Current Position
Research Botanist, Botanical Research Institute of Texas 

Research Interests
Systematics including diversity and evolution of Burseraceae and Compositae, especially in paleotropical dry or seasonally dry tropical forests.

BSA Service
Co-Chair, BSA Public Policy Committee (2014–2017); Student Representative to the Board (2012–2014); Student Representative to the Financial Advisory Committee (2011–2014); Member, Public Policy Committee (2012–present); PlantingScience Master Plant Science Team (2010–2017); PLANTS Mentor (2012–present).

Other Service
Director, Global Genome Initiative for Gardens (GGI-Gardens, 2018–present); Program Manager, GGI-Gardens (2015–2018); Nomenclatural Editor, Global Compositae Database (https://compositae.org, 2019–Present); Team Leader for Biological and Ecological Sciences Coalition (BESC) Congressional Visits Day (2012–2017).

Statement of Interest
I have been a member of BSA since beginning graduate school in 2008. I attended and presented at my first Botany conference in 2009 and since then I have been an active member of the society and involved with BSA through service in many ways. I would be honored to serve as Program Director for the BSA and am excited for the opportunity to help organize our annual conference in this role. I’ve helped organize events for BSA since 2010, when I helped coordinate BSA’s participation in the first USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, DC. Since then I have also been a local representative and coordinator for the annual Congressional Visits Day event in Washington, DC (2012–2017). As Student Representative to the Board (2012–2014) I was involved in planning, scheduling, and organizing student events at the annual Botany conference and thanks to this experience I am already familiar with many of the responsibilities of the Program Director. I have organized several symposia and workshops at other meetings as a part of my role as Director of GGI-Gardens and – together with colleagues from all sections of our society – I will enthusiastically put my experience to work for the BSA to create welcoming, engaging, and successful botany conferences for all participants.