Staff
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
Susan Heath
Director of Conservation Research
Sue is a native Texan who returned to the state in 2007 after being transplanted to Virginia for 24 years. 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 is thrilled to be back in her home state of Texas. At GCBO, she coordinates all conservation research including American Oystercatcher Stewardship, Beach Nesting Birds, Non-breeding shorebirds, Motus Tower Network, Eastern Willet Migration, and the Smith Point Hawk Watch.
sheath@gcbo.org
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
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. Working with birds and doing education and outreach were always her favorite parts of these jobs. Now she is pursuing her interests at GCBO.
csilling@gcbo.org
Joni Flores
Development Director
Joni Flores has enjoyed more than 35 years working in the nonprofit sector. Her career included environmental work for state and federal agencies, the City of Victoria (Texas) and in environmentally focused nonprofits. Joni became interested in grant writing while serving as a grants evaluator for the EPA which led to a busy consulting practice for the past 30 years. Her services include forming nonprofit corporations, grant making, and providing training and mentoring to Boards and other Leaders on marketing, communication and strategic planning. Joni lives on Matagorda Bay with her husband Al where she enjoys fishing, gardening, cooking and quiet time.
grants@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
Board of Directors
Bob Friedrichs (President)
Chevron (retired)
Palacios, TX
Joellen Snow (Vice President)
Attorney at law
Houston, TX
Andy Dietrich (Treasurer)
NRG Energy (retired)
Pearland, TX
Ron Weeks (Secretary)
Dow Chemical Company (retired)
Lake Jackson, TX
Michael Heather
Dow Chemical Company (retired)
Lake Jackson, TX
Lucinda (Cindy) Freeman
JP Morgan (retired)
Houston, TX
Tom Taroni
Dow Chemical Company (retired)
Lake Jackson, TX
Russell Pope
CenterPoint Energy
Houston, TX
Brian Kolthammer
Dow Chemical Co.- Retired
Lake Jackson, TX
Sharon Barnes
VP/Chief Human Resources- San Jose Clinic- Texas Medical
Rosharon, 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 Carroll
Fulbright & Jaworski, L.L.P.
Houston, TX
Jan Cato
Community Volunteer
Houston, TX
Gary Clark
Lone Star College – North Harris
The Woodlands, TX
Tom Collins
Dow Chemical Company (retired)
Center Point, TX
Jeffrey DallaRosa
CenterPoint Energy
Houston, TX
Mickey Dufilho
Brazosport College (retired)
Brazoria, TX
Stephen Gast
ConocoPhillips (retired)
Houston, TX
Kay Hale M.D.
Physician (retired)
Houston, TX
Cindy Wyman Jordy
Phillips 66
Sweeny, 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
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