Becky Pearson, Chief Operations Officer and Interim Chief Executive Officer

Rebecca (Becky) joined GLOS in April of 2016 as a program manager. Becky brings with her 14 years project management experience, serving the Great Lakes Commission. At the Great Lakes Commission she led projects related to water use, water efficiency and conservation, sustainable planning of wind energy facilities and the value of Great Lakes water, among others. Becky was a California State Sea Grant Fellow working with the California Resources Agency’s Ocean Program in Sacramento. Becky received her bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in French studies and her master’s from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey in international environmental policy.

Contact Becky at becky@glos.org or 734-741-2176.

Ana Sirviente, Chief Technology Officer

Ana joined the GLOS team in 2020 as the chief technology officer and works to lead adoption of new technologies and oversee the existing observing system. She facilitates connections between the people, organizations, and technologies that make up the observing network and manages technology and science priorities to support GLOS programming.

Ana has worked for years at the intersection of Great Lakes science and technology. Prior to GLOS, she worked as a technical manager for a global public health nonprofit, NSF International, where she oversaw a team of technical experts and external laboratories as they evaluated and tested ballast water management systems to prevent the spread of non-native aquatic species. Before her work at NSF, she was a program development director for the Council of Great Lakes Industries, and before that, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan’s naval architecture and marine engineering department.

Ana holds doctoral and masters degrees in mechanical engineering, and an undergraduate degree in naval architecture and marine engineering. Originally from Spain, she is a native Spanish speaker, and has working knowledge of French.

Contact Ana at ana@glos.org.

Tim Kearns, Chief Information Officer

Tim has held many roles throughout his career including chief technical officer, chief executive officer, executive vice president of robotics and data services, vice president of professional services, program manager, software manager, educator, and hydrographer. With roots in ocean technology, he has applied his skill sets to a variety of products such as ClipCard, Numurus’ NEPI, Ocean Aero’s Submaran, and Esri’s maritime products as well as multiple 3D applications and custom projects. He is a people person, has solid business acumen, enjoys rolling up his sleeves to dive into challenges, and leads with integrity and efficiency.

Tim loves to travel with his family via air and in tents. He also enjoys rock climbing and carpentry, but with kids and a busy life, he says it’s hard to squeeze in an abseil or a dovetail.

Contact Tim at tim@glos.org.

David Fitch, Communications Specialist

David joined GLOS in November of 2018 and works on communications efforts—managing content for social media and web, supporting user success, and working to keep stakeholders and partners informed and engaged.

Prior to his work at GLOS, he worked in nonprofit communications and studied English at Calvin University.

He is passionate about words, spending time with his family, and eating and cooking great food.

Contact David at david@glos.org or at 734-741-2294.

Joe Smith, Cyberinfrastructure Engineer

Before joining GLOS, Joe spent nine years at the University of Michigan’s Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research at the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory as a general programmer and analyst. He’s known for the reputable Great Lakes Dashboard project, and many interactive data visualizations spanning a wide variety of Laurentian Great Lakes monitoring projects, including hydrology, harmful algal blooms, hypoxia, nonindigenous species, and more. Born and raised near Ypsilanti, MI, he studied math and computer science at Washtenaw Community College and Data Science at the University of Michigan.

Contact Joe at joe@glos.org.

Portfolio

Josephine Cacciatore, Financial Manager

Katie Rousseau, Smart Great Lakes Liaison

Katie joined GLOS in July 2019 as Smart Great Lakes liaison. Prior, she served as the director of Clean Water Supply in the Great Lakes for American Rivers, a role that advocated for stormwater and drinking water infrastructure policy issues as well as green infrastructure projects in the Great Lakes region. She has a M.A. in geography from the University of Toledo and a B.S. in education from Ohio University.

As the Smart Great Lakes liaison, Katie brings her deep understanding of the region and its water-related organizations to work building partnerships and a policy framework for Great Lakes data management and innovative technology opportunities.

Contact Katie at katie@glos.org.

Sneha Bhadbhade, Senior Advisor

Sneha first joined GLOS as a data services manager in December 2018 after working as a GLOS data management fellow. Prior to her work at GLOS, she worked as an ERP consultant for four years before earning her master’s degree in information science from University of Michigan in 2017. Sneha brings experience in management of information systems to her role as she works to better suit the data and information needs of GLOS users.

Contact Sneha at sneha@glos.org.

Linden Brinks, Geospatial Analyst

Linden joined GLOS in March of 2019. Prior to this transition Linden was the Huron Pines LeaderCorps, Stewardship Technician serving with the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy. Linden brings with her several years’ experience in ArcGIS software, web mapping, data analysis, and land management. Linden holds a MSc in Coastal and Marine Environments from the National University of Ireland, Galway, and a BA in Geography from Calvin University. She also coordinates the Great Lakes Bottom Mapping Working Group.

During her off-time, Linden enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, biking, and spending time with friends.

Contact Linden at linden@glos.org.

Shelby Brunner, Observing Technology Manager

Shelby joined the GLOS team in 2020 as the observing technology manager and works to improve the existing observing system by interfacing directly with data providers and partners to sustain and augment in-water hardware like buoys, gliders, and other data collection platforms.

