Staff Biographies

Kathryn Lynch is co-coordinator of the Environmental Leadership Program. Katie is an environmental anthropologist who has a strong commitment to participatory, collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches in both her research and teaching.   She has worked in Peru, Ecuador, Indonesia and the United States examining issues of community-based natural resource management. This has included examining the role of medicinal plants in Amazonian conservation efforts and the potential for engaged environmental education to promote conservation.   Before joining UO she was a researcher at the Institute for Culture and Ecology, where her research focused on the relationships between forest policy and management, conservation of biodiversity, and nontimber forest products.   She has also facilitated various courses and workshops that examine the nexus between environmental and cultural issues.
Peg Boulay is Co-Director of the Environmental Leadership Program. She is a wildlife ecologist with a broad background in natural resource research, management, planning, policy and conservation. Her professional focus and interest is how scientific information is best collected, managed, synthesized, distilled and communicated to inform natural resource decisions. Peg’s teaching background – undergraduate and graduate instruction, habitat workshops for landowners, nature guiding, and collaboration training for natural resource professionals – influences her teaching philosophy. She believes that a varied and interactive approach fosters a high level of participation, interest, understanding and ability to apply information to practical situations. Before joining UO, she spent 17 years as a professional wildlife biologist, primarily with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Though she has experience with a variety of taxa and issues, she has worked extensively with large carnivores and migratory birds. She was also co-author, managing editor and implementation lead for the Oregon Conservation Strategy, an action plan for conserving Oregon’s fish, wildlife and habitats.