Rachel Brubaker

Rachel hails from southeastern Pennsylvania and peaked in life choices when she decided to attend SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF). Her time at ESF shaped her both personally and professionally, leading her to graduate in 2015 with a degree in Conservation Biology. Since then, she has worked across the United States and internationally with a variety of management and research organizations, gaining a broad perspective on applied ecological research and wildlife conservation in multi-use landscapes. Rachel earned her master’s in Environmental Sciences with a concentration in GIS from Tennessee State University, where her research focused on how longleaf pine restoration influences herpetofaunal community assemblages in Bankhead National Forest. Now, as a GIS Landscape Analyst at ARC, she applies remote sensing and spatial modeling to better understand and protect ecosystems, with a special fondness for herpetofauna—the diverse and often underappreciated critters she loves. When she’s not mapping landscapes or wrangling data, Rachel enjoys hiking with her dogs, crafting, creating, and reluctantly embracing her inner gym bro. Whether she’s in the field or behind a computer, she’s always looking for new ways to explore, innovate, and contribute to conservation.