Meet the New York State Hemlock Initiative Staff

Mark Whitmore, Principal Investigator
Forest Entomologist–Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University

Mark has been studying insects that feed on trees for over 30 years, the last 15 of which he has focused on invasive non-native species that are changing the face of North America’s forested landscape. He started his career in forest entomology studying spruce beetles in Alaska, moved to Berkeley to focus on biological control of forest pests, and has been at Cornell since 1989. Mark currently works with professional land managers, state and federal agencies, local government officials, and concerned citizens to help them understand the issues surrounding and strategies for minimizing the impact of non-native invasive insects such as the emerald ash borer and hemlock woolly adelgid. Mark’s current research focus is on biological control of hemlock woolly adelgid.

Tonya Bittner, PhD.
Research Associate

Tonya’s PhD dissertation (2000) combined individual ecology with molecular genetics to infer evolutionary processes in isolated populations of garter snakes. After teaching for several years and taking time to raise children, Tonya returned to research in 2014 and has produced several papers on invasive insects, including the Sirex woodwasp and spongy moth, as part of the laboratory of Ann Hajek at Cornell. At the Hemlock Initiative, Tonya works on the genetics of silver flies (Leucotaraxis spp.) along with a collaborator from the US Forest Service, Nathan Havill.

Nicholas Dietschler
Research Support Specialist

Nick grew up in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, and moved to Ithaca in 2014. He received an AAS in Natural Resources Conservation from Finger Lakes Community College, BS in Conservation Biology from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and an MS in Natural Resources from Cornell University. Before coming to the Hemlock Initiative at Cornell, he spent a season with the NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation conducting hemlock and balsam woolly adelgid surveys throughout New York. At NYSHI, Nick manages many aspects of the program’s field work, works with statewide collaborators, coordinates NYSHI’s bio-control release program. Nick’s research focuses on understanding plant-pest interactions and predator community ecology, and their influence on integrated pest management in forest systems.

Caroline (Carri) Marschner
Invasive Species Extension Associate

Caroline’s background is in general ecology, with experience in forest, prairie, riparian, and lacustrine ecosystems. She received her bachelor’s degree in environmental biology from Colorado College in 1998, and her master’s degree in environmental science from Miami University in 2003. Caroline has been with NYSHI since 2015, where she coordinates NYSHI’s outreach efforts, works with partners to facilitate conservation planning, and assists with program management.

Elizabeth D’Auria
Research Technician

Elizabeth “Lizz” D’Auria joined the lab in Fall 2021. She earned her bachelor’s degree in conservation biology from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and her master’s degree in entomology from Washington State University. As the biocontrol rearing technician, she manages the insect rearing operations in our quarantine lab amongst other duties that move our mission forward. Aside from her role here in the lab, she strives to inspire people to find wonderment and value in all our planet’s beings, big or small.

Henry Myers
Lab Technician

Henry completed his B.S. in Environmental Biology at SUNY ESF in 2022 and grew up in the Ithaca area. Since graduating, he has gained interest in forest health and has worked for the DEC to survey for invasive forest pests across upstate New York. Joining NYSHI in 2024, he primarily conducts insect rearing in the quarantine lab but also assists with releases and other research projects. Henry loves the outdoors and enjoys working as a part of the team to help preserve forest health.

Allison McKenna
Hemlock Conservation Team Lead

Allison’s background is in botany research and invasive plant and insect management. She grew up in Buffalo, New York, and received her bachelor’s degree in Conservation Biology from SUNY-ESF in 2018. Native plant conservation is her passion, which has led her to work on various plant ecology research and invasive species management projects across the country in forest, desert, sagebrush-steppe, and chaparral habitats. At NYSHI, Allison contributes to eastern hemlock conservation by coordinating surveying, field data collection on biocontrol, and treatment efforts for hemlock woolly adelgid in the Adirondack region.

