Martin Hagne

Executive Director

He/Him

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

Rebecca Bracken

Conservation Research Director

She/Her

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

Office Manager

She/Her

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 and Outreach Director

She/Her

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, Environmental Educator at Wahsega 4H Camp, and as a Greater Sage-Grouse Monitor for the Utah State University. Now she is pursuing her interests at GCBO as the Education and Outreach Director.

csilling@gcbo.org

Caleb Clarkson

Avian Biologist

He/Him

Caleb was born in Houston and grew up in Waco, Texas. His grandparents and family helped his love of nature grow, as they encouraged his curiosity, and taught him everything they knew about the outdoors. Caleb would later attend Texas State University, where he graduated in 2022 with a degree in Wildlife Biology and a minor in Geography. While in school, Caleb joined a freshwater ecology lab, assisting in mussel and aquatic macroinvertebrate surveys. Shortly after graduating, Caleb spent a year in Wisconsin as a conservation fellow at the International Crane Foundation before migrating back to Texas and landing in Lake Jackson at the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory! Caleb hopes to do his part in creating healthier ecosystems for our gorgeous native species’ survival and our own communities’ health and well-being.”

cclarkson@gcbo.org

Susan Heath

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE (Former Conservation Research Director – Retired)

She/Her

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. During her time at GCBO, Sue has headed several research projects, including the American Oystercatcher program.

Sue retired in 2023, but still plays a role at GCBO as a Research Assosiate.

sheath@gcbo.org

Kayla Pringle

Education Assistant

She/Her

Kayla grew up in Rockwall, Texas, a town 30 miles east of Dallas. Kayla attended the University of Texas at San Antonio where she earned a B.A. and majored in Anthropology and minored in Environmental Science. In 2022, she pursued her Master’s Degree at the University of Michigan School of Environment and Sustainability. She graduated in May of 2024 with a M.S. in Ecosystem Science and Management. Kayla’s Master’s project focused on migratory songbirds and their food availability, and this is how she first got immersed in the world of birds. Kayla also has a passion for education and teaching in non-formal learning environments and has worked at museums to fulfill this passion. She loves working with the public to help inform them about wildlife conservation and biodiversity.

kpringle@gcbo.org

Hannah Beckett

Office Assistant

She/Her

Hannah was born and raised in Lake Jackson, Texas. She brings with her a lifelong love for nature and animals. She spent over a decade training horses and competing in equine sports.  Upon high school graduation, she concurrently received her Level 1 Vet Tech certification with Texas A&M University. Hannah graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2021 with a degree in Biology and minors in Chemistry and Animal Science. As an undergraduate she joined two research teams. One team studied the presence of hard metals in local bodies of water.  The other partnered with the United States Forest Service to study the habitat characteristics and population density of Chuck-will’s-widow birds in East Texas. Her research with Chuck-will’s-widows was selected as a finalist for the 2021 SFASU undergraduate research conference. After college, she completed an 18-month internship with the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge as an Environmental Educator. She is a certified Master Naturalist with the Cradle of Texas chapter and enjoys facilitating conservation efforts.

hbeckett@gcbo.org