PROGRAM TEAM

Emilly was born and raised in the snowy but charming Buffalo, NY, where her summers were spent camping and going on nature walks with her mom and uncle trying to find as many toads and salamanders as possible. She obtained her B.S. in Conservation Biology from SUNY-ESF, and after spending a summer as an amphibian conservation intern in Yosemite National Park, she fell in love with field work and herp conservation. For three years she worked in the Sierra Nevadas with yellow-legged frogs and then went on to pursue a M.S. from Tennessee State University where she studied disease dynamics in eastern hellbenders after translocations. From there she worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Laramie, WY as the Project Manager for the Wyoming Toad Recovery Project. Appalachia eventually called her back, and before joining ARC, she spent two years working with bog turtles for the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. As the Southern Appalachians Program Coordinator, Emilly is growing the program with projects involving bog turtles, eastern hellbenders, and Hickory Nut Gorge green salamanders. In her free time, she loves to hike, camp, cook vegan food, watch the Buffalo Bills break her heart every year, and spend time with her partner and dog.