Keynote and Featured Speakers
The following is an updated list of our conference speakers:
The following is an updated list of our conference speakers:
Tomás A. Carlo
Tomás A. Carlo
Tomás A. Carlo is Associate Professor of Biology & Ecology at Penn State University, and associate researcher to the ecology department at the Museo de Historia Natural of the San Marcos National University in Lima, Peru. Carlo is an evolutionary ecologist studying how processes of avian frugivory and seed dispersal shape communities and their resilience. He is a native from Puerto Rico, where he started bird watching and bird photography as a child in the 80’s. He has conducted most of his work on frugivory and seed dispersal in Puerto Rico, but recently expanded his work to South America (Peru, Brasil, & Argentina) and the Dominican Republic. His main research encompasses studies of the influence of fruit on habitat quality for birds, the relationship between fruit preferences and seed dispersal services of birds, and more recently, on the effects of bird seed dispersal on the assembly of successional forests. He has pioneered the developed of stable-isotope marking for study if seed dispersal at large scales. Carlo has also studied the relationship between bird movements and landscape heterogeneity using models, and the effects of reductions and losses of seabird colonies to the high-order ecological interactions in the terrestrial ecosystem of Mona island. He serves in the editorial boards of Biotropica and Oecologia as Associate Editor and Handling Editor respectively.
Tomás A. Carlo is Associate Professor of Biology & Ecology at Penn State University, and associate researcher to the ecology department at the Museo de Historia Natural of the San Marcos National University in Lima, Peru. Carlo is an evolutionary ecologist studying how processes of avian frugivory and seed dispersal shape communities and their resilience. He is a native from Puerto Rico, where he started bird watching and bird photography as a child in the 80’s. He has conducted most of his work on frugivory and seed dispersal in Puerto Rico, but recently expanded his work to South America (Peru, Brasil, & Argentina) and the Dominican Republic. His main research encompasses studies of the influence of fruit on habitat quality for birds, the relationship between fruit preferences and seed dispersal services of birds, and more recently, on the effects of bird seed dispersal on the assembly of successional forests. He has pioneered the developed of stable-isotope marking for study if seed dispersal at large scales. Carlo has also studied the relationship between bird movements and landscape heterogeneity using models, and the effects of reductions and losses of seabird colonies to the high-order ecological interactions in the terrestrial ecosystem of Mona island. He serves in the editorial boards of Biotropica and Oecologia as Associate Editor and Handling Editor respectively.
Richard Prum
Richard Prum
Richard O. Prum is the William Robertson Coe Professor of Ornithology at Yale University, and the Curator of Ornithology in the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. Prum is an evolutionary ornithologist with broad interests in avian biology. A life-long birdwatcher, Prum has done research on many topics including bird phylogeny, behavioral evolution, feather development and evolution, structural coloration, sexual selection, mimicry, and the dinosaur origin of birds. He has conducted fieldwork on bird on all continents, and has studied fossil theropods in China. In 2017, he published The Evolution of Beauty, which was named one of the Top Ten Books of the Year by the New York Times, and was a finalist for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in General Non-Fiction. His popular writing has appeared in the New York Times, New Yorker, Scientific American, and Natural History Magazine. He has been awarded MacArthur, Guggenheim, and Fulbright Fellowships.
Richard O. Prum is the William Robertson Coe Professor of Ornithology at Yale University, and the Curator of Ornithology in the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. Prum is an evolutionary ornithologist with broad interests in avian biology. A life-long birdwatcher, Prum has done research on many topics including bird phylogeny, behavioral evolution, feather development and evolution, structural coloration, sexual selection, mimicry, and the dinosaur origin of birds. He has conducted fieldwork on bird on all continents, and has studied fossil theropods in China. In 2017, he published The Evolution of Beauty, which was named one of the Top Ten Books of the Year by the New York Times, and was a finalist for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in General Non-Fiction. His popular writing has appeared in the New York Times, New Yorker, Scientific American, and Natural History Magazine. He has been awarded MacArthur, Guggenheim, and Fulbright Fellowships.
