PLENARY SPEAKER BIOS Please note, more plenary speaker bios will be added. (This page last updated on 8/13/07) Return to Main Conference Site

Bryant, L. Preston, Jr. serves as Secretary of Natural Resources in the cabinet of Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine. Prior to joining Governor Kaine's cabinet, Secretary Bryant served in the Virginia House of Delegates for 10 years, where he sponsored landmark legislation to help preserve more than one million acres of nontidal wetlands, streamline the state's stormwater management programs, and create a nutrient credit trading program to advance upgrades to more than a hundred wastewater treatment facilities that discharge into Virginia waters. Secretary Bryant also was a partner in a Virginia-based engineering, surveying, and planning firm that specialized in the design of large-scale residential, commercial and industrial developments as well as transportation facilities. Secretary Bryant was born in Lynchburg, Virginia. He received his B.A. in English from Randolph-Macon College, a master's degree in the humanities from the University of Richmond, and an M.A. in modern British literature from the University of London. He and his wife, Liz, live in Richmond.

Davidson, Margaret A. has served since 1996 as the Director of NOAA's Coastal Services Center, a national enterprise established to accelerate access to the science and technology capabilities of NOAA and its partners to improve coastal and ocean resource management as practiced at state and local levels. From August 2000 to October 2002, Margaret also served as the Acting Assistant Administrator of NOAA for Ocean Services and Coastal Zone Management. Before coming to NOAA, Margaret served sixteen years with the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, thirteen as the Executive Director. She began her coastal career as an Assistant Attorney General and Special Counsel for the Louisiana Department of Justice.Ms. Davidson holds a MMA from the University of Rhode Island and a JD from Louisiana State University. She has served in positions of leadership for several national and professional organizations, regularly teaches a graduate level multi-disciplinary course, and is frequently requested to serve as a facilitator and presenter for civic and professional organizations. Her professional interests include climate and weather variability and its impact on coastal resources, integrated coastal management., and aquaculture and fisheries management. She was a Fulbright Scholar for coastal resource management at Prince of Songkhla University, Thailand in 1992-93.

Eckl, Eric is fascinated by the intersection between language, technology, and environmental protection. He blogs on the topic at http://waterwordsthatwork.com. By day, Eric works for Beaconfire Consulting, where his campaign team plans and executes email petitions and fundraising appeals, viral videos, podcasts, blog outreach, microsites, community content, and other promotional efforts. His clients have included Heifer International, Conservation International, Public Citizen, Oxfam America, and other leading progressive and humanitarian organizations. Prior to joining the staff of Beaconfire, Eric led advocacy campaigns, managed media relations, and oversaw web and print publishing activities for a variety of private and public nature protection and pollution organizations. He has appeared in countless news stories and is a frequent speaker at marketing, technology, and environmental conferences.

Range, Jim currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and as a senior policy advisor specializing in environmental, regulatory, and legislative policy in the law firm of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz in Washington, DC. Jim's distinguished track record in the field of conservation policy includes past roles as Chief Counsel for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker, Minority Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and Counsel for the National Commission on Water Quality. Presently, he serves as a Member of the Board for the Wetlands America Trust, American Sportfishing Association, Trout Unlimited, Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, Pacific Forest Trust, American Bird Conservancy, Yellowstone Park Foundation, and the Valles Caldera Trust.

Reed, Denise Reed, Denise is a Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of New Orleans. Her research interests include coastal marsh response to sea-level rise, the contributions of fine sediments and organic material to marsh soil development, and how these are affected by human alterations to marsh hydrology. She has worked on coastal issues in northwest Europe, southern Chile and the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts of the US and has published the results in numerous papers and reports. She is involved in restoration planning both in Louisiana and in California, and in scientifically evaluating the results of restoration projects. Dr. Reed has served on numerous boards and panels concerning the effects of human alterations on coastal environments and the role of science in guiding ecosystem restoration.

Stout, David is Chief of the Division of Habitat and Resource Conservation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Dave has been with the Service since 1977 and has been in involved with wetlands protection, hydropower, coastal planning, and fisheries management. He has worked primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northwest, and in Washington, DC. In his current capacity, he is responsible for programs related to wetlands protection and restoration, wetlands mapping, conservation planning with federal agencies, marine mammals, coastal barrier protection, and most energy-related issues, including windpower, hydropower, and oil and gas production and transmission. Dave is married and has four daughters and five grandkids in the great Northwest, where he plans to return when his stay in Washington, DC is completed.

Tyler, Harrison is owner of Sherwood Forest Plantation. He previously worked for Mobil Chemical Company from 1951 to 1967. He formed Chem Treat, Inc. in 1967, now the largest privately held industrial water treatment company in the country. He was President and CEO until 2001. Chem Treat, Inc. sold to Danaher Corporation in July 2007. He is a member of the Country Club of Virginia, Princess Anne Hunt Club, Deep Run Hunt Club, Richmond Cotillion (Board of Directors, President), Virginia Creepers (Board of Directors), Soisant Plus, Westmoreland Club; Treasure of the Charles City County Industrial Development Authority; member of the Charles City County Landfill Commission; Henricus Foundation Board; Fort Pocahontas Ltd, President; Treasurer of the Jamestown Society; and serves on the VCU Rice Institute, Environmental College Board. He received a B.A. in Chemistry from William & Mary College and B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. His hobbies include: tennis, hunting, fishing, archaeology, and Civil War reenactment at Fort Pocahontas.

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