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The Desert Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (DSCESU) is a cooperative network of 10 federal agencies, 13 universities, and 14 state and local agencies and nongovernmental organizations studying and managing natural and cultural resources across the states of California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Formed in 2000, and encompassing the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan deserts, the DSCESU has been involved in more than 400 projects, with funding totalling over $20 million. The DSCESU is hosted by the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at The University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.

Members of the Desert Southwest CESU benefit from a collaborative partnership in research, education, and technical assistance. Collaboration is facilitated by a streamlined task agreement process, and a 17.5% indirect cost rate (with the exception of the indirect cost rate of the U.S. Forest Service (0%) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (10%)).

HOST
University of Arizona

University of Arizona

ESTABLISHED 2000
WEBSITE http://www.cals.arizona.edu/dscesu/
DIRECTOR
Kathryn Stoner
Director, School of Natural Resources and the Environment
The University of Arizona
ENR2 – Room NN410
1064 E. Lowell Street
Tucson, AZ 85721
PHONE: (520) 626-0058
EMAIL: kstoner@arizona.edu

Ashley Stewart
Program Coordinator
The University of Arizona
ENR2 – Room N327
1064 E. Lowell Street
Tucson, AZ 85721
PHONE: (520) 621-8567
EMAIL: akstewart@email.arizona.edu
ADMINISTRATIVE DOCUMENTS

Cooperative and Joint Venture Agreement (2000)
Amendment 1 adding The Nature Conservancy
Amendment 2 adding the Univerity of Texas, El Paso
Amendment 3 adding the Natural Resources Conservation Service

Cooperative and Joint Venture Agreement (2005)
Amendment 1 adding the Organization of American Historians, Pima County Regional Flood Control District, and the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory
Amendment 2 adding the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Civil Works
Amendment 3 adding Cornerstones Community Partnerships and the University of Texas, Arlington

Cooperative and Joint Venture Agreement (2010)
Amendment 1 adding the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Amendment 2 adding the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
Amendment 3 adding CyArk, Western National Parks Association, and University of Utah
Amendment 4 adding Archaeology Southwest
Amendment 5 adding Sky Island Alliance
Amendment 6 adding Northern Arizona University
Amendment 7 adding Arizona Game and Fish Department

Cooperative and Joint Venture Agreement (2015)
Amendment 1 adding the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Amendment 2 adding Baylor University, Eastern New Mexico University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and Hawks Aloft, Inc.
Amendment 3 adding University of Texas at San Antonio
Amendment 4 adding the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
Amendment 5 adding the Desert Botanical Garden

Cooperative and Joint Venture Agreement (2020)
Amendment 1 adding Western New Mexico University
Amendment 2 adding Tucson Audubon Society
Amendment 3 adding University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Request updates to partner contact information.
UNIT PARTNERS
TECHNICAL REPRESENTATIVE ADMINISTRATIVE REPRESENTATIVE
FEDERAL PARTNERS
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Civil Works Jennifer Seiter-Moser
Technical Director
Civil Engineering Programs
Engineer Research and Development Center
jennifer.m.seiter-moser@usace.army.mil
Sherry Whitaker
CESU Program Manager
sherry.l.whitaker@usace.army.mil

Chelsea Whitten
Lead Contract Specialist
Chelsea.M.Whitten@usace.army.mil
Bureau of Indian Affairs John Mosley
Branch Chief, Tribal Climate Resilience
Office of Trust Services
john.mosley@bia.gov
Jo Ann Metcalfe
Grants Management Specialist
jo.metcalfe@bia.gov
Bureau of Land Management Judy Perkins
Mojave Desert Native Plant Coordinator
jlperkins@blm.gov
Thelma Mosley
Grants Management Officer
tmosley@blm.gov
Bureau of Reclamation Mark McKinstry
Biological Scientist, Adaptive Management
mmckinstry@usbr.gov
Glen Josephson
Grants Officer
Acquisition Management Division
gjosephson@usbr.gov
Department of Defense Vanessa Shoblock
Natural Resources Specialist
vanessa.m.shoblock@navy.mil

Liz Galli-Noble
Program Manager, DoD Legacy Resource Management Program
elizabeth.j.galli-noble.civ@mail.mil
Lori Kruse-Johnson
SWD CESU Program Manager
Lori.M.Kruse-Johnson@usace.army.mil
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service James Broska
Assistant Regional Director, Science Applications
USFWS Southwest Region
james_broska@fws.gov
Anna-Marie York
Grants Management Specialist
Science Applications
anna-marie_york@fws.gov
U.S. Forest Service Alison Hill
Rocky Mountain Research Station
alison.hill@usda.gov
Cindy Gordon
Lead Grants Management Specialist
Rocky Mountain Research Station
cindy.d.gordon@usda.gov
National Park Service Sallie Hejl
CESU Research Coordinator
sallie_hejl@nps.gov
Kelly Adams
Grants Management Specialist
kelly_adams@nps.gov
Natural Resources Conservation Service Weihuan “Mark” Xu
Director, Resource Inventory and Assessment Division, SSRA
weihuan.xu@usda.gov