Gabrielle Nevitt
Gabrielle Nevitt
Dr. Gabrielle Nevitt's specialty is olfaction - the sense of smell - and much of her research has focused on exploring how marine birds and fishes use smell in the natural environment. She is considered a leader in avian chemical ecology. Dr. Nevitt's work is at the interface between neurobiology and ecology, and has traditionally spanned a wide range of species and habitats, from Death Valley to the Southern Ocean. Over her career as a sensory ecologist, she has worked in areas ranging from olfactory homing in salmon, to olfactory foraging, navigation, and individual recognition in birds, specifically petrels and albatrosses. She has pioneered the chemical ecology of birds, and, in particular, how tube-nosed seabirds use chemical cues to forage across vast stretches of featureless ocean and to ‘smell’ each other apart in breeding colonies. This research has provided critical information for an ongoing conservation issue facing seabirds: marine plastics. Dr. Nevitt received her B.S. and M.S. in Biology at Stanford University and her Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Washington. She is currently a Professor in the Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior Department at the University of California, Davis.
Dr. Gabrielle Nevitt's specialty is olfaction - the sense of smell - and much of her research has focused on exploring how marine birds and fishes use smell in the natural environment. She is considered a leader in avian chemical ecology. Dr. Nevitt's work is at the interface between neurobiology and ecology, and has traditionally spanned a wide range of species and habitats, from Death Valley to the Southern Ocean. Over her career as a sensory ecologist, she has worked in areas ranging from olfactory homing in salmon, to olfactory foraging, navigation, and individual recognition in birds, specifically petrels and albatrosses. She has pioneered the chemical ecology of birds, and, in particular, how tube-nosed seabirds use chemical cues to forage across vast stretches of featureless ocean and to ‘smell’ each other apart in breeding colonies. This research has provided critical information for an ongoing conservation issue facing seabirds: marine plastics. Dr. Nevitt received her B.S. and M.S. in Biology at Stanford University and her Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Washington. She is currently a Professor in the Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior Department at the University of California, Davis.
Anthony Levesque
Anthony Levesque
When you think of birding in Guadeloupe, you think of Anthony. After studying Wildlife Management and Nature Protection in France from 1991 to 1995, he made the move to Guadeloupe in 1998, where he has been incredibly active with Caribbean birds ever since. Anthony worked as a ranger at the Petite-Terre Nature Reserve from 2001 to 2009 and as a wildlife consultant for the National Hunting and Wildlife Agency from 2009 to 2014. He is now proud to work for his own birdwatching company, Levesque Birding Enterprise. Anthony is an avid birder, having now discovered more than 50 species of birds never before recorded in Guadeloupe, while also finding the time to band more than 10,000 birds. He’s particularly interested in shorebirds and has been conducting shorebird counts for many years. In 2006, he became the first Guadeloupean coordinator of the International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD). He is also the founding member of AMAZONA, a bird-focused NGO on Guadeloupe with over 150 current members. And of course, he’s been a wonderful complement to the BirdsCaribbean community for many years, including his role as Vice-President for the organization from 2009 to 2010.
When you think of birding in Guadeloupe, you think of Anthony. After studying Wildlife Management and Nature Protection in France from 1991 to 1995, he made the move to Guadeloupe in 1998, where he has been incredibly active with Caribbean birds ever since. Anthony worked as a ranger at the Petite-Terre Nature Reserve from 2001 to 2009 and as a wildlife consultant for the National Hunting and Wildlife Agency from 2009 to 2014. He is now proud to work for his own birdwatching company, Levesque Birding Enterprise. Anthony is an avid birder, having now discovered more than 50 species of birds never before recorded in Guadeloupe, while also finding the time to band more than 10,000 birds. He’s particularly interested in shorebirds and has been conducting shorebird counts for many years. In 2006, he became the first Guadeloupean coordinator of the International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD). He is also the founding member of AMAZONA, a bird-focused NGO on Guadeloupe with over 150 current members. And of course, he’s been a wonderful complement to the BirdsCaribbean community for many years, including his role as Vice-President for the organization from 2009 to 2010.
Howard Nelson
Howard Nelson
Howard P. Nelson earned his BSc. and MPhil. in Zoology at the University of the West Indies – St Augustine, and a dual PhD in Wildlife Ecology and Forestry from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Howard is Senior Lecturer in Conservation Biology and Programme Leader for the Master’s in Wildlife Conservation at the University of Chester, in the United Kingdom. He was previously the CEO of the Asa Wright Nature Centre in Trinidad, and worked as a policy specialist on wildlife, forests and protected areas for Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of the Environment. Howard currently serves as a member of the Darwin Expert Committee of the UK government’s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and on the board of the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) and served on the board of BirdsCaribbean for many years, including as President and Past-president. His research group works on diverse conservation questions in the Caribbean including the genetics of the Grenada dove, status of forest-dependent endemic birds, climate-change impacts on dry forests and sustainable hunting. Howard has worked in the Caribbean for almost 30 years, including as a consultant for the FAO and UNDP, and his specialities include wildlife, forest and protected areas policy, planning and management, sustainable wildlife use, endangered species conservation, ecotourism and conservation training. Howard is a long-time member of BirdsCaribbean, attending his first meeting of the then Society for Caribbean Ornithology in 1992 in Puerto Rico while working as a wildlife biologist working for the Trinidad and Tobago Forestry Division.
