Officers:

David Davis, Chairman

Dave is the Director of the Office of Wetlands & Water Protection at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. In this position, he is responsible for Virginia’s independent nontidal wetland regulatory program and non-regulatory wetland programs. He is also the lead technical expert for VDEQ on wetland science issues, drafts regulations and guidance on State wetland policy, serves as a liaison with federal agencies regarding 404/401 issues, and manages several federally-funded wetland grants. Dave represents DEQ on several state and federal interagency wetland committees, taskforces, and work groups – state-wide, nationally and throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Prior to joining DEQ in 2001, Mr. Davis was a partner in a wetland consulting firm in Richmond. In 2000, he was nominated by then-Lieutenant Governor John Hager to serve on DEQ's Technical Advisory Committee to draft regulations implementing new State wetland laws. In 2002, he was appointed to the Virginia Board of Certified Soil Scientists and Wetland Professionals by then-Governor Mark Warner, and was re-appointed to the Board in 2006 by Governor Tim Kaine.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology (Music minor) from The College of William & Mary and a Master of Environmental Studies degree in Environmental Policy and Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is a certified Professional Wetland Scientist and a Virginia Certified Professional Wetland Delineator. His professional affiliations include the Society of Wetland Scientists and the Association of State Wetland Managers.

In his spare time, Dave plays bass trombone with the Richmond Philharmonic Orchestra, bass trombone and tuba with the European Wind Ensemble of Richmond, freelances on both tenor and bass trombone; he is active with The College of William & Mary's mentoring and career counseling programs and is an alumni advisor for Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity. A native of Chincoteague Island, Virginia, Dave has resided in Richmond since 1990, is married, and has a precocious daughter who is in the “but why, Daddy” stage.

Alan Quackenbush, Vice Chairman

Originally from central New York, Alan had an early affinity for wetlands that were prevalent on the farm where he grew up. This interest was strengthened when he took a summer course at Colgate

University in bog ecology during his high school years. He received a B.A. from the University of Rochester, Rochester, New York. After a two-year Peace Corps enlistment in Benin (West Africa), he worked in a number of social service positions. He changed course, decided to focus on his earlier interests, and earned a M.S. in botany from the University of Vermont.

While still enrolled in graduate school, he started his career with the Vermont DEC Water Quality Division. He has since worked in the Lakes and Ponds Section; the Biomonitoring and Aquatic Studies Section; and the Wetlands Management Section, where he has been for the last 13 years. He assumed his duties as supervisor of the Vermont Wetlands Program in May 2005 following the retirement of his predecessor, Carl Pagel, who had been the State Wetlands Coordinator for thirty years. Alan serves as a member-at-large on the board of the Association of State Wetland Managers; is a member of the Society of Wetland Scientists; is on EPA’s National Wetland Condition Assessment Workgroup and New England Wetland Workgroup for monitoring and assessment. He has presented at numerous workshops and symposia including research and special studies on wetlands.

He lives in the Green Mountains, just a few miles from work, with his wife Audrey and his dog Sadie.

Cherie Hagen, Secretary/Treasurer

Cherie is the Wetland Team Leader and Policy Coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), where she collaborates with more than 17 partner organizations on the development and implementation of Reversing the Loss - A Strategy to Protect, Restore and Explore Wisconsin Wetlands. She has worked for WDNR since 1995.  She holds degrees in Biological Sciences, Aquatic Ecology and Secondary Education.

Members At Large 

Collis Adams (New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services)

Collis has served has the administrator of the Wetlands Bureau at DES for the past eight years. As the administrator, he oversees all activities relative to the New Hampshire Dredge and Fill Law (NH RSA 482-A) and the Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act (NH RSA 483-B). Prior to filling that role he spent ten years with the DES Alteration of Terrain Program reviewing and permitting plans for large scale developments. His greatest accomplishment as administrator of the wetlands bureau was the implementation of an in-lieu fee program for wetland mitigation and then expanding that program to include streams, rivers, and their riparian habitats.

Before coming to DES, Collis spent four years in private engineering consulting owning and operating his own consulting firm and prior to that, a five year stint with the New England Division of the Army Corps of Engineers. In 1980 Collis graduated with a BSCE degree from the University of Massachusetts with an emphasis on environmental engineering; they did not have an environmental engineering degree “back in the day”. Prior to UMass, Collis spent four years studying architecture at The Ohio State University and he remains an avid Buckeye fan to this day!

Collis lives in Goffstown, New Hampshire. He has two children, one of each, and is particularly proud that he has instilled in them his same sense of volunteerism and a love for the outdoors. Collis particularly enjoys spending time along the varied coastlines of New England. He is seldom seen without his dog and best friend Zoë at his side and he still gets a kick out of the fact that Zoë is voice trained to avoid vernal pools while hiking in the woods … no small feat for a yellow lab.

