Scott Wissinger, Ph.D.

President

Dr. Scott Wissinger is a professor in the Biology and Environmental Science Department at Allegheny College. He received a B.S. in Biology & Geology from Susquehanna University and received his Ph.D. in Biology from Purdue University. His research is focused on long-term study of the community ecology of high-elevation ponds and wetlands. His current projects include understanding the effects of detritus processing by caddisflies on nutrient mobilization and algal primary productivity, and on (in collaboration with Howard Whiteman) the causes and consequences of long-term population fluctuations in salamanders.

Carol M. Johnson, JD

Vice President

Carol is executive director of Amherst Cinema Arts Center, a nonprofit film center in Amherst, Massachusettts. She holds a B.S. from the University of Kansas and received her law degree from the University of Connecticut. She is the granddaughter of RMBL’s founder, John C. Johnson. Carol first came to Gothic in 1952 with her parents, Chris and Dorothy Johnson. She is a corporate lawyer and served as executive manager with the MassMutual Financial Group, a Fortune 100 company. She has served on other nonprofit Boards, including the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and the Amherst Cinema Arts Center. She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Dave Zweig

Treasurer

Dave has a B.S. from Western State College and an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Colorado. He is a graduate of the American Bankers Association Commercial Lending School and is a Chartered Financial Analyst. He has worked as Santa Cruz County’s Investment Officer since 2003, where he manages a $600 million fixed income portfolio, manages the employees and functions of the tax and treasury divisions of the Treasury Department.  Dave worked at the RMBL physical plant for 4 years, including running it for 2 years, and served as a winter caretaker for 3 years. He has served on RMBL’s Finance Committee since 2002.

Chris Floyd, Ph.D.

Secretary

Dr. Chris Floyd is an associate professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He received a B.S. in zoology from the University of Oklahoma and a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of California at Davis. Chris has a long history at RMBL, starting as a coursework student in 1990 and continuing as a research assistant from 1991-1999. Since 2003, Chris has taught summer field courses and mentored undergraduate researchers at RMBL. Chris’s current research includes the study of habitat selection by red-naped sapsuckers, a species of woodpecker that nests in aspen woodlands of the Rocky Mountains.

Alison Brody, Ph.D.

Board Member

Alison is a Professor of Biology at University of Vermont. She is an evolutionary ecologist interested in multi-species effects on the ecology and evolution of floral traits. She began working at RMBL in 1981 and conducted her Master’s and Doctoral research here. Alison served two, 5-year terms on the Board as an elected member and brings to the Board a long history of work for and dedication to RMBL, as well as energy and commitment to furthering RMBL’s goals. She provides perspective as a long-time member of RMBL, researcher, and summer resident, and has long-term connections to the RMBL membership and alumni base.

Cindy Carlisle
Board Member

Cindy has a B.A. and M.A. in English as well as certification from the Kennedy School of Government’s Program on State and Local Government. Having lived in Boulder, CO for over 40 years, she has served on the Boulder City Council, where her achievements include chairing the committee that produced Boulder’s first master transportation plan and helping broker the agreement that created the CU Research Park. She served as Director of the Virgil Grillo Center for Cancer and has served on numerous boards, including the Center for Energy and Environmental Security and Ecocycle. Because of her passion for the environment, she is a strong supporter of RMBL’s institutional mission.

Beverly Griffith

Board Member

A native of Temple, Texas, Beverly is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. Professionally, she served as Marketing Director for the University Credit Union, and was a Vice President at Austin's largest bank, now Bank of America. Her civic involvement includes chairing the Austin Parks and Recreation Board and serving two terms on the Austin City Council and five years on the Capitol Metropolitan Transit Authority Board.  She is the founder of the Austin Parks Foundation and her board experience includes: National Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, The National Recreation and Park Association, and The National Leadership Council of the Trust for Public Land.  In Crested Butte, she is on the board of 1% for Open Space and the Colorado Advisory Board of the Trust for Public Land.  She has been a member of the RMBL Development Committee since 2008.