Melanie Halko
Undergraduate Research Assistant

Melanie (she/her) is a senior undergraduate studying Environment & Sustainability in CALS with a focus on environmental biology and applied ecology. She has been an assistant in the lab since 2023 and is currently working on a research project focused around the HWA biocontrol species Laricobius nigrinus. Outside of work, she loves spending time outside, cooking and baking, and exploring the Ithaca community.

Grace Haynes
Extension Aide

Grace (she/her) recently came on board at NYSHI as an Extension Aide. After receiving her Master’s degree in the Forest Entomology Lab at the University of Minnesota, she moved to Ithaca, NY in 2022 to work in local environmental conservation. She has welcomed the opportunity to work in forest entomology and protect forests again. When she’s not working, Grace is an enthusiastic runner, hiker, and cat parent.

Sophie Nasrallah
Lab Technician

Sophie earned her bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College in 2020 with a major in biology and a minor in theater. She moved to Ithaca in 2021 to work in a biogeochemistry lab and an agroecology lab at Cornell before joining NYSHI in 2024. Her role involves analyzing and managing the lab’s eDNA samples and developing experiments to increase eDNA detection. Outside of the lab, she enjoys making videos for science outreach, playing guitar, and reading a good book with her dog, Caffeine.

Keira Borello
Wildlife Technician Program Student, Mianus River Gorge

Keira is a student at Westlake High School in Thornwood, NY, participating in the school’s science research program. Her research focuses on the establishment and dispersal of hemlock woolly adelgid biocontrol predators at the Mianus River Gorge Preserve, in collaboration with Nicholas Dietschler at NYSHI, with plans to extend her research to other sites in the Lower Hudson Valley. Keira is interested in studying invasive species biology, integrated pest management, insect vectors, and biomimicry in college.

Former Lab Members

Jasmine Schmidt
Field/Lab Technician

Jasmine was born and raised in New Mexico. She had the privilege of living along the Rio Grande most of her life and became fascinated with riparian ecology and forest conservation at a young age. She earned her B.S. in Conservation Biology from the University of New Mexico in 2020. Jasmine moved to the Finger Lakes of New York in 2021 to work for New York State Parks as a hemlock preservation steward. She joined our team in Spring of 2022 as a field/lab technician. Her role includes conducting fieldwork, biocontrol rearing, assisting with releases, laboratory work, and managing NYSHI’s student workers.

Ana Penunuri-Gomez
Lab Technician

Ana’s background is in Ecology and Evolution, with experience in molecular techniques such as environmental DNA (eDNA). She received her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Sonora in Mexico and her master’s degree in Biological Sciences from Fordham University in New York City. Ana joined NYSHI in 2023 as a Laboratory Technician, where she works in the molecular lab. She is focusing on developing new methods to capture and detect DNA of HWA and their released biocontrol predators.

Rachel VanderVen
Outreach Assistant

Rachel is a current undergraduate junior in CALS majoring in Environment & Sustainability with a minor in Information Science. While at Cornell, she is studying the impact of policy and technology on marginalized communities most at risk of climate change. Outside of work and class, she enjoys playing soccer and being with her friends.

Linda Mahecha
Student Research Assistant

Linda is a junior studying Environment & Sustainability. She loves the outdoors and is currently interested in forest ecology and conservation. As a student worker, she helps with laboratory work and assists with collecting biocontrol that will later be released along with working on her own project of researching the effects that climate has on oviposition rates of silver flies. Outside of work, she loves to climb and hang out with her friends.

Sabrina Celis
Research Technician

Sabrina completed her B.S. in Entomology at Cornell in 2021, and has been working with NYSHI since her freshman year. While at Cornell, she has also been involved in research with social huntsman spiders in Dr. Linda Rayor’s lab. Her general research interests include parasitoid biology and its implications for pest management. At NYSHI, her research focus has been on parasitoids of Leucotaraxis silver flies and their effects on HWA biological control. Outside of the lab, Sabrina enjoys drawing and baking.

Marshall Lefebvre
Field and Lab Technician

Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Marshall has lived in Ithaca since 2015. He has a degree in Conservation Ecology from California University of Pennsylvania and has worked in sustainable agriculture, exotic animal husbandry, and native landscape restoration. At NYSHI, Marshall conducts fieldwork, assists in the laboratory, and manages the NYSHI’s student workers.

Isis Caetano
Lab Technician

Isis has a bachelor’s degree in Agronomy Engineering from the University of São Paulo in Brazil. She worked for several years as an auditor for certification of organic produce. Isis got her Master’s of Entomology at Cornell University, focusing on biological control and insect pathology.

Anish Kirtane
Lab Technician

Anish completed his B.Sc. from SUNY ESF in environmental biology, and M.Sc. from University at Buffalo in environmental engineering. For the past 5 years he has been involved in various projects involving environmental DNA (eDNA) of various taxa including turtle, otters, mussels and numerous fish species. At NYSHI he is focusing on developing novel methods to capture and detect the establishment of released biocontrol predators. Anish also loves to spend his time outdoors, at the climbing wall, or cooking for friends.

Samita Limbu, PhD.
Post-Doctoral Associate

Samita completed her undergraduate degree in Agriculture from Purbanchal University in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2010. For her graduate study, she joined Dr. Kelli Hoover’s lab at Pennsylvania State University, earning her PhD in Entomology in December 2016. One focus during her graduate research was an evaluation of a predatory lady beetle from China as a potential HWA biological control. At NYSHI she is developing laboratory protocols and training staff to rear predatory beetles in the laboratory, and her research focus is the assessment of Leucotaraxis species as an HWA biocontrol.

Katharine O’Connor
Field Technician

Kate graduated in December 2016 from SUNY ESF with a B.S. in environmental biology. While in school, she worked for the Cazenovia Preservation Foundation and volunteered for NYSHI. Following graduation, she worked for NYS Parks as a Forest Health Specialist, monitoring for invasive pests and pathogens throughout eastern New York. She joined NYSHI in the winter of 2017 and was responsible for care of the Laricobius beetle colonies in the lab. Currently, Kate is completing a special project in the Catskills monitoring HWA populations in the Beaverkill region.

Rhonda Kay
Microscopist and Laboratory Technician

Originally from Jacksonville, Florida. Rhonda recently finished her degree at Rochester Institute of Technology in Imaging Science and Communications with a major in Microscopy and minor in Graphic Design . She came NYSHI as an intern Microscopist after completing her Capstone project on the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid.  She is currently working on examining the feeding habits of HWA through microscopic photos and assisting in the biocontrol lab.

James King
Laboratory and Field Technician

James grew up in Ithaca and studied geography and forestry at the University of Vermont.  At NYSHI, he facilitates the rearing and releasing of our insect biocontrol species, as well as other research projects.  He finds that preserving forest health around his hometown is compelling and exciting work.

Charlotte Malmborg
Education and Outreach Technician

A native Vermonter, Charlotte graduated from Lehigh University with a B.S. in Earth and Environmental Sciences. Prior to arriving at NYSHI, she worked with Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA, and Kestrel Land Trust in Amherst, MA. While at NYSHI, she focused on state-wide public education about hemlock conservation and biological control management efforts, and trained community science volunteers to detect and report HWA infestations in the field.

Joshua Stone
Research and Data Support Specialist

After several post-college years as a synthetic chemist in industry, Joshua returned to academia to study the chemical ecology of the eastern hemlock-hemlock woolly adelgid system in the lab of Joe Elkinton at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (M.S. 2013). Since the end of 2014, he has aided Mark Whitmore and NYSHI staff with data management and analysis, helped to manage and inform several ongoing NYSHI research projects, and designed new research studies with a focus on the thermal tolerance and population dynamics of HWA.