Collis also serves on his local conservation commission, planning board, and Board of Directors for Goffstown Little League. He is a state certified umpire for high school baseball, his other true calling in life. 

Richard Gitar (Fond du Lac Reservation - Office of Water Protection)

Rick is a Water Regulatory Specialist for the Fond du Lac Reservation - Office of Water Protection (located in Northeastern Minnesota). Rick began working as a Wetland Specialist for the reservation in 1998, developing a Wetland Protection and Conservation Plan, as well as up-dating their National Wetland Inventory dataset on GIS. Since then, his duties have increased to include the development of a wetland regulatory program, developing a Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401 Tribal Water Quality Certification program (based on EPA approved Tribal Water Quality Standards), and oversight of the CWA Section 402 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) on the reservation.

Rick has been a member of the Association of State Wetland Managers since 2001. He also serves as a Board Member and Habitat Committee Chairman of the St. Louis River Alliance (SLRA), which conducts and/or coordinates numerous restoration projects in the lower St. Louis River area (communities of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin). He has also served on numerous local, state and national workgroups and committees in the areas of wetlands, invasive plant species, and storm water management. Rick was a recipient of a 2009 National Wetlands Award from the Environmental Law Institute.

Rick completed a B.S. in Biology and Journalism (double major) from the University of Wisconsin - Superior (UWS) in 1992. While working as an instructor for UWS (1993-1997), Rick worked on a M.S. in Environmental Biology at the University of Minnesota - Duluth. At the same time, he also operated his own environmental consulting company, which specialized in rare plant surveys and wetland mitigation monitoring.

In his spare time, Rick enjoys camping, fishing, canoeing, trail building (for the Superior Hiking Trail system), bicycle touring, or just spending time at home with his wife, two children, two dogs, two cats and three birds in Duluth, Minnesota. 

Amy Lounds (Michigan Department of Environmental Quality)

Amy is a Wetlands Specialist for the Water Resources Division of the Michigan Department Environmental Quality (MDEQ).  She serves as the statewide specialist for the wetland protection program on guideline and policy development, serves as the single program administrator for several statewide programs including wetland mitigation banking, and serves as the wetland education and training specialist.

Before coming to the MDEQ in 1998, Amy worked for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) determining the wetland, lake, stream, and floodplain impacts of construction projects during the environmentalclassification and permitting process. Amy also performed monitoring at MDOT's wetland mitigation sites.

Amy has been an ex-officio board member of theASWM for several years. She is also a member of the Michigan Wetlands Association's Board of Directors. Amy has a Master's degree from the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and Environment and a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from Michigan State University.

Maryann McGraw (New Mexico Environment Department)

Maryann is the Wetlands Program Coordinator and the Wetlands and Department of Transportation Team Leader with the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) Surface Water Quality Bureau. Maryann has managed projects funded by CWA Section 319(h) since 1998. Maryann also manages projects funded by CWA Section 104(b)(3) and the newly created New Mexico Wetlands Program since 2003.

Previously, Maryann worked for the New Mexico Department of Transportation (DOT) as an Environmental Specialist beginning in 1993 where she provided input for natural resources protection as a part of transportation project design, wrote NEPA documents and was in charge of developing mitigation plans and projects for wetland impacts. Presently, she serves as the NMED liaison to the DOT.

She brings to the board the perspective and challenges of a newly formed and growing wetlands program. She was awarded the 2010 New Mexico Riparian Council Award for Research and the Quivira Coalition 2010 Radical Center Award for Civil Service. She has previously taught landscape ecology and restoration classes at Santa Fe Community College including Wetlands, Riparian Restoration, Dryland Restoration, Bioremediation, and Natural History of Arid Lands. Maryann holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Geology from the University of Texas at Austin. Maryann paints en plein air in pastel, concentrating on New Mexico’s scenic vistas, how time and seasonal changes affect those places.

Erik Stockdale (Washington Department of Ecology)

Erik Stockdale supervises the Wetlands/401 Federal Permitting Unit with the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Northwest Regional Office.  Erik provides technical assistance to state and local agencies in wetlandsecology, management and regulation. He represents the agency in a variety of regional planning efforts, conducts independent field studies, and provides training and technical assistance to local government staf.  Erik assists local governments in the administration and implementation of the Growth Management Act and the Shoreline Management Act.  Erik also represents the agency as a wetlands expert in enforcement actions, hearings, and other legal proceedings. Erik occasionally teaches classes through Ecology’s Coastal Training Program on “how to determine the ordinary high water mark.” He has been with Ecology for eighteen years.

Erik has been a member of ASWM for over ten years. He is certifiedas a Professional Wetlands Scientist and is an active member of the PacificNorthwest Chapter of SWS. Prior to working for Ecology he was a Resource Planner with King County for six years.  While in graduate school, Erik worked with the California State Coastal Conservancy as a resource analyst.  He is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara (B.A. Aquatic Biology and Environmental Studies) and the University of Washington (M.M.A. Marine Affairs).