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The Great Lakes-Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (GLNF-CESU) is a network of faculty and staff from 42 leading academic programs, specialists from 9 organizations, and resource managers from 11 federal land management and natural resource agencies.
The GLNF-CESU biogeographic region includes all or parts of 12 states, over 30 percent of the nation's total population, large metropolitan areas, and some of the most significant water resources and forest lands.
Members strive to improve the scientific knowledge for managing public lands by providing resource managers with high-quality research, technical assistance, and education. The GLNF-CESU seeks to resolve resource problems at multiple scales using interdisciplinary ecosystem studies involving the biological, physical, social, and cultural sciences.
| HOST | 
University of Minnesota |
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| ESTABLISHED | 2002 | |
| WEBSITE | https://cesu.umn.edu | |
| CO-DIRECTORS | Kristen Nelson Department Head and Professor, Department of Forest Resources Co-Director, Great Lakes-Northern Forest CESU College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences University of Minnesota 115 Green Hall 1530 Cleveland Avenue North St. Paul, MN 55108 PHONE: (612) 624-1277 EMAIL: nelso468@umn.edu Erin Williams Co-Director, Great Lakes-Northern Forest CESU Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Coordinator National Park Service, Midwest Region University of Minnesota 115 Green Hall 1530 Cleveland Avenue N St. Paul, MN 55108 PHONE: (612) 624-7286 office EMAIL: Erin_Williams@nps.gov Amber Grupe Acting Great Lakes Northern Forest CESU Coordinator Department of Forest Resources University of Minnesota 115 Green Hall 1530 Cleveland Avenue North St. Paul, MN 55108 PHONE: (612) 625-3107 EMAIL: glnfcesu@umn.edu |
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| ADMINISTRATIVE DOCUMENTS | ||
| AGREEMENTS | AMENDMENTS | |
Cooperative and Joint Venture Agreement (2002) Cooperative and Joint Venture Agreement (2007)
Cooperative and Joint Venture Agreement (2012) Cooperative and Joint Venture Agreement (2017) Cooperative and Joint Venture Agreement (2022) |
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| 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 Acting 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 | Crystal Keys Acting BIA Tribal Resilience Coordinator crystal.keys@bia.gov |
Jo Ann Metcalfe Grants Management Specialist jo.metcalfe@bia.gov |
| Bureau of Land Management | Anthony D. Bobo, Jr. Deputy State Director, Natural Resources BLM Eastern States Office a1bobo@blm.gov |
Melanie Beckstead Grants Management Officer mbeckstead@blm.gov |
| Department of Defense | Ray Rainbolt Raymond.E.Rainbolt.civ@mail.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 |
| Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency | G.R. (Rocky) Gillette Deputy Director, Partnerships and Innovation george.r.gillette.civ@mail.mil |
Michael Dolski Historian, Partnerships and Innovation michael.r.dolski.civ@mail.mil |
| U.S. Forest Service | Elizabeth Larry Assistant Director for Research Northern Research Station elizabeth.b.larry@usda.gov Tracy Grazia Regional Wildlife Program Leader Eastern Region (R9) tracy.grazia@usda.gov |
Jerry Elian Grants Management Specialist Northern Research Station jerry.s.elian@usda.gov Brenda Frenzel Grants Management Specialist Eastern Region (R9) brenda.frenzel@usda.gov |
| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Craig Czarnecki Science Applications Assistant Regional Director craig_czarnecki@fws.gov |
Anna-Marie York Grants Management Specialist Science Applications anna-marie_york@fws.gov |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | Tina Norwood Program Manager NEPA and Natural Resources NASA Headquarters tina.norwood@nasa.gov |
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| National Park Service | Erin Williams Co-Director, Great Lakes-Northern Forest CESU NPS Science Advisor erin_williams@nps.gov |
John Bechtold Financial Assistance Awarding Officer john_bechtold@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 | Christopher Churchill Supervisory Ecologist Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center cchurchi@usgs.gov |
Faith Graves CESU Contract Specialist fgraves@usgs.gov |
| UNIVERSITY PARTNERS | ||
| Antioch University, New England | James Jordan jjordan@antioch.edu |
David Caruso dcaruso1@antioch.edu |
| Ball State University | Melody Bernot mjbernot@bsu.edu |
Justin M. Miller jmiller5@bsu.edu |
| Central Michigan University | Donald Uzarski Professor, Department of Biology Director, CMU Institute for Great Lakes Research uzars1dg@cmich.edu |
David C. Weindorf Vice President for Research and Innovation weind1dc@cmich.edu Melinda Brakenberry Executive Director, Research and Graduate Studies meyer1mm@cmich.edu |
| Cornell University | Patrick Sullivan Professor and Department Chair Department of Natural Resources pjs31@cornell.edu |
Christine Ashdown cma20@cornell.edu |
| Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College | Courtney Kowalczak courtneyk@fdltcc.edu |
Larry Anderson larrya@fdltcc.edu |
| Grand Valley State University | Alan Steinman steinmaa@gvsu.edu |
Chris Chamberlain chambech@gvsu.edu |
| Hamline University | Tracy Fredin Director, Center for Global Environmental Education tfredin@hamline.edu |
Tracy Fredin Director, Center for Global Environmental Education tfredin@hamline.edu |
| Indiana State University | Lynn Maurer Dean, College of Graduate and Professional Studies Lynn.Maurer@indstate.edu |
Liz Metzger Office of Sponsored Programs emetzger@indstate.edu |
| Indiana University | Stephen Wolter sawolter@indiana.edu |
Theresa Ann Miller teremill@indiana.edu |
| Kent State University | Christie Bahlai Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences cbahlai@kent.edu |
Douglas Delahanty Vice President for Research and Sponsored Programs ddelahan@kent.edu |
| Lake Superior State University | Kevin Kapuscinski Associate Professor, School of Natural Resources and Environment Assistant Director of Research, Center for Freshwater Research and Education kkapuscinski@lssu.edu |
Lynn Gillette Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs lgillette@lssu.edu |
| Michigan State University | Daniel Keathley Keathley@msu.edu |
Daniel Evon evon@cga.msu.edu |
| Michigan Technological University | David Reed ddreed@mtu.edu |
Lisa Jukkala Director, Office of Sponsored Programs lajukkal@mtu.edu |
| Minnesota State University, Mankato | Ronald Nickerson Professor Emeritus Department of Recreation, Parks and Leisure Services ronald.nickerson@mnsu.edu |
Kristel Seth Director, Research and Sponsored Programs kristel.seth@mnsu.edu |
| Northland College | Randy Lehr Co-Director, Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation rlehr@northland.edu |
Lisa S. Williamson Director of Sponsored Programs lwilliamson@northland.edu |
| Northern Illinois University | Melissa Lenczewski Director, Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability, and Energy lenczewski@niu.edu |
Dara C. Little Director, Office of Sponsored Projects dlittle@niu.edu |
| Northern Michigan University | Susy Ziegler Associate Professor and Department Head, Earth, Environmental, and Geographical Sciences Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences suziegle@nmu.edu |
Tesse Sayen Interim Director for Research and Sponsored Programs tsayen@nmu.edu |
| Purdue University | Robert Wagner Professor and Head, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources rwagner@purdue.edu |
Mark Pearson mwpearson@purdue.edu |
| Saint Mary's University of Minnesota | Andrew Robertson Executive Director GeoSpatial Services aroberts@smumn.edu |
Benjamin Murray Vice President for Financial Affairs bmurray@smumn.edu |
| Southern University and A&M College | Kamran Abdollahi kamrana664@cs.com |
James Llorens james_llorens@subr.edu |
| State University of New York (SUNY) - The College at Brockport | Jacques Rinchard Professorand Chair Department of Environmental Science and Ecology jrinchar@brockport.edu |
Laura Merkl Director of Scholarship, Research and Sponsored Programs lmerkl@brockport.edu |
| State University of New York (SUNY) - Buffalo State College | Chris Pennuto Professor and Research Scientist Director, WNY PRISM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management) Great Lakes Center and Biology Department pennutcm@buffalostate.edu |
Donna Scuto Associate Vice President for Sponsored Program Operations scutodl@buffalostate.edu |
| State University of New York (SUNY) - Cortland | Andrea Davalos Associate Professor Biological Sciences Department mariaandrea.davalos@cortland.edu Li Jin Professor and Coordinator of Environmental Science Program Geology Department li.jin@cortland.edu |
Elizabeth Speziale Interim Director Research and Sponsored Programs elizabeth.speziale@cortland.edu |
| State University of New York (SUNY) - College of Environmental Science and Forestry | Neil Ringler Vice Provost and Executive Director ESF Onondaga Lake Science Center neilringler@esf.edu |
William Nicholson Director of Sponsored Programs wjnichol@esf.edu |
| State University of New York (SUNY) - Oswego | Eric Hellquist Associate Professor of Wetlands Ecology Biological Sciences Department eric.hellquist@oswego.edu |
William Bowers Associate Provost for Research Development and Administration william.bowers@oswego.edu |
| Stephen F. Austin State University | Pat Stephens-Williams Professor, Human Dimensions Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture stephensp@sfasu.edu |
Jennifer Hanlon Assistant Director, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs hanlonjd@sfasu.edu |
| The Ohio State University | Stuart A. Ludsin ludsin.1@osu.edu |
Ginette A. Busque busque.1@osu.edu |
| University of Iowa | Keri Hornbuckle keri-hornbuckle@uiowa.edu |
Jennifer Lassner jennifer-lassner@uiowa.edu |
| University of Michigan | Jennifer Read Water Center Director Graham Sustainability Institute jenread@umich.edu Maria Carmen Lemos Professor and Associate Dean for Research Graham Sustainability Institute lemos@umich.edu Deborah Goldberg Professor and Chair Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology degold@umich.edu |
Karen Houghtaling Business Manager Graham Sustainability Institute houghtak@umich.edu |
| University of Minnesota | Kristen Nelson Professor and Head, Department of Forest Resources College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences nelso468@umn.edu |
Kelsey Grachek Grants and Contracts Administrator Office of Sponsored Projects Administration grach013@umn.edu |
| University of Notre Dame | Gary Lamberti Professor, Department of Biological Sciences glambert@nd.edu |
Liz Rulli Associate Vice President for Research lrulli@nd.edu |
| University of Pittsburg | Emily Elliott Associate Professor Department of Geology and Environmental Science eelliott@pitt.edu Mark Abbott Professor and Chair Department of Geology and Environmental Science mabbott1@pitt.edu |
Alice Lawson Assistant Director of Grants Management offres@pitt.edu |
| University of Toledo | Christine Mayer Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences christine.mayer@utoledo.edu |
Brenda McKinley Associate Director, Research and Sponsored Programs researchadmin.mc@utoledo.edu |
| University of Vermont | Allan Strong Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Faculty Development Allan.Strong@uvm.edu |
Lana Metayer Director, Sponsored Project Administration spa@uvm.edu |
| University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | Mathew Dornbush Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs / Director of Graduate Studies dornbusm@uwgb.edu |
Lidia Nonn Director, Office of Grants and Research nonnl@uwgb.edu |
| University of Wisconsin-Extension | Kevin Erb Director, Conservation Professional Training Program UWEX Environmental Resources Center kevin.erb@wisc.edu |
Brenda Egan Proposals Manager Research and Sponsored Programs baegan@rsp.wisc.edu |
| University of Wisconsin, La Crosse | Mark Sandheinrich Dean, College of Science and Health msandheinrich@uwlax.edu |
Sandra Grunwald Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs sgrunwald@uwlax.edu |
| University of Wisconsin, Madison | Bill Barker Associate Dean for Research College of Agricultural and Life Sciences william.barker@wisc.edu |
Kim Moreland Associate Vice Chancellor and Director Office of Research and Sponsored Programs kmorelan@rsp.wisc.edu |
| University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point | Christine Thomas Dean and Professor Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Management cthomas@uwsp.edu |
Katherine Jore Associate Vice Chancellor for Personnel, Budget and Grants Office of Research and Sponsored Programs kjore@uwsp.edu |
| University of Wisconsin-Whitewater | Dale Splinter Professor of Geography, Geology, and Environmental Science splinted@uww.edu |
Carl Fox Director, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs foxc@uww.edu orsp@uww.edu |
| West Virginia University | Chad Pierskalla Professor, Department of Forestry cpierska@wvu.edu |
Katie Stores Director, Office of Sponsored Programs Katie.Stores@mail.wvu.edu |
| Winona State University | Charla S. Miertschin Dean, College of Science and Engineering CMiertschin@winona.edu |
Brett Ayers Director, Grants and Sponsored Projects BAyers@winona.edu |
| OTHER PARTNERS | ||
| American Indian Science and Engineering Society (inactive) | vacant | |
| Chicago Botanic Garden | Dr. Gregory M. Mueller Chief Scientist and Negaunee Vice President of Science gmueller@chicagobotanic.org Keri May Executive Assistant kmay@chicagobotanic.org |
Paul Rafac Chief Financial Officer prafac@chicagobotanic.org |
| George Wright Society | Emily Dekker-Fiala efiala@georgewright.org |
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| Great Lakes Commission | Tom Crane Deputy Director tcrane@glc.org |
Joe Bertram Financial Operations Manager jbertram@glc.org |
| Midwest Art Conservation Center | Colin Turner Executive Director cturner@preserveart.org |
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| Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | Craig Schmid Deputy Director, Forestry Division craig.schmid@state.mn.us |
Barb Juelich Chief Financial Officer Office of Management and Budget Services barb.juelich@state.mn.us |
| Monarch Joint Venture | Christine Sanderson Communications and Operations Manager christine@monarchjointventure.org |
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| Science Museum of Minnesota | Laurie Fink Vice President of Science lfink@smm.org James Almendinger Director, St. Croix Watershed Research Station jalmendinger@smm.org |
Barry Gisser Chief Financial Officer bgisser@smm.org |
| The Nature Conservancy | Meredith Cornett Director of Conservation Science mcornett@tnc.org |
Peggy Ladner State Director in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota pladner@tnc.org |
| Wildlife Conservation Society | Heidi Kretser hkrester@wcs.org Jodi Hilty North America Program Director Wildlife Conservation Director jodiannhilty@gmail.com |
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