Howard P. Nelson earned his BSc. and MPhil. in Zoology at the University of the West Indies – St Augustine, and a dual PhD in Wildlife Ecology and Forestry from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Howard is Senior Lecturer in Conservation Biology and Programme Leader for the Master’s in Wildlife Conservation at the University of Chester, in the United Kingdom. He was previously the CEO of the Asa Wright Nature Centre in Trinidad, and worked as a policy specialist on wildlife, forests and protected areas for Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of the Environment. Howard currently serves as a member of the Darwin Expert Committee of the UK government’s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and on the board of the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) and served on the board of BirdsCaribbean for many years, including as President and Past-president. His research group works on diverse conservation questions in the Caribbean including the genetics of the Grenada dove, status of forest-dependent endemic birds, climate-change impacts on dry forests and sustainable hunting. Howard has worked in the Caribbean for almost 30 years, including as a consultant for the FAO and UNDP, and his specialities include wildlife, forest and protected areas policy, planning and management, sustainable wildlife use, endangered species conservation, ecotourism and conservation training. Howard is a long-time member of BirdsCaribbean, attending his first meeting of the then Society for Caribbean Ornithology in 1992 in Puerto Rico while working as a wildlife biologist working for the Trinidad and Tobago Forestry Division.
Dessima Williams
Dessima Williams
Grenadian Dessima Williams was the Special Advisor for the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in the Office of the President of the 71st Session of the General Assembly, 2016 -2017. The Ambassador served as the President’s representative at a wide range of meetings around the world. She was also the team leader for a group of 12 professionals who together hosted High Level Events including sustaining peace, climate change, finance, innovation, ocean conference and education. She has spoken at a range of international conferences and meetings.
Grenadian Dessima Williams was the Special Advisor for the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in the Office of the President of the 71st Session of the General Assembly, 2016 -2017. The Ambassador served as the President’s representative at a wide range of meetings around the world. She was also the team leader for a group of 12 professionals who together hosted High Level Events including sustaining peace, climate change, finance, innovation, ocean conference and education. She has spoken at a range of international conferences and meetings.
Williams has served as Permanent Representative of Grenada to the United Nations, 2009-2013; The Grenadian diplomat was responsible for leading the Alliance of Small Island Developing States, AOSIS through climate change negotiations for three years, starting early 2009, as well as negotiations toward the sustainable development meeting, Rio+20 in 2012. She provided leadership for the energy facility for islands, SIDS-DOCK and for raising $29 million start-up contributions.
Williams has served as Permanent Representative of Grenada to the United Nations, 2009-2013; The Grenadian diplomat was responsible for leading the Alliance of Small Island Developing States, AOSIS through climate change negotiations for three years, starting early 2009, as well as negotiations toward the sustainable development meeting, Rio+20 in 2012. She provided leadership for the energy facility for islands, SIDS-DOCK and for raising $29 million start-up contributions.
Immediately before coming to the United Nations in September 2016, she was the Executive Director of the Grenada Education and Development Programme, GRENED, which works with rural young school-aged girls and boys. She has been an advocate for children and women’s rights and has been a long-time support of sustainable development and the United Nations.
Immediately before coming to the United Nations in September 2016, she was the Executive Director of the Grenada Education and Development Programme, GRENED, which works with rural young school-aged girls and boys. She has been an advocate for children and women’s rights and has been a long-time support of sustainable development and the United Nations.
As Ambassador to the Organization of American States and Deputy Governor for Grenada to the World Bank in the 1980’s, she championed the rights of Grenada, the Caribbean and small states seeking an end to “cross conditionality”. She enjoys farming, gardening and swimming and lives in Grenada and the US.
