PRC Staff

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Dr. Lindsay Young

Executive Director

Lindsay Young earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Science from the University of Hawai`i. In 2009, she completed her Ph.D. at the University of Hawai`i where her research focused on the population genetics, at sea foraging ecology, and conservation needs of Laysan Albatross.

Lindsay has worked on numerous conservation projects in Hawai`i and the Pacific region since 2003 with a variety of state, federal, and private partners.

Lindsay has authored several dozen scientific papers, is the current chair of the World Seabird Union, served as the treasurer for the Pacific Seabird Group, the chair of the North Pacific Albatross Working Group, is the former North Pacific correspondent for ACAP (Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels), and as a reviewer for multiple refereed journals. Lindsay was one of the 2011 recipients of the US Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Recovery Champion Awards for her work on the Nihoa Millerbird Translocation, she and Eric VanderWerf have jointly received the 2019 Koa Award for Conservation Leadership from the Conservation Council of Hawaii, and are the 2022 recipients of the Ralph Schreiber Conservation Award from the American Ornithological Society which honors extraordinary conservation-related scientific contributions by an individual or small team. She currently serves as an affiliate graduate faculty member at the University of Hawai`i Natural Resources and Environmental Management Department, was a faculty member on the Fall 2018 voyage of Semester at Sea through Colorado State University and a visiting faculty member at Hokkaido University in 2019.

Dr. Lindsay Young

Executive Director

Dr. Eric VanderWerf

Director of Science

Eric VanderWerf earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University in 1988 and Master of Science degree from the University of Florida in 1992. In 1999, he completed a Ph.D. at the University of Hawai`i, where his research focused on plumage variation and effects of habitat disturbance and diseases on population biology of the Hawaii Elepaio.

He has worked on a variety of conservation and ornithological projects in Hawaii and throughout the Pacific since 1991 during stints with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife. He has continued and expanded upon that work since founding Pacific Rim Conservation in 2007.

Eric has authored over 100 scientific papers, book chapters, government documents, and technical reports, serves as the leader of the Hawaiian Forest Bird Recovery Team for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, on the Endangered Species Recovery Committee for State of Hawaii, as an associate editor for the Condor, and as an associate editor of the Birds of North America.

Eric was also one of the 2011 recipients of the US Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Recovery Champion Awards for his work on the Nihoa Millerbird Translocation, and he and Lindsay Young have jointly received the 2019 Koa Award for Conservation Leadership from the Conservation Council of Hawaii, and are the 2022 recipients of the Ralph Schreiber Conservation Award from the American Ornithological Society which honors extraordinary conservation-related scientific contributions by an individual or small team.

Dr. Eric VanderWerf

Director of Science

Robby Kohley

Director of Aviculture

Robby Kohley earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Walla Walla College in 2000. He has extensive experience in avian ecology and aviculture in particular. Robby was the Research Coordinator and Facility Manager for the San Diego Zoo’s Hawai’i Endangered Bird Conservation Program at the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center from 2007-2009, and also has worked for State of Hawai`i on the Maui and Kaua`i Forest Bird Recovery Projects, for the American Bird Conservancy on translocation of the Millerbird from Nihoa to Laysan, for the Institute for Wildlife Studies, and for the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge as a seabird monitoring crew leader on Buldir Island. He joined Pacific Rim Conservation in 2015 to oversee all aspects of PRC's aviculture and captive rearing program.

Robby Kohley

Director of Aviculture

Dr. Dena Spatz

Senior Conservation Scientist

Dena earned her bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Studies and Anthropology in 2006 and her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in 2016 from UC Santa Cruz. Her dissertation examined the biogeography of globally threatened birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians from islands and their conservation opportunities. As a Conservation Biologist at Island Conservation, Dena managed conservation databases and disseminated results to inform invasive species management decisions, monitored ecosystem recovery before and after invasive species removal, and wrote scientific and popular media articles about biodiversity benefits through invasive species management. Dena’s other relevant field experiences and interests include teaching, guiding naturalist cruises on Monterey Bay, conducting field studies on seabird foraging ecology and ecotoxicology, and monitoring and evaluating seagrass ecosystem services in the Philippines and Mexico.

Dr. Dena Spatz

Senior Conservation Scientist

Erika Dittmar

Wildlife Biologist

Erika Dittmar earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Ferris State University in 2008 and a Master of Science degree from University of Illinois in 2012. She has extensive experience in avian ecology with a focus on endangered species management. Erika has worked on various projects across the US assisting with management of endangered songbirds, woodpeckers, hawks, sea lions, salmon, trout, turtles, butterflies, and grasshoppers. She also has extensive experience with restoration of numerous native plant species and research focused on migratory bird habitat conservation. She joined Pacific Rim Conservation in 2018. Erika assists with several projects, but her primary responsibilities are monitoring O`ahu 'Elepaio, Laysan Albatross, and surveying for Hawaiian Petrel and Newell's Shearwater.

Erika Dittmar

Wildlife Biologist

Calypso Gagorik

Conservation Technician

Calypso received her B.S. from Montana State University and M.S. from Northern Arizona University, where her graduate research focused on the spatial ecology of island foxes and spotted skunks on the California Channel Islands. For the past 10 years, she has participated on many field projects that have focused on island ecology and conservation. Her most recent positions have included monitoring nesting populations of sea turtles in the Caribbean and raptors on the California Channel Islands. Calypso is excited to return to her home state and work with Pacific Rim Conservation.

Calypso Gagorik

Conservation Technician

Rich Downs

White Tern Biologist and Citizen science program coordinator

Rich Downs comes to us from the midatlantic region of the mainland where, most recently, he has been helping to conduct the Maryland Breeding Bird Atlas effort. Rich has also been leading the White Tern Citizen Science project on Oahu since helping to found it in 2016. He joined the PRC team as a Biologist in 2022 to continue to provide leadership for the White Tern project which aims to enhance awareness, appreciation, understanding and conservation of the White Tern. Observations documented by citizen scientists of White Tern breeding behavior on Oahu are contributing to a better understanding of this understudied species and the fascinating story of its unique relationship with the most developed part of the Hawaiian Island chain. Rich has co-authored papers published in peer-reviewed scientific journals on the White Terns, including the Wilson Journal of Ornithology, and the citizen science project has been profiled in the media, including the Smithsonian Institution and the BBC.