SSWG BOARD
The SSWG Board reflects the diversity of the conservation social sciences. The eleven member Board includes:
- Representatives from anthropology, economics, geography, political science, psychology, and sociology
- Four at-large representatives, including one student representative
- The Social Science representative to the SCB Board of Governors
Board members serve for elected terms of two years. See below for Board member contact information and biographies.
The SSWG Board holds an annual business meeting, in conjunction with the SCB Annual Meeting. Click here to review information from previous meetings.
November, 2012 - The SSWG Welcomes New Board Members
The Social Science Working Group (SSWG) recently held elections for five board seats: representatives of sociology, political science, and economics; one at-large position and one student at-large position. We’re pleased to welcome the following board members:
Thomas Heberlein (Sociology Representative) is a Professor Emeritus at University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US and also works in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Sweden. He has just published a book with Oxford University Press titled ‘Navigating Environmental Attitudes’ and has a long standing interest in the improved integration of natural and social sciences.
Daniel Miller (Political Science Representative) is welcomed back for another term on the Board. Daniel led the strategic review process that resulted in the current SSWG Strategic Plan (2009-2014) and serves as Board Secretary and Chair of the SSWG Communications Committee. He is currently completing his PhD at University of Michigan in the US and worked previously as Program Associate for Conservation and Sustainable Development at the MacArthur Foundation (2002-2007). His Ph.D. research focuses on the social impacts of transboundary conservation around the W National Parks of Benin and Niger in the context of global climate change.
Aurelie Delisle (Economics Representative). With two Masters degrees, one in conservation biology and the other in economics and a PhD in Environmental Science and Economics, Aurelie joins the board with a clear interest in strengthening the application of economics to conservation science and practice. Her PhD research at James Cook University in Australia is on the economics of indigenous hunting systems, looking at the complex interaction between socio-economic context, value systems, livelihoods, migration and natural resource management. She currently works for CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems in Australia.
Meredith Gore (At-Large Representative) has been re-elected to the Board for a second term, currently serving as Chair of the SSWG Conservation Committee. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University in the US and an Associate Editor for the journal Conservation Letters. Her research interests focus on public perceptions of wildlife and environmental risk, human-wildlife conflict, community-based natural resource management, gender and the environment, conservation criminology, and program evaluation. Meredith received her PhD in Natural Resource Policy and Management from Cornell University.
Crista Johnson (Student At-Large Representative) is a PhD student in Geography at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the US. As a primatologist she has conducted extensive fieldwork in Indonesia, Kenya and South Africa. Her Master of Arts degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution at American University focused on the peace-building potential of primate conservation initiatives in conflict zones of Central Africa. For her doctoral work, she wishes to explore the intricacies of wildlife conservation in socially stratified societies with a particular focus on identity, race and social justice. As our newly-elected student representative, she is interested in supporting SSWG student members to pursue and strengthen interdisciplinary links between social and conservation studies at their own institutions.
In addition, we’d like to thank the following individuals transitioning off the board this year for their valued commitment and service to the SSWG. These individuals have played an important role in advancing the mission and efforts of the SSWG:
Murray Rudd (University of York), outgoing Economics Representative
Steve Brechin (Syracuse University), outgoing Sociology Representative
Christina Ellis (University of Melbourne), outgoing Student At-Large Representative
Thank you again for voting and supporting all of the candidates who are willing to dedicate their time to SCB and the SSWG!
Board Members:
Tara Teel
President, Psychology Representative
Colorado State University
tteel@lamar.colostate.edu
Daniel Miller
Political Science Representative & SSWG Secretary
University of Michigan
dcmille@umich.edu
Thomas Heberlein
Sociology Representative
University of Wisconsin-Madison
taheberl@wisc.edu
Meredith Gore
At-Large Representative
Michigan State University
gorem@msu.edu
Aurelie Delisle
Economics Representative
CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems
aurelie.delisle@my.jcu.edu.au
David Hoffman
Education Committee Chair, Anthropology Representative
Mississippi State University
DHoffman@anthro.msstate.edu
Robin Roth
Membership Committee Chair, Geography Representative
York University
rothr@yorku.ca
Ashwini Chhatre
Policy Committee Chair, At-Large Representative
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
achhatre@illinois.edu
Douglas A. Clark
At-Large Representative
University of Saskatchewan
d.clark@usask.ca
Crista Johnson
At-Large (Student) Representative
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
crista.e.j@gmail.com
Catherine A. Christen
Liaison to SCB Board of Governors
Smithsonian Institution
christenc@si.edu