Staff

Glenn Phillips, Executive Director

As the new Executive Director of New York City Audubon, Glenn can point to his work in the environmental field dating back nearly 30 years. This would be extraordinary in any case, but it is especially striking, as Glenn is not yet 40 years old! At the age of 8, Glenn had a collection of reptiles and amphibians, and a one-man traveling show, bringing his animals to kindergarten classes for hands-on presentations. Glenn started watching and learning about birds at about the same time, inspired by the burrowing owls, western meadowlarks, and loggerhead shrikes which inhabited the fields between his house and his school in northern California.

Prior to joining NYC Audubon, Glenn worked to establish the Prospect Park Audubon Center as the premier site in Brooklyn for environmental education since it's opening in 2002. As the Park's Vice President for Education, Glenn was also responsible for Lefferts Historic House and the Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment, a new small public high school operated in partnership with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the NYC Department of Education.

Glenn has also worked at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, where he helped develop the Everett Children's Adventure Garden, a hands-on outdoor museum within the Botanical Garden. Following the Garden, Glenn worked at the Columbia University Center for Environmental Research and Conservation, running adult education programs in conservation biology.

e-mail: gphillips-at-nycaudubon.org

Susan Elbin, Director of Conservation

Director of Conservation and the newest member of New York City Audubon’s staff, Dr. Susan Elbin is an ornithologist who has been working in the field of behavioral ecology and conservation for more than 20 years. Susan’s specialty is avian ecology and conservation of colonial waterbirds. She is on the Board of Directors for the Waterbird Society and, more locally, is co-chair of the Harbor Herons Subcommittee of the Habitat Working Group for the Harbor Estuary Program. Susan is an adjunct professor at Columbia University.

Before coming to NYC Audubon, Dr. Elbin was the Director of Wildlife Trust’s New York Bioscape Initiative, regional landscape-level approach to address issues dealing with human health, wildlife health, and ecosystem health. She has also worked in a variety of departments at the Wildlife Conservation Society, including the Bronx Zoo Education Department, Ornithology Department, and the Science Resource Center. While at WCS she led a variety of projects including studies of avian ecology and behavior in disturbed/restored grassland habitats and social behavior and use of space in bird exhibits at the Bronx Zoo (Bronx, NY, USA).

Elbin holds an MS degree in Ecology from The Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution from Rutgers University.

e-mail: selbin-at-nycaudubon.org

Andy Bernick, Ecologist

Andy Bernick, Ph.D. has been the Harbor Herons Project's Nesting Survey Leader since 2005. Andy first became involved with NYC Audubon in 1999, when he accompanied Paul Kerlinger on a wading bird survey at Isle of Meadows. This inspired Andy to study Black-crowned Night-Heron foraging ecology in NY/NJ Harbor, and he earned his Ph.D. in Biology from the City University of New York in 2007. Andy also designed and lead NYC Audubon's first Harbor Herons Monitoring Program in 2003. He is a resident of Alexandria, VA and is presently employed as an ecologist with AKRF, Inc.

e-mail: abernick-at-nycaudubon.org

Nicole Delacrétaz, Project Safe Flight Manager

Nicole came to NYC Audubon from Switzerland in the spring of 2005, after completing her masters in Political Science. She was attracted to Project Safe Flight (PSF) because of her love of nature and her eagerness to gain field experience. As the project’s manager, Nicole has worked tirelessly to expand PSF's network of field volunteers and is currently leading a one year research study on bird collision in collaboration with Daniel Klem Jr., a Professor of Ornithology and Conservation Biology at the Muhlenberg College, PA. Nicole is also engaged in various other NYC Audubon projects. Most recently, she led a Breeding and Migrating Bird Census in Van Cortlandt Park and also coordinated a series of free educational Eco-tours that NYC Audubon offered to children from underserved communities.

e-mail: ndelacretaz-at-nycaudubon.org

Liz Craig, Research Associate

Before joining NYC Audubon, Liz completed her undergraduate studies in Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology at Columbia University and worked as a program assistant for Dr. Susan Elbin at Wildlife Trust. Liz has been studying Double-crested Cormorants and their impacts on NY Harbor island nesting habitats, and is continuing her studies of NYC colonial waterbirds in graduate school at Cornell University beginning in Fall 2008. In addition to her work with birds in NY Harbor, Liz is an avid birder and a part-time employee at The Raptor Trust wild bird rehabilitation center in Millington, NJ.

e-mail: ecraig-at-nycaudubon.org

Melissa Husby, Membership Director/Development Associate

Originally from Fairbanks, Alaska, Melissa grew up across the street from a migratory waterfowl refuge and has fond memories of seeing sandhill cranes, Canada geese, and mallards on their way north each spring. As a former tour guide who led trips to the Arctic Circle and Prudhoe Bay, she has an informal background in wildlife conservation issues and environmental education. She has a masters in Museum Studies and is currently pursuing a degree in non-profit management.

Melissa works with NYC Audubon members to administer their benefits and keep them informed about upcoming programs. She also coordinates the Fall Roost Benefit and other development activities. Previously she worked at Brooklyn Children’s Museum, doing research and writing about the museum’s collection before moving into a grant-writing role and managing BCM’s Corporate Membership program.

e-mail: mhusby-at-nycaudubon.org

Erik Karff, Manager of Education and Outreach

Erik Karff joined NYC Audubon in December 2007 as Manager of Education and Outreach for the organization. Erik received his education at Purchase College, where he graduated with a degree in Sociology and Music, and at Queens College, where he earned a master’s degree in Secondary Education. Erik’s background in education is coupled with his experience as a park ranger in South Dakota’s Jewel Cave National Monument and as Education Curator in Brooklyn’s gem, Prospect Park. In addition Erik has background as a music journalist and events coordinator, which speaks well to his duties at here at NYC Audubon.

e-mail: ekarff-at-nycaudubon.org

Candace Khaokham, Office Manager

Candace came to NYC Audubon from Boston, where she was an office manager/community outreach coordinator for a civil rights non-profit specializing in police misconduct and community awareness. As a self-proclaimed adventurer, Candace has traveled all over the United States, Thailand, Northern Mexico and Peru. Originally from Los Angeles, she attended California State University, Long Beach and has a background in Political Science.

e-mail: ckhaokham-at-nycaudubon.org

Here she is assisting with Pale Male’s nest repair

Jill Crouther, Program Assistant

Jill has a background in urban studies and is interested in the ways urban development impacts the natural world, and in the conservation of natural areas within cities. Her favorite bird is the common yellowthroat, because it looks like a superhero.

e-mail: jcrouther-at-nycaudubon.org

NYC Audubon