David Lindbo
Director, Soil and Plant Science Division
david.lindbo@usda.gov
Aileen Anderson
Grants Management Specialist
aileen.anderson@usda.gov
U.S. Geological Survey Brent Sigafus
Biologist and Safety Program Director
Southwest Biological Science Center
bsigafus@usgs.gov
Faith Graves
CESU Contract Specialist
fgraves@usgs.gov
UNIVERSITY PARTNERS
Baylor University Lee Nordt
Professor, Department of Geosciences
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Lee_Nordt@baylor.edu
Lisa McKethan, C.R.A.
Assistant Vice Provost for Research
Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
lisa_mckethan@baylor.edu
Eastern New Mexico University Heather Smith
Department Chair, Graduate Coordinator
Heather.L.Smith@enmu.edu
Gillian Gordon
Manager, Special Projects
Office of Sponsored Projects
Gillian.Gordon@enmu.edu
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Nickolas D. "Dan" Macchiarella
Professor, Aeronautical Science
macchian@erau.edu
Nanette Guzman
Director, Office of Sponsored Research Administration
guzmann2@erau.edu
Howard University Eleanor M. King
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
emking@howard.edu
Contact your sponsored programs office
New Mexico State University Matt Gompper
Professor and Department Head
gompperm@nmsu.edu
Contact your sponsored programs office
Northern Arizona University James Allen
Executive Director, School of Forestry
James.Allen@nau.edu
Wilma G. (Winnie) Ennenga
Director, Grant and Contract Services
Wilma.Ennenga@nau.edu
Texas State University Nathan Currit
Professor, Department of Geography
currit@txstate.edu
Contact your sponsored programs office
Universidad de Sonora José Raúl Romo León
Departamento de investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas
Profesor Investigador de Tiempo Completo
joser2@guayacan.uson.mx
Contact your sponsored programs office
University of Arizona Willem van Leeuwen
Interim Director, School of Natural Resources and the Environment
leeuw@email.arizona.edu
Melissa Kramer
Contract Officer, Contract and Research Support Program
mriha@email.arizona.edu
University of California, Riverside Michael F. Allen
Director, Center for Conservation Biology
michael.allen@ucr.edu
Contact your sponsored programs office
University of Texas, Arlington Jeremy Forsberg
Assistant Vice President for Research
ogcs@uta.edu
Contact your sponsored programs office
University of Texas, El Paso Carl Lieb
Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
clieb@utep.edu
Contact your sponsored programs office
University of Texas at San Antonio William A. Dupont, FAIA
Director, Center for Cultural Sustainability
william.dupont@utsa.edu
Stacy Williams
Director, Grants and Contracts Financial Service
Office of Sponsored Project Administration
Stacy.Williams@utsa.edu
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Kathryn Perez
Associate Professor, Department of Biology
kathryn.perez@utrgv.edu
Tribbie Grimm
Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
tribbie.grimm@utrgv.edu
University of Utah Kelly Bricker
Professor and Director
Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism
kelly.bricker@health.utah.edu
Brent K. Brown
Director of Sponsored Projects
ospawards@osp.utah.edu
Western New Mexico University Kathy Whiteman
Director, Center for a Sustainable Future and Outdoor Programs
Chair, Department of Natural Sciences
whitemank@wnmu.edu
Otto Khera
Grant Manager
Office of External Affairs
Otto.Khera@wnmu.edu
OTHER PARTNERS
Archaeology Southwest Linda Pierce
Deputy Director
lpierce@archaeologysouthwest.org
Arizona Game and Fish Department Tim Wade
Chief, Wildlife Contracts Branch
twade@azgfd.gov
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Kim Franklin
Conservation Biologist
Kfrankling@desertmuseum.org
Bird Conservancy of the Rockies Duane B. Pool
Science Director
duane.pool@birdconservancy.org

Arvind Panjabi

Director, International Program
arvind.panjabi@birdconservancy.org
 
California Botanic Garden
(formerly Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden)
Lucinda McDade
Executive Director and Judith B. Friend Director of Research
lucinda.mcdade@cgu.edu
 
Cornerstones Community Partnerships Jake Barrow
Program Director
Jbarrow@cstones.org
 
CyArk Elizabeth Lee
Vice President
elizabeth.lee@cyark.org
 
Desert Botanical Garden Kimberlie McCue
Director of Research
kmccue@dbg.org
 
Hawks Aloft, Inc. Trevor Fetz
Senior Avian Biologist
tfetz@hawksaloft.org

Organization of American Historians Paul Zwirecki
Public History Manager
pzwirecki@oah.org
 
Pima County and Pima County Regional Flood Control District Ian Murray
Environmental Planning Manager
ian.murray@pima.gov
 
Sky Island Alliance Emily Burns
Program Director
emily@skyislandalliance.org
 
Sonoran Institute John Shepard
Senior Advisor
jshepard@sonoraninstitute.org
The Nature Conservancy Terry Sullivan
tsullivan@tnc.org
Tucson Audubon Society Jonathan Horst
Director of Conservation and Research
jhorst@tucsonaudubon.org
Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Christopher Moore
Acting Executive Director
chris.moore@wafwa.org
Cathy Campbell
Grants and Contracts Manager
Cathy.campbell@wafwa.org
Western National Parks Association Jim Cook
Executive Director
Jim.Cook@wnpa.org

Dillon Nakata
Chief Operating Officer
dillon.nakata@wnpa.org
Christine Horvath
Chief Financial Officer
christine.horvath@wnpa.org