Staff

Renee Seidler
Executive Director
Renee is the new Executive Director of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation. She brings a diverse set of experiences and education to this position. Her career in wildlife biology and conservation has primarily focused on wildlife’s ability to move across large landscapes through connected habitats and ecosystems, including multiple research projects in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. She has developed her expertise in this area as a migration specialist and road ecologist working for the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Her past work has had additional emphases on meso and large carnivore ecology, biological trophic cascades, and the impact of natural gas field development on ungulates, which has permitted her to broaden her perspective on issues regarding wildlife-human interactions at a landscape scale. She believes that tackling conservation issues requires strong human relationships at many levels, including between individuals, organizations, agencies and businesses.
Renee has always had a love of animals and decided to enter the field of wildlife ecology because she knew it would be the most fulfilling career, conserving the wild animals and habitats that she loves. She very much enjoys spending time outside with her 2 dogs, Quentin and Stella.
Email: renee@jhwildlife.org

Kate Gersh
Associate Director
Kate joined the JHWF team in May 2016, to support its work to ensure that Jackson is truly a wildlife friendly community. Her previous employments include working for the Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots & Shoots youth environmental and humanitarian education program, for a South African-based company focused on marketing support to entrepreneurial artisan groups for job creation, and for African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) where she managed private foundation and corporate relationships. Additionally, at AWF she was a key player on the program management team for AWF’s large-scale grant award under the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Sustainable Conservation Approaches in Priority Ecosystems program. Upon moving to