John Haley, M.D.
Board Member

With an M.D. in Ophthalmology from the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical School, John has operated a private practice in Ophthalmology in Garland, Texas since 1976. He is a Full Clinical Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Dallas, with an appointment starting in 1976. He is a Fellow in both the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Ophthalmology and has also been a member of the Texas Physician Advisory Council to Blue Cross/Blue Shield since 2004. He is also the founding partner of, and on the board of directors of Medinetworx and a long term member of the AAO's Health Policy Committee.

Kristina Jones, Ph.D.

Board Member

Kristina is director of the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens. She holds a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of California, Davis. Kristina has extensive previous experience at RMBL as a coursework student, research assistant, doctoral student, faculty member, and researcher. She has teaching, research, and administrative experience at diverse academic institutions. She lives in Auburndale, Massachusetts.

Amalie Kass

Board Member

Amalie has a B.A. in history from Wellesley College and an M.A. in education from Boston University. She served on the Board of the Massachusetts Historical Society as Vice Chair in 2000-2001 and Chair from 2002-2009. She has also served on the Board of the Lincoln Rural Land Foundation, the Board of Trustees of Wellesley College, and the Women’s Institute for Housing and Economic Development. She presently holds an appointment as Lecturer on the History of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Amalie has authored several books including a biography of Dr. Walter Channing, Midwifery and Medicine in Boston. She as a passion for history, education, and her interest in non-profit management.

Jeremy Levin, Ph.D.

Board Member

Jeremy is the President and CEO of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. Previously senior vice president of external science, technology, and licensing at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Dr. Levin also served as Global Head of Business Development and Strategic Alliances at the Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research. He has served on the Executive Committee of BIO and the boards of the Biotechnology Institute and the New York Biotechnology Association. Dr. Levin received a B.A. in Zoology, an M.A. and Ph.D. in Cell Biology and Chromatin Structure from the University of Oxford, and an M.D. from the University of Cambridge. In 2005, Dr. Levin was awarded the Albert Einstein Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Life Sciences.

Jennifer Rudgers, Ph.D.
Board Member

Jenn received a Ph.D. in Population Biology in 2002 from the University of California, Davis where she was awarded the Allen G. Marr Prize for Best Dissertation.  Currently, she is an Associate Professor at University of New Mexico. She has had an active research program at RMBL since 2008, conducting research on fungal endophytes in grasses and mentoring students. She serves on RMBL’s Facilities Committee and has had continuous NSF funding since 2003.

Christopher Still, Ph.D.

Board Member

Chris is associate professor of geography at University of California, Santa Barbara. He holds degrees from Colorado State Univeristy, and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. Chris's extensive experience at RMBL began in 1990 as a coursework student, and later as research assistant, work crew member, and researcher. Chris’s subdisciplines include isotope biogeochemistry, plant ecophysiology, biogeography, and earth system science. He maintains research at four University of California Natural Reserve System sites and sits on the UCSB Natural Reserve System Advisory Committee.

James Thomson, Ph.D.

Board Member

With a Ph.D. in Biology, James is a Professor at the University of Toronto. He has a long-term perspective on RMBL, having conducted research here since the 1970’s and having served on the RMBL Board from 2003-2008. James has administrative and governance experience from serving as a department chair at 2 universities, and also has considerable experience with institutional grant writing and granting agencies. His work on plant-pollinator interactions is internationally recognized, and he has an extensive network of connections in the scientific community and professional societies, including having served as President of the American Naturalists.

Gary Weed

Board Member

Gary was vice president of downstream business services and downstream controller for Exxon Mobil Corporation, located in Fairfax, Virginia. In his early career, Weed held various positions with Exxon in the Upstream and Downstream organizations followed by positions in the company’s Treasurer and Controller organizations at the corporate headquarters. After serving as corporate assistant controller, Weed spent three years in Italy as vice president and business services manager. He has a B.S. from Southern Methodist University and an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.