Guest Birders

Esteemed Special Guest & Keynote Speaker

Dr. J. Drew Lanham

A native of Edgefield, South Carolina, J. Drew Lanham is the author of The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature, which received the Reed Award from the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Southern Book Prize, and was a finalist for the John Burroughs Medal. Most recently, he is the author of Sparrow Envy: Field Guide to Birds and Lesser Beasts. He is a birder, naturalist, and hunter-conservationist who has published essays and poetry in publications including Orion, Audubon, Flycatcher, and Wilderness, and in several anthologies, including The Colors of Nature, State of the Heart, Bartram’s Living Legacy, and Carolina Writers at Home. Lanham is a 2022 MacArthur Fellow. An Alumni Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Master Teacher at Clemson University, he and his family live in the Upstate of South Carolina, a soaring hawk’s downhill glide from the southern Appalachian escarpment that the Cherokee once called the Blue Wall.

Giselle Pemberton

Giselle is an avid birder and guide for NYC Bird Alliance. She is also a volunteer leader for Outdoor Afro, an organization that celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature. Giselle hails from Trinidad, where her love of birds and nature began. She became interested in birding in NYC during a birding event at Prospect Park and now leads walks there and in various parks around NYC. She hosts outdoor events across New York, including camping, fishing, astronomy, and paddling (kayaking and canoeing), as a certified ACA Canoe instructor. Giselle loves to photograph birds, other wildlife, and nature, and you would often find her walking through the parks with her camera.

Stephan Roundtree, Jr., Esq

Vote Solar Deputy Program Director, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic

Stephan Roundtree Jr. serves as Deputy Program Director - Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions for Vote Solar, where he supports an expert team of advocates advancing a more fair and abundant solar energy economy. Prior to joining the Vote Solar team, Stephan worked as an advocate and community lawyer with WE ACT for Environmental Justice in Harlem, NYC. There, he fought for more inclusive solar and energy efficiency policies in Albany and at City Hall. Stephan also helped design a first-in-the-nation solarize campaign for a dense urban setting in Northern Manhattan and negotiated construction and local hiring contracts for the project based on community values and input.

Originally from Dunstable, Massachusetts, Stephan holds a B.A. in History from Boston College, a J.D. from Northeastern School of Law, and a Master’s in Environmental Policy from the Vermont Law School. Stephan serves on the board of directors with NYSEIA, ACE NY, Alliance for a Green Economy, and on the Conservation Law Foundation’s Massachusetts advisory board. Stephan’s passion for energy justice is equaled only by his love of cycling and watching birds. He lives in Brooklyn with his spouse and their rambunctious cat and dog.

Local Birding Host: Tamara Jolly

Tamara serves as the Community Initiatives Manager for the Adirondack Diversity Initiative, where she brings together her expertise in biology, ecology, teaching, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to foster more inclusive and resilient communities in the Adirondacks. She is a passionate advocate for making nature accessible and inclusive for everyone. As a woman of color, Tamara has confronted the challenges of exclusion in outdoor spaces, which has fueled her mission to broaden access and foster belonging in nature for marginalized communities.

Tamara became an avid birder after discovering birding while attending the SUNY ESF Ranger School in the Adirondacks, where she graduated as valedictorian. When she’s not working, Tamara enjoys life near Troy, NY, with her husband and daughter. They love hiking, camping, and exploring their property near Star Lake, NY.

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