The USA-NPN's National Coordinating Office (NCO) guides the development of the Network, facilitates communication between scientists, land managers, policy-makers, and the public who are interested in assessing the effects of global change on natural ecological systems. Staff members work for the US Geological Survey, The University of Arizona and The Wildlife Society.

Jake Weltzin
Executive Director
USA National Phenology Network
National Coordinating Office
1955 E. Sixth St., Tucson, AZ 85721
jweltzin@usgs.gov
(520) 626-3821
Fax: (520) 621-7834
Full CV - Résumé
Phenology Publications
An Interview with Jake on LiveScience

Jake Weltzin assumed his position as Executive Director of the USA-NPN in August 2007. Jake’s interest in natural history developed as he grew up in Alaska and served as an exchange student in the Australian outback. He obtained his B.S. from Colorado State University, M.S. from Texas A&M University, and Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. Following a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Notre Dame, Jake went to the University of Tennessee, where he served as Assistant and then Associate Professor.

Jake is interested in how the structure and function of plant communities and ecosystems might respond to global environmental change, including atmospheric chemistry, climate change, and biological invasions. His research spans temperate and tropical grasslands and savannas, temperate woodlands, deciduous forest, and sub-boreal peatlands. His recent experience as a science administrator at the National Science Foundation underscored the need to foster large-scale science initiatives such as the USA-NPN. As its first Executive Director, Jake’s vision for USA-NPN is “to develop a continental-scale instrument for integrative assessment of global change that simultaneously serves as an outreach and educational platform for citizens and educators.”

Alyssa Rosemartin 
Assistant Director
alyssa@usanpn.org
(520) 622-0363
Resume
Phenology Publications

Alyssa Rosemartin is the Assistant Director of the National Coordinating Office. In this role, she ensures the smooth operations of the NCO, contributes to planning, evaluation and partnership development, as well as garners and manages funds. 

Alyssa received a B.A. in Spanish and environmental science in 2000 from Smith College and an M.S. in wildlife conservation and management from the University of Arizona's School of Natural Resources and the Environment in 2008. Her thesis explores the relationship between food availability and reproductive investment in terns, as well as breeding bird use of wetlands in the northern Gulf of California. Alyssa has twelve years of experience working in the field of natural resources, in education, science, IT and project management.  

LoriAnne Barnett
Education Coordinator
lorianne@usanpn.org
(520) 622-0363
Full CV - Resume
Phenology Publications
Follow me on Twitter @loriannebarnett

LoriAnne Barnett coordinates the USA-NPN's education activities, focused on engaging a variety of formal and non-formal audiences in phenology and the Nature's Notebook program.  She has worked in a number of educational settings over the last two decades, teaching both youth and adults the importance of place and connections to the natural world.

LoriAnne holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania and a M.A. in Environmental Science and Environmental Education from Prescott College in Arizona.  She has also served as Virginia Cooperative Extension 4-H Faculty where she designed experiential curriculum and programming in science and the outdoors, as well as other program areas, for youth ages 5-19.  She has lead workshops on leadership development, Wilderness First Aid and outdoor adventure safety, and risk management.  She has served as a chapter advisor to the Rivanna Master Naturalists in Virginia and is an advocate for citizen science, education and stewardship of the land.

Theresa Crimmins
Partnerships & Outreach Coordinator
theresa@usanpn.org
(520) 622-0363
Full CV
Phenology Publications
Follow me on Twitter @TheresaCrimmins

Theresa Crimmins coordinates the efforts of USA-NPN partners to achieve common phenology-related goals. She also leads communication with USA-NPN partners, Nature's Notebook participants, and the broader citizen science community, endeavoring to foster meaningful engagement.

Theresa obtained a B.S. in biology and an M.A. in geography from Western Michigan University and a Ph.D. in natural resources from the University of Arizona. Her research interests encompass plant response to global change, spatial analysis, and engaging citizen scientists of all ages in scientific discovery. 

Ellen Denny
Monitoring Design & Data Coordinator
ellen@usanpn.org
Full CV
Phenology Publications

Ellen Denny coordinates the design and development of the USA-NPN’s protocols for the collection of standardized ground-based plant and animal phenology observations across the nation.  She also serves as the scientific data manager for Nature’s Notebook data and other phenology data sets included in the National Phenology Database.
 
Ellen has a B.S. in Aquatic Biology from Brown University, an M.F.S. (Forest Science) from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and spent a decade working at the interface of ecosystem ecology and information management before coming to the USA-NPN. Her interaction began as the co-founder and coordinator of the Northeast Regional Phenology Network, established in 2007 to support the efforts of the USA-NPN. Since then she has served the USA-NPN in various capacities, including helping to advise other developing regional phenology networks across the nation and internationally.

Kathy Gerst
Assistant Research Scientist
Data Product Coordinator
katgerst@email.arizona.edu
(520) 792-0571
Full CV
Phenology Publications

Kathy Gerst is a research scientist working with the Science and Applications Team. She conducts research and development for phenology data products derived from the National Phenology Database. Previously, she was a liaison with the California Phenology Project facilitating the implementation of plant phenology monitoring in California National Parks. In this role, she collaborated with agency and academic partners to develop project documentation, protocols, data summary and analysis products, and outreach materials.

Kathy received a B.S. in Ecology, Behavior and Evolution from UCLA in 2001. She completed her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in 2011 at the University of Arizona where she carried out research on the evolutionary ecology, reproductive biology, and physiology of desert annual plants. Broadly, she is interested in understanding how species, communities, and populations respond to a variable and changing environment.

Patty Guertin
Botanist
pguertin@email.arizona.edu
(520) 792-0571

Patty Guertin is an in-house botanist at the National Coordinating Office in Tucson, Ariz. She assists with developing USA-NPN's plant and animal species’ profiles, focusing on gathering the necessary details for developing plant phenological protocols.

Having lived in many regions of the United States, and having investigated the local and regional flora of each area, Patty subsequently completed a B.S. in Plant Sciences at the University of Arizona. As a non-degree graduate student, she focused on field botany, GIS experience, and vegetation mapping and measurements. For the last 15 years, she has worked on vegetation and botanical projects as a field botanist and GIS specialist in the Southwest US, Texas and California, primarily for the national parks, focusing on non-native invasive plants and/or local flora.