Board Bios
Claude Bailey
Claude joined the TN-EPPC Board in November 2008 and is currently an Assistant Professor of Biology at Jackson State Community College in Jackson, TN. Prior to pursuing a teaching career, Claude was the Natural Heritage Botanist for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of Natural Areas from 2001-2005. Claude also serves on the Tennessee Rare Plant Scientific Advisory Committee and maintains an interest in Tennessee and southeastern U.S. flora.
Mike Berkley
Mike and his partner, Terri Barnes, are co-owners of GroWild Inc., a native plant nursery in Fairview, TN.
Andrea Bishop
Andrea Bishop is a biologist/botanist with the Natural Heritage Program in the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. Her work includes the protection and management of federal listed plant species in Tennessee. She began her career with the Heritage Program in 1990 through 2001 and moved to Florida and worked with Florida State Parks. She returned to the Heritage Program in 2005. She was very involved in the initial development of TNEPPC and served on the first board of directors for several years.
Dan Brown
Dan is a retired forest pathologist with the U.S. Forest Service. He is a past president of Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council and currently serves on its board.
Kevin Fitch
Kevin joined the Motlow faculty in 2007, teaching Anatomy and Physiology and General Biology. He earned his B.S. and M.S. from Austin Peay State University – Center of Excellence in Field Biology. His conservation work consists of various ecological and invasive species issues across the state. This is his second stint on TN-EPPC’s Board of Directors. Kevin’s hobbies include backpacking, whitewater kayaking, birding, botanizing, and old-time music, and he participates in the National Audubon Societies Spring and Christmas Bird counts.
Nancy Fraley
Nancy has been actively involved in TN-EPPC since1996 and has served on the Board since 1998. She served several years as the state chapter secretary and is now involved with the Early Detection Rapid Response Committee. Duties with the National Park Service include inventory, treatment, and monitoring of invasive exotic plants for 18 NPS units (seven in Tennessee) in the Southeast. Education and outreach programs for NPS staff and partners is also a large part of Nancy’s job.
Jack Gilpin
Jack works for Tennessee State Parks.
Terri Hogan
Terri joined the TN-EPPC board in August 2002 upon returning to Tennessee from Gainesville, FL, and the panhandle area where she worked as a plant ecologist at Eglin Air Force Base. She has been actively involved with exotic species since 1993 as a member of TN-EPPC and as part of her duties as a plant ecologist. Currently, she is working in this capacity at Stones River National Battlefield in Murfreesboro, TN.
Margie Hunter
Margie is the author of Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee: The Spirit of Place. She shares her love of natives with plant and gardening groups in Tennessee and the Southeast and writes articles for Tennessee Conservationist magazine. A member of the Tennessee Native Plant Society, Southern Appalachian Botanical Society, and Perennial Plant Society of Middle Tennessee, Margie leads hikes at the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in Gatlinburg each April and is assisting development of the Tennessee Naturalist program. She has a blog on hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains. (Photo by J. Paul Moore)
Kristine Johnson
Kris is Supervisory Forester for the National Park Service at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina, involving exotic plant management, forest health and native plant restoration in the park. A member of TN-EPPC’s original board of directors, she has served continuously since, including a term as president.
Pat D. Parr
Pat is the Natural Resources Manager for Oak Ridge National Laboratory where her responsibilities include natural resource management, integrated land use planning, and management of the Oak Ridge National Environmental Research Park (also a Biosphere Reserve). She is Past President of the Association of Southeastern Biologists and TN-EPPC, Chair-elect of the Executive Committee of the Southern Appalachian Man and Biosphere Cooperative, and board member of the East Tennessee Regional Leadership Association and Discover Life in America.
Bob Parrish
Bob serves as Superintendent of Warner Parks for Metropolitan Parks and Recreation in Nashville, TN.
Anni Self
As the plant pathologist for the Regulatory Services Division at the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Anni has worked closely with the nursery and greenhouse industry in Tennessee for the last thirteen years.
American Phytopathological Society.
LinnAnn Welch
LinnAnn is the director of Bells Bend Nature Center for Metropolitan Parks and Recreation in Nashville, TN. She serves as the state coordinator for Project Archaeology and is a founder of Tennessee Ancient Sites Conservancy. She is also a member of the Tennessee Academy of Sciences.