As Ambassador to the Organization of American States and Deputy Governor for Grenada to the World Bank in the 1980’s, she championed the rights of Grenada, the Caribbean and small states seeking an end to “cross conditionality”. She enjoys farming, gardening and swimming and lives in Grenada and the US.
Orisha Joseph
Orisha Joseph
Orisha Joseph was born in Grenada but now lives and works on Union Island, St Vincent and the Grenadines. She is the Executive Director of Sustainable Grenadines Inc (SusGren), a transboundary NGO working between Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines with a focus on the Grenada Bank (Grenadine islands of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines). Susgren’s mission is to educate and empower civil society organizations throughout the Grenadines to be good stewards of their valuable natural resources.
Orisha Joseph was born in Grenada but now lives and works on Union Island, St Vincent and the Grenadines. She is the Executive Director of Sustainable Grenadines Inc (SusGren), a transboundary NGO working between Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines with a focus on the Grenada Bank (Grenadine islands of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines). Susgren’s mission is to educate and empower civil society organizations throughout the Grenadines to be good stewards of their valuable natural resources.
Ms. Joseph, along with her team recently completed the successful restoration of Ashton Lagoon in Union Island—restoring water circulation and improving bird habitat in the largest mangrove ecosystem in the country after a failed marina development seriously damaged the area 25 years ago.
Ms. Joseph, along with her team recently completed the successful restoration of Ashton Lagoon in Union Island—restoring water circulation and improving bird habitat in the largest mangrove ecosystem in the country after a failed marina development seriously damaged the area 25 years ago.
Ms. Joseph, before moving to Union Island, worked in the private sector for ten years as a senior accounts receivable officer and journalist at the Grenada Broadcasting Network where she won national and regional awards. Ms. Joseph enjoys diving, birding, and hiking. Her motto is: "pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work."
Ms. Joseph, before moving to Union Island, worked in the private sector for ten years as a senior accounts receivable officer and journalist at the Grenada Broadcasting Network where she won national and regional awards. Ms. Joseph enjoys diving, birding, and hiking. Her motto is: "pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work."
Beny Wilson
Beny Wilson
Venicio “Beny” Wilson Altamiranda is a Naturalist-Tour Guide and Certified Interpretive Trainer. Beny was born in Almirante, a province of Bocas del Toro in Western Panama in a house surrounded by beautiful creeks and swamp forests. It was there where his father and grandfather inspired his interest in “the little animals”, as he likes to say. Beny discovered his passion for birds at age sixteen when he fortuitously received a copy of the newly-translated Spanish version of A Field Guide to the Birds of Panama. As one of Panama’s most reputable interpretive and naturalist guides (certified by the National Association of Interpretation), Beny has worked for many top-tier tour operators, BBC, National Geographic, Nippon Hosso Kiokai, and many other publications. He is currently a volunteer for Fundación Avifauna Eugene Eisenmann, Fundación Almanaque Azul, and is a member of the board of directors of Panama Audubon Society. Beny, together with professional certified interpretive guide and trainer, Rick Morales, helped BirdsCaribbean to develop the curriculum for the Caribbean Birding Trail’s intensive 5-day Interpretive Bird Guide Training Program and Hotelier’s Workshop. He has helped facilitate these training workshops in six countries to date. Email: veniciowilson@gmail.com.
Venicio “Beny” Wilson Altamiranda is a Naturalist-Tour Guide and Certified Interpretive Trainer. Beny was born in Almirante, a province of Bocas del Toro in Western Panama in a house surrounded by beautiful creeks and swamp forests. It was there where his father and grandfather inspired his interest in “the little animals”, as he likes to say. Beny discovered his passion for birds at age sixteen when he fortuitously received a copy of the newly-translated Spanish version of A Field Guide to the Birds of Panama. As one of Panama’s most reputable interpretive and naturalist guides (certified by the National Association of Interpretation), Beny has worked for many top-tier tour operators, BBC, National Geographic, Nippon Hosso Kiokai, and many other publications. He is currently a volunteer for Fundación Avifauna Eugene Eisenmann, Fundación Almanaque Azul, and is a member of the board of directors of Panama Audubon Society. Beny, together with professional certified interpretive guide and trainer, Rick Morales, helped BirdsCaribbean to develop the curriculum for the Caribbean Birding Trail’s intensive 5-day Interpretive Bird Guide Training Program and Hotelier’s Workshop. He has helped facilitate these training workshops in six countries to date. Email: veniciowilson@gmail.com.
