UWSP GradFellowship

Faculty and Staff

	Randy Champeau Associate Dean/Director of WCEE Graduate Advisor and Instructor
Dr. Randy Champeau has been a faculty member of the CNR for twenty years. He received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University and his MS and BS from UWSP. He is a professor in the Human Dimensions Discipline, Associate Dean of CNR Outreach and Extension and Director of the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education.

    Corky McReynolds
    Director, UWSP-Treehaven Campus, Professor
    Graduate Advisor and Instructor

Charles “Corky” McReynolds, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin/Stevens Point, and Director of Treehaven. Corky teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in strategic planning, nature center management, and leadership. He has facilitated and trained facilitators for strategic planning processes at nature centers, state agencies, and national organizations. Corky’s research, teaching and consulting focuses on leadership and enhancing organizational change through effective individual and group processes. His workshops are known for high activity, involvement, and fun.

    Brenda Lackey
    Assistant Professor, Human Dimensions of
    Natural Resource Management
    Graduate Advisor and Instructor

Brenda is Assistant Professor of Environmental Education/Interpretation and teaches Park Interpretation, Oral Interpretation Methods, Interpretive Media, Research Methods, Graduate Seminar and Environmental Education/Interpretation Practicum. She serves as the instructional team leader and principal mentor for students at CWES and Schmeeckle Reserve. Brenda is Associate Editor for the Journal of Interpretation Research. She received her B.S. at Southern Illinois University, M.S. at Stephen F. Austin State University, and Ph.D. in Natural Resources at the University of Idaho. Her professional experience has included work as an interpretive park ranger on the Upper Mississippi River, a social science researcher at Yosemite National Park, and was the Manager of Research and Program Evaluation with Cleveland Metroparks.

    Mary Anna Thornton
    Assistant Head of Conserve School
    Adjunct Professor, UWSP
    Graduate Mentor and Instructor

Mary Anna received a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Northwestern University and an MA in Educational Technology from Michigan State University. Currently Assistant Head of School at Conserve School, a conservation-based semester school, she has over twenty years of experience in independent school administration and teaching. She oversees the UWSP graduate fellows in their roles as field instructors at Conserve School and works closely with Fran McReynolds, Graduate Fellowship Program Coordinator, to provide graduate fellows with training and guidance in curriculum development and instructional techniques. Mary Anna's interests include organic gardening and butterfly research, and she has been instrumental in the development of the Conserve School community garden.

        Alan Haney
    Emeritus Professor of Forestry, UWSP-CNR
    Instructor

Alan holds a B.S. in Botany (The Ohio State University), M.F. in forestry (Yale University), and Ph.D. in forest ecology (New York State University at Syracuse). He has taught and conducted research on various aspects of ecology in Canada and the U.S. for nearly 40 years. He has been recognized as an outstanding faculty member by both students and peers on several occasions at each of the three universities where he has held faculty appointments. He was Dean of the College of Natural Resources at Stevens Point from 1988-1998, and retired from full time teaching in 2005. He has published three books in the last three years, two on ecological restoration (Island Press) and one on forest management (Back Forty Press). Alan's on-going research focuses on forest community structure. His hobbies include gardening and wilderness exploration.

Debbie Palmer
Associate Professor, Psychology Instructor

Debbie Palmer received her Ph.D. from the University of Utah. Her interests include developmental psychology, parent-child interactions (specifically during adolescence), and managing chronic illness.

Aaron Thompson
Assistant Professor, Natural Resource Planning
Extension Specialist, Center for Land Use Education
Instructor

Aaron is an Assistant Professor of Natural Resource Planning at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and a UW-Extension Specialist with the Center for Land Use Education. He received a Ph.D. from Purdue University in 2010, and an M.S. in Natural Resource Planning in 2007. His teaching and research focus on using social data to inform collaborative action to address issues facing the rural landscape including farmland preservation, habitat connectivity, and degradation of ecological systems. Prior to graduate school Aaron used his undergraduate training in Landscape Architecture to become involved in many different planning projects around the globe while serving as a design consultant. He also spent a year with AmeriCorps which ingrained the benefits of volunteer action as an essential component in addressing community issues.

Jesse Haney
Program Director, Wisc. Environmental Education Foundation
Outreach Specialist, Wisc. Center for Environmental Education
Instructor

Jesse Haney is the Program Director for the Wisconsin Environmental Education Foundation and an Outreach Specialist with the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education. Jesse coordinates the Wisconsin No Child Left Inside Coalition and led the Coalition's work to develop a Plan for advancing education for environmental literacy and sustainability in Wisconsin preK-12 schools. She also facilitates the work of the Wisconsin Women Forward for Environmental Education. Jesse earned a B.A. in Political Science and Spanish at Colorado State University and will complete an M.S. in Environmental Education/Interpretation at UWSP this fall.

     John Heusinkveld
    Assistant Director, UWSP-Treehaven Campus
    Instructor

John earned a BA degree in Environmental Geography from the Univ. of Iowa and a MS from UWSP in Human and Community Resources with emphasis in adult & environmental education. He currently resides on the grounds at Treehaven, the UWSP/ CNR Field Station near Tomahawk, WI., where he is Assistant Director. There he is in charge of adult & youth programming, educational resources, marketing, & various administrative duties. John also teaches three weeks of Water 380 for the CNR Summer Session, supervises and mentors graduate fellows assigned to Treehaven, and assists in teaching team development. He enjoys all things outdoors, especially if he can convince his daughter, Julianna, to join him.

Fran McReynolds
Graduate Fellowship Program Coordinator and Instructor

Fran earned a BA in Biology in Colorado and a MS in Natural Resources (Environmental Education/Interpretation) at UWSP. She has over 20 years of experience as an interpretive naturalist as well as an environmental education teacher in the non-profit realm. Fran is a Certified Interpretive Trainer and a Certified Interpretive Manager through the National Association for Interpretation and has developed a variety of training programs and workshops for classroom teachers, nature center staff, and volunteers. Fran received the Wilderness Society’s Gaylord Nelson Earth Day Fellowship award in 2009. As an avid naturalist, her primary interests include plant ecology, ornithology, gardening and slow food.