Shelby came to GLOS after earning her PhD in freshwater sciences and technology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, completing a fellowship with the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, and working as both a program specialist and a Knauss Fellow for NOAA’s Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing Program. In her various roles, she has worked to improve in-situ observing systems by conducting field research with novel technologies, managing observing projects with numerous partners, coordinating publications, and organizing conferences.

Shelby has lived on three of the five Great Lakes and has spent time on four of the five. Her favorite Great Lakes memories are the many nights spent on Green Bay after a long day of research: returning to port, eating an ice cream bar, and enjoying the sunsets.

Contact Shelby at shelby@glos.org.

Jennifer Boehme, Chair

Jennifer joined the International Joint Commission (IJC)’s Great Lakes Regional Office in Windsor, Ontario as an Environmental Scientist in 2012 and assists the IJC in advising governments of the United States and Canada on water quality issues affecting the Great Lakes. She serves as Secretariat to IJC’s Health Professionals Advisory Board, which provides guidance to the IJC on current and emergent clinical and public health issues in the area of Canada-US transboundary environmental health. Jennifer spent 10 years as a research scientist for the University of Maine and the Smithsonian Institution and, before joining the IJC, delved into science policy and communication at the National Science Foundation via a fellowship with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She holds A Ph.D. in Marine Science from the University of South Florida and a B.S. in Chemistry from Emory University.

Thomas Rayburn, Vice Chair

Thomas has over 30 years’ experience working for national environmental and engineering consulting firms, regional partnerships including the Great Lakes Commission, the U.S. Coast Guard, and Lake Carriers’ Association. His project work has supported the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Defense, other federal agency initiatives, private industry and international cooperative efforts on the environment. He has a Bachelor of Science in Geosciences from Purdue University.

Lynne Chaimowitz, Treasurer

Lynne is currently budget and finance supervisor for the City of Ann Arbor​’s utilities​. She has experience with water issues through city-level experience, and through her work at the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. Lynne also has extensive experience guiding non-profit finances as a consultant, ​former Finance Director ​and through experience on several boards. She has a B.A. in Environmental Policy from the University of Michigan’s Program in the Environment and a M.S. in Accounting from Eastern Michigan University.

Leon Carl

Dr. Carl is currently the Great Lakes Forum Coordinator for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and formerly served as the Regional Director of the USGS Midwest Region. He was appointed to this position in September 2008 and retired in 2018. Before being appointed as Regional Director for the Midwest Region, Dr. Carl was the Center Director of the USGS Great Lakes Science Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan from 2003-2008. He has worked for the Alberta Fish and Wildlife Division, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and served as Director of the Watershed Science Center at Trent University in Ontario.

Aaron Fisk

Aaron is a faculty member at the University of Windsor. Currently he is a Professor and Canada Research Chair (CRC Tier 2) at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER) and the Department of Earth and Environmental Science. Aaron is internationally recognized for research on aquatic ecology and has spent his career studying aspects of aquatic trophic relationships, including fish movement and contaminant dynamics, with a focus on the Great Lakes.

Stephanie Gandulla

Stephanie is a maritime archaeologist and the Research Coordinator for NOAA’s Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, based in Alpena, Michigan. She has participated in archaeology projects around the world including the Great Lakes, the South Pacific, Sweden, Jamaica, and the Arctic. As a NOAA Scientific Diver, she enjoys exploring and documenting the dozens of historic shipwrecks in Lake Huron’s sanctuary waters.

Pete Giencke

Pete has over ten years of experience in information technology and geographic information systems (GIS). At Google, he has contributed to various big data efforts in both an engineering and product manager capacity, including those on the Crisis Response, Google Earth, and Google Ocean teams. On Google’s Crisis Response team, Pete additionally serves as an “Incident Commander”, helping lead the company’s response to major disasters worldwide, including the Fort McMurray fires in Alberta, CA.

Bob Lambe

Bob is currently the Executive Secretary for the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC), a binational organization based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The GLFC was established by the 1955 Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries between Canada and the United States. The Commission’s primary functions include: coordination of fisheries management among eight U.S. Great Lakes states, Ontario, and U.S. Aboriginal organizations; development and coordination of research in support of Great Lakes fisheries; and formulation and implementation of a program to control sea lamprey populations in the Great Lakes.

Prior to joining GLFC in 2013, Bob was the first Executive Director of the Canada-Ontario Invasive Species Centre (ISC) based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, a position he held between January 2012 and June 2013. Prior to his work at the ISC, Bob was the Regional Director General (RDG) for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Central and Arctic Region, based in Sarnia, Ontario. He held the RDG position from June 2004 until his retirement from the Public Service of Canada in September 2011. Bob holds a masters degree in business (MBA) and a degree in electronics engineering technology.

Rhonda Wille

Rhonda joined the GLOS board in 2020 and works as a consultant with Tactical Strategies. She studied engineering at the University of Michigan, and has since worked in sales, business development, and project management across sectors including healthcare, water, and government. Today she works to guide companies as they implement cloud solutions so they can use big data to drive their business strategy.