Presenters

Kelly Holland is a senior wildlife biologist and environmental compliance expert, who leads the Biological Resources Team for GEI Consultants in Sacramento, California. She is a Certified Wildlife Biologist ®, who currently serves as the Western Section’s representative to the TWS Certification Review Board. In addition, she is the Western Section’s past-President and  has served as the Western Section's Conservation Affairs Committee Chair since 2016.  She has over 27 years of experience in ecological research, program management, environmental regulation and compliance, and terrestrial ecosystem monitoring.  Ms. Holland specializes in evaluating impacts on threatened and endangered wildlife species and their habitats and coordinating with resource agency staff to ensure compliance with the Federal and State Endangered Species Acts.  Much of her career and her involvement with TWS has focused on the intersection of science and policy, and particularly with engaging scientists to participate in shaping policy that affects the wildlife and habitats that we all care about.

Rhys Evans is a native-born Californian, proud graduate of (then) Humboldt State University, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Poland 1991-1993) and is Past-President of the Western Section of The Wildlife Society. He is employed as a wildlife biologist and natural resources manager at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, CA.  He completed his sixth year of service on the TWS Certification Review Board in 2022.