I am a professional educator and broadly trained research biologist. I have more than 25 years of teaching experience and have lived and worked in cross-cultural settings throughout my career. My research is interdisciplinary, cross cutting ecology, evolution, genetics, and morphology. I am a leader equally comfortable facilitating large groups (>500) and small teams. ________________________________________________________________________________________As a biologist, I have experience in field-, laboratory-, and museum- based research. I have primarily focused my efforts on discovering, describing, and providing support for the conservation of amphibians — one of our planet’s most threatened groups of organisms. During my undergraduate program I worked as a field assistant studying a turtle population ecology. My Master’s research was focused on understanding the changes that had occurred in amphibian populations over a 20-year period, and ultimately the effect of land use on amphibians in an agricultural state. My PhD research, supported by a Boren Fellowship, took me to Thailand where I studied a group of frogs that had long been considered a single species, but turned out to be more than 30 — work that has become important in assessing the conservation status of these species. I have studied chytridiomycosis and its effects on amphibians in Thailand, Borneo, Brunei, and now in the US. Since 2018 I have been working in the temperate forests of Appalachia studying amphibian ecology, host-parasite interactions, and regional biodiversity. I am passionate about the natural world and though much of my research has focused on amphibians and reptiles, I have also been involved in studies of Branchiopod crustaceans, larval insects (Scarabidae), parasitic flies, and a threatened Kansas catfish (Noturus placidus). ________________________________________________________________________________________The roles I've assumed throughout my career have allowed me to learn the importance of flexibility, the art of diplomacy, and how to manage conflict. I have also learned to successfully negotiate and communicate with diverse groups of individuals in cross cultural settings. My career as an educator has taught me the importance of being a life-long learner, a scientist who can think broadly, and a leader who can effectively communicate.