Staff

Placeholder

Martin Hagne

Executive Director


Martin Hagne was born and raised on the Swedish west coast, where his grandfather instilled a love for nature at an early age. He moved to the United States, and the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, in 1979 and turned his focus towards wildlife viewing and conservation concerns.
Martin served as the Executive Director of the Valley Nature Center in Weslaco, Texas, and environmental education facility, for 13 years. He then moved to Bandera, Texas where he led the Flying L Resort and Conference Center. He has also worked as a Field Biologist doing baseline studies for many years, including avian, herp, mammal, T&E, and habitat studies.
He enjoys leading birding field trips in the US and Mexico and has served on several state, regional and local environmental appointments, committees, and boards. Birding, nature viewing, native plants, conservation issues and environmental education are his great passions.

mhagne@gcbo.org


Placeholder

Rebecca Bracken

Conservation Research Director


Rebecca was born and grew up in central Texas. She received a Master’s in Biology from Texas State University and a Ph.D. in Forest Resources with a Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture concentration from Mississippi State University. Her dissertation focused on evaluating the influence of forest management activities on breeding and wintering avian communities and investigated how forest age and management affected nightjar abundance. Between her master’s and Ph.D., she worked on several field projects ranging from songbirds in New Hampshire, Louisiana, and Australia to shorebirds and wading birds in Wyoming and Oklahoma. She is happy to be back in Texas and working on the Gulf Coast again. Rebecca is now working to further GCBO research projects including the American Oystercatcher Study, Beach Nesting Birds, Non-breeding shorebirds, and the Smith Point Hawk Watch.

rbracken@gcbo.org


Tricia Patton

Tricia Patton

Office Manager


Tricia brings a wealth of office management experience with her from both the corporate and non-profit sector. As Office Manager, Tricia takes care of all our accounting and administrative tasks and keeps the office and organization running smoothly. She handles all recordkeeping of donations, memberships, and grants, and handle all income and outgoing expenses. Her position is in many ways the backbone of the organization. Her enthusiasm and energy keep us all going!

tpatton@gcbo.org


Placeholder

Celeste Silling

Education & Outreach Director


Celeste was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She attended Lawrence University in Wisconsin and received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology in 2016. Focusing on her passions of conservation and education, she has had a variety of research and education jobs. She worked as a Shorebird Technician for Mass Audubon, and Environmental Educator at Wahsega 4H Camp, and as a Greater Sage-Grouse Monitor for the Utah State University. Working with birds and doing education and outreach were always her favorite parts of these jobs. Now she is pursuing her interests at GCBO as the Education and Outreach Director.

csilling@gcbo.org


Julie Mintzer

Development Officer


With a personal mission to change the world, Julie has accrued over sixteen years of leadership experience in Houston’s public sector. Most recently, Julie worked for the City of Houston in the Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department, Houston Public Library system, and for an elected City Council Member. Before joining city government, Julie worked at regional and national not-for-profit organizations. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Southern Illinois University system.

After moving to Houston in 2009, Julie worked with the Galveston Bay Foundation, Student Conservation Association, and then Rebuilding Together Houston, where she became the Chief of Staff and Operation—repairing homes and building a stronger Houston!

In her spare time, Julie is outside: hiking, biking, doing yoga, chasing birds with her camera, volunteering, or doing any kind of fitness with friends. She also enjoys cooking for family, educational podcasts, and learning the science behind health and personal development.

jmintzer@gcbo.org

Taylor Bennett

Coastal Biologist


Taylor grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia but moved to Humble, Texas in 2015. Her Bachelor of Science in Biology (focus on Marine Biology) is from Old Dominion University. For six years, she interned for organizations such as the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and non-profit organizations like Audubon Texas. Her main focus has been conservation, especially for endangered and threatened species. Most of her internships also involved surveying birds. She liked working with shorebirds the most, especially with plovers and oystercatchers. At GCBO, she is currently working on our Nonbreeding Shorebirds and Beach Nesting Birds projects.

tbennett@gcbo.org


Susan Heath

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE (Former Conservation Research Director – Retired)


