News

New Faces at the TRCP

By . Posted on Thursday, January 28, 2010.

Several accomplished conservation professionals joined the TRCP in recent months to bolster the partnership’s on-the-ground work in support of responsible management of our natural resources and our hunting and fishing traditions. The TRCP is pleased to welcome Dr. Ben Brown, Nicholas Payne, Tom Sadler, Geoff Mullins and Christen Duxbury to our group.

Bennett Brown

TRCP New Mexico Field Representative Dr. Ben Brown was formerly director of science and stewardship, major programs, for The Nature Conservancy. He served as project director for The Nature Conservancy’s Gray Ranch project during its transition to the Animas Foundation. During this period, he also served as a science consultant and technical reviewer to the Resource Recovery Trustees for the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in the Prince William Sound of Alaska. He has worked with a variety of private, state and federal agencies on biodiversity training, activity reviews and interstate cooperative projects.

Brown received his B.A. in zoology from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.S.and Ph.D. in wildlife ecology from Texas A&M University. He has served on the staffs and faculties of both Texas A&M and Kansas State University, teaching courses in wildlife ecology, wildlife management and wildlife conservation. He also directed graduate research in these disciplines. He lives with his wife, Crystal Foreman Brown, a fine artist, in Animas, N.M.

Nicholas Payne

Nicholas Payne was hired by the TRCP this fall as a field representative in Colorado.

Payne graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.S. in fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology. He has done genuine field biology, most recently as an Indiana bat research technician for the University of Missouri. He also has volunteered with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, performing chronic wasting disease sampling at white-tailed deer check stations, and has participated extensively in small mammal surveying in various locations throughout Minnesota. He has substantial grassroots organizing experience all over the Midwest, having worked on numerous projects including the Clean Water Action Alliance, Sierra Club and Grassroots Solutions.

Tom Sadler

Tom Sadler joined the TRCP earlier in 2009 to oversee the partnership’s work on marine fisheries conservation.

Sadler has been involved in coalition building and grassroots organizing for much of his professional career. He has been active in creation of the American Wildlife Conservation Partners and FishNet, and his volunteer activities likewise reflect his passion for fishing and conservation. He currently serves the boards of the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, the American Fly-fishing Trade Association and the Valley Conservation Council. He has also served the boards of the Federation of Fly Fishers, Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing and the Shenandoah Mountain Rescue Group. He is the Virginia representative on Trout Unlimited’s National Leadership Council and is vice chairman of the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture, a National Fish Habitat partnership.

Sadler spent 12 years as a public affairs officer in the United States Navy Reserve, retiring at the rank of lieutenant commander. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire. He is a lifelong fly fisherman and occasional guide and instructor. Tom, his wife Beth and black lab Ashby live in the Shenandoah Valley town of Verona, Va.

Geoff Mullins

Geoff Mullins, director of policy initiatives and communications, joined the Partnership in April 2007 as the initiative manager for wetlands and farm policy. Prior to working for the TRCP, Geoff worked for Democracy Data & Communications, a political communications company in Alexandria, Va. His government relations experience includes work for various trade associations and on Capitol Hill. Geoff grew up in Mobile, Ala., and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Alabama as well as a master’s in political management from the George Washington University. Geoff looks for any opportunity to enjoy hunting, fishing, hiking and kayaking.

Christen Duxbury

Christen Duxbury, communications associate, joined the TRCP January 2010. Christen grew up with wilderness-loving parents who taught her to enjoy all the land can give, from the solitude of a mountain to the thrill of a casting a fly. She came into her own as a land conservationist during her time at The Wilderness Society. Before signing on at the TRCP, she worked for an environmental campaign aimed at passing a comprehensive climate change bill in Congress. She spends most of her free time climbing rocks, paddling and generally enjoying the wilderness and heritage she works to protect.