Society Staff

Warren Sander

Managing Director

Warren joined SCB in 2015. Having held senior management positions in banking and higher education, Warren's prior experience spans both the non-profit and for-profit sectors, with community-based and international perspectives. He earned an MBA from the College of William and Mary and studied at Yonsei University in Seoul and Fudan University in Shanghai.

Nathan Spillman

Deputy Director

Nate joined SCB in August 2011. Prior associations-related experience includes work for the NAACP and the Community Associations Institute.

Kathleen Munger

Marketing and Communications Manager

Kathleen graduated from the University of Maryland with a BA in government and politics, a minor in international development and conflict management, and a global fellowship in science diplomacy. Before joining SCB in 2017 she interned at the World Wildlife Fund and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Miriam Hernandez

Finance and Administrative Manager

Miriam graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Agricultural & Resource Economics and has experience with general administration and front-end financial management. She is also fluent in Spanish, and in her spare time loves to go hiking, kayaking and dancing.

Miranda Johnson

Membership and Network Engagement Associate

Miranda graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor's degree in earth, society, and environmental sustainability, a minor in business, and a certificate in environmental writing. She interned at the Illinois Food Scrap and Composting Coalition and at Seaside Sustainability during college, and spent some time contracting with Seven Generations Ahead. Prior to joining SCB, she completed two AmeriCorps service terms at the Institute for Systems Biology. She is currently based out of Seattle, WA.

Nicole Crane

David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellowship Executive Director

Nicole is a Senior Conservation Scientist and Faculty whose areas of expertise are in international ocean conservation and management, program development, ocean research, and education. Nicole has more than 25 years of experience working with communities and conducting ecological assessments of reefs, and has worked to enhance citizen science across cultures and disciplines. She is dedicated to linking rigorous science with cultural knowledge and community leadership in conservation. Nicole is a founding member and Co-Director, with John Rulmal, of One People One Reef, a non-profit focused on applied conservation with Pacific Island communities. Through her faculty positions in the California Community College system (currently on leave from Cabrillo College) Nicole has established several science education programs in the United States, with a focus on serving underrepresented students and enhancing DEI in STEM. She was the founder and Director of the National Science Foundation Center for Excellence in Marine Advanced Technology Education, Executive Director for Camp SEA Lab (California State University Monterey Bay), and co-developer of the NSF IScS integrated science program for at risk college youth. She is committed to mentorship and career development, and to creating supportive, welcoming and inclusive communities. Nicole is an associate at the California Academy of Sciences, a National Geographic Explorer, and is a Fellow National at the Explorers Club.

Laura Yates

David H. Smith Conservation Fellowship Program Manager

Laura designs dynamic systems, programs, and experiences that support people in connecting, learning, and pursuing their purpose. In June 2024, Laura joined Smith Fellows and the Society for Conservation Biology as the Smith Fellows Program Manager. As co-founder and consultant with Mobius Method, Laura focused on strategy, operations, and designing learning and development trainings to meet the emerging needs of purpose-driven leaders and teams. As an independent consultant, Laura partnered with a variety of nonprofits and businesses working for a better world, providing specialized support in project management, learning experience design, and organizational development. Laura has also served as Program Director for the Byron Fellowship Educational Foundation, managing the annual fellowship program while developing ongoing educational offerings to support a robust global community of alumni. Laura is a certified practitioner of the Systemic Leadership Coaching & Organizational Constellation methodology (dual-certified by the International Coaching Federation & the Center for Systemic Constellations). She holds a Bachelor’s (BS) in Economics from Bentley University, and a Master’s in Environmental Science (MSES) and Public Affairs (MPA) from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

Jessica May

David H. Smith Conservation Fellowship Program Associate

Jessica joined the Society for Conservation Biology in June 2023. Prior to joining SCB, Jessica gathered a blend of experience from on-the-ground field research to conservation communications in the nonprofit sector. With a BS in Environmental Science and an AA in Social Science, she is passionate about engaging communities in conservation matters. Her work is dedicated to serving global issues by supporting teams and combining education with action.

Mark Burgman

Editor-in-Chief, Conservation Biology

Mark is the Director of the School of Life Sciences at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. He has worked on models for a broad range of species and regulatory settings including marine fisheries, forestry, irrigation, electrical power utilities, mining, and national park planning. He received a BSc from the University of New South Wales (1974), an MSc from Macquarie University, Sydney (1981), and a Ph.D. from the State University of New York (1987). He worked as a consultant ecologist and research scientist in Australia, the United States and Switzerland during the 1980’s before joining the University of Melbourne in 1990. He was elected to the Australian Academy of Science and was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the Society for Conservation Biology in 2006.

Ellen Main

Senior Editor, Conservation Biology

Ellen has worked on Conservation Biology since 1993 as editorial assistant, managing editor, and currently as senior editor. She has a BS in Biology and an MS in scientific communications. Her previous experiences include work on an oceanographic book series, a science-education magazine, and an extracurricular science education program. She works out of her home in Florida.

Frith Jarrad

Managing Editor, Conservation Biology

Frith joined SCB as Managing Editor in late 2013. Frith has held academic research positions in the fields of conservation biology and ecology at the School of Botany, the University of Melbourne, and the School of Mathematical Sciences, the Queensland University of Technology. She received Bachelor degrees in Science and Forest Science with Honours (2001) and PhD (2009) from the University of Melbourne. Frith is based in Melbourne, Australia.