After a successful career in computer security, Susan Heath returned to school to pursue her love of avian conservation in 1999.  She received a master’s in biology from George Mason University for her work on wintering waterfowl on the Northern Virginia Piedmont and a Ph.D. from the same institution in the spring of 2008.  Her dissertation involved the effects of pesticides on birds that nest in agriculture in the north central states.  She spent over 20 years in Virginia where she served as the secretary for the Virginia Avian Records Committee and worked for American Bird Conservancy while pursuing her degrees. Sue retired in 2023, but still plays a role at GCBO.

sheath@gcbo.org

Tess Traylor

Office Assistant


A sixth generation Texan, Tess was born in Mt. Pleasant, TX and spent her childhood in every corner of the great state, wherever her father’s job in the oil industry took her family.  She studied Political Science and Philosophy at Texas State University, returning in 2018 to pursue a BFA in Painting.  As a certified paralegal, she has worked for non-profit organizations, law firms and corporate legal departments in the real estate and computer technology industries until taking on her most important role as Mom to four children.  Her love of nature is grounded in her love of painting, experiencing the magic of color and light the natural world affords when painting outdoors. With a passion for learning and a strong belief in conservation, she combines creativity and analysis to facilitate the success of GCBO in her role as Office Assistant.

ttraylor@gcbo.org



Board of Directors

Bob Friedrichs (President)
Chevron (retired)
Palacios, TX

Michael Heather
Dow Chemical Company (retired)
Lake Jackson, TX

Lucinda (Cindy) Freeman 
JP Morgan (retired)
Houston, TX

Mike Williams
Schlumberger (retired)
Lake Jackson, TX

Russell Pope
CenterPoint Energy
Sweeny, TX

Brian Kolthammer
Dow Chemical Co. (retired)
Lake Jackson, TX

Sharon Barnes
VP/Chief Human Resources- San Jose Clinic- Texas Medical
Rosharon, TX

Darrious “Alex” Betts
ExxonMobil
Houston, TX

David Goff
Plains All American Pipeline (retired)
Richmond, TX

Gary Graham
Sea Grant (retired)
Brazoria, TX

Advisory Board

Lynne Aldrich
Community Volunteer
Graford, TX

William J. Baker Jr
NRG Energy (retired)
League City, TX

David J. Brandes
Dow Chemical Company (retired)
Lake Jackson, TX

Stephen K. Carroll
Fulbright & Jaworski, L.L.P.
Houston, TX

Jan Cato
Community Volunteer
Houston, TX

Gary Clark
Lone Star College – North Harris
The Woodlands, TX

Thomas Collins
Dow Chemical Company (retired)
Center Point, TX

Jeffrey DallaRosa
CenterPoint Energy
Houston, TX

Mickey Dufilho
Brazosport College (retired)
Brazoria, TX

Gary Clark
Lone Star College- N Harris
The Woodlands, TX

Ron Weeks
Dow Chemical Company (retired)
Lake Jackson, TX

Stephen Gast
ConocoPhillips (retired)
Houston, TX

Kay Hale M.D.
Physician (retired)
Houston, TX

Kay Lookingbill
Dow Chemical Company (retired)
Lake Jackson, TX

Robert Lookingbill
Dow Chemical Company (retired)
Lake Jackson, TX

Christopher J. Lowman
Attorney at law
Houston, TX

Lalise Whorton Mason
Scenic Galveston
Houston, TX

Mike Williams
Schlumberger (retired)
Sugarland, TX

Jackie Hicks
Dow Chemical Company (retired)
Lake Jackson, TX

Tom Taroni
Dow Chemical Company (retired)
Lake Jackson, TX

Joellen Snow
Attorney at Law
Houston, TX

Andy Dietrich
NRG Energy (retired)
Pearland, TX

Scientific Advisory Board

Dr. Clay M. Green
Associate Professor of Biology
Texas State University
San Marcos, Texas

Dr. Cin-Ty Lee
Professor- Dept. of Earth, Environmental & Planetary Sciences
Rice University
Houston, Texas

Dr. Timothy Brush
Retired Professor of Biology
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Edinburg, Texas

Dr. James Brent Ortego
Wildlife Diversity Biologist
Retired Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Victoria, TX

Dr. Mark Woodrey
Research Biologist
Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center
Moss Point, MS