For questions or more information about this project, email: ptpractice@cornell.edu
Public Trust Practice Advisors
Dan Decker
Dan is a professor emeritus in the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell University and the former director of the Center for Conservation Social Science (formerly the Human Dimensions Research Unit). Dan served as President of The Wildlife Society (TWS) in 2003-04, and prior to that served as Northeast Representative to TWS Council and President of the Northeast Section of TWS. He is an elected TWS Fellow and the recipient of 2012 The Wildlife Society Aldo Leopold Memorial Award. Dan’s research and extension/outreach interests include discovery and integration of human dimensions insights into wildlife policy, management, program planning and evaluation. The goal of this work is to contribute to improving the capacity of management professionals in public fish and wildlife agencies.
Dan earned B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees at Cornell, where he has been involved in studies of the human dimensions of wildlife management for 35 years. His work is familiar to many wildlife professionals in that he has published extensively with his colleagues at Cornell and around the country. He has published extensively in Wildlife Society Bulletin, Journal of Wildlife Management, Human Dimensions of Wildlife, Society and Natural Resources, Transactions of the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, and other wildlife publication outlets. He is co-author of the book Thinking Like a Manager: Reflections on Wildlife Management, and co-editor of Human Dimensions of Wildlife Management (2nd edition), Valuing Wildlife: Social and Economic Perspectives, and Challenges in the Conservation of Biological Resources. Dan has served as consultant, advisor or research contractor to several state and federal agencies, including the National Park Service, US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Colorado Division of Wildlife, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. He serves on several boards, such as the NY State Fish and Wildlife Management Board, NY Sea Grant Board of Governors and Great Lakes Fishery Commission Board of Technical Experts.
Ann Forstchen
Ann is the Human Dimensions Coordinator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). She has a B.S. in Marine Biology/Marine Technology and MBA that focused on leadership development. Ann worked briefly on a container ship in the Pacific and held a U.S.C.G. 3rd Mate’s license, unlimited tonnage. Ann has worked for FWC or its predecessor agencies for 24 years in a variety of roles at the marine sport fish hatchery and research facility, led the marine sport fish health unit, became the Research Coordinator for the FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and then evolved into leading FWC’s human dimensions initiative. She coordinates and provides training opportunities agency staff who are interested in learning about new tools and methods for improving fish and wildlife management decisions. She is Past President of the Organization of Wildlife Planners.
Chris Smith
Chris is the Western Field Representative for the Wildlife Management Institute, a private, nonprofit, scientific and educational organization, dedicated to the conservation, enhancement and professional management of North America’s wildlife and other natural resources. Earlier in his career, he spent 23 years with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in various positions from a fisheries technician to the Assistant Director of Wildlife Conservation and 11 years as the Deputy Director of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Through his professional experience, Chris developed a keen interest in the public trust responsibilities of state agencies and principles of good governance. Chris holds a B.Sc. from the University of Alaska and M.Sc. from the University of British Columbia.
Pat Lederle
Pat is the Planning and Adaptation Supervisor for the Wildlife Division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and has been with the Department for over 15 years in research, planning and administrative positions. He has led efforts on change management, strategic planning, and alignment of resources to help ensure successful implementation of plans and fulfillment of public trust responsibilities. Pat is an adjunct Associate Professor with the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University, is a Certified Wildlife Biologist, and is Past President of the North Central Section of the Wildlife Society. Prior to working for Michigan DNR, Pat was involved with research on ecological impacts from Department of Energy’s Yucca Mountain Project, a proposed nuclear waste repository, and spent more than ten years in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan running a comprehensive research project evaluating the impacts of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields on birds and mammals.
Mike Schiavone
Mike has worked for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for over 15 years in a variety of management and administrative roles where his positive attitude and boundless energy allowed frequent errors in judgment to be overlooked. He is currently the section leader of the Small Game Program, coordinating planning, research, outreach, and management for New York’s suite of game birds and furbearers. Mike received a B.S. degree in Forestry and Wildlife from Virginia Tech and a M.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Iowa State University. He is a Certified Wildlife Biologist, is the Secretary of the Northeast Section of The Wildlife Society, and is a National Conservation Leadership Institute fellow (Cohort 9).
Meghan Baumer
Meghan is a Research Assistant with the Center for Conservation Social Science (formerly the Human Dimensions Research Unit) in the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell University. She has an M.A. in Social Ecology from the University of California, Irvine and a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Psychology from Connecticut College. She has been involved in many studies involving hunter recruitment and retention, sportsmen education instructors, and communication about conflict species. In her previous job, Meghan managed over 250 Public Programs volunteers for the Irvine Ranch Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that cares for 50,000 acres of protected wildlands and parks in southern California.
