentally Endangered Lands Program, Reedy Creek Improvement District and the Florida Park Service. Zach has over 19 years' experience working with prescribed fire, and is qualified as a Prescribed Fire Burn Boss Type 2 (RXB2). Zach holds both an M.S. and B.S. in Biology from the University of Central Florida. He has served as the Chair of the Central Florida Prescribed Fire Council, and is an active member of the International Association of Wildland Fire and the National Center for Science Education.

Laura Geselbracht, Marine Conservation Planner
The Nature Conservancy
As a marine conservation planner for The Nature Conservancy, Laura Geselbracht has headed up development of a marine site prioritization framework for Florida, the marine component of Florida's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS) and a conservation action plan for the Big Bend region of Florida under contract to the state. Ms. Geselbracht holds a Master's degree in Marine Affairs from the University of Washington and a Bachelor's degree in Aquatic Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is currently completing marine ecoregional assessments for Northeast Florida and the Florida Keys and serves on the Project FishSmart committee, an effort to harmonize fisheries issues among fishers, managers and conservationists.

Kristina Serbesoff-King, Invasive Species Program Manager
The Nature Conservancy
Kristina Serbesoff-King has worked in the environmental field in Florida for more than 13 years. She worked for Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resources Management and for South Florida Water Management District. She is responsible for driving the Florida invasive species initiative for The Nature Conservancy. Kris has extensive knowledge in invasive species issues in Florida including field identification, control methodology, policy and working with government agencies. Her educational background includes a BS in Biology and a BA in Foreign Language (German) from New Mexico State University and a M.S. in Environmental Studies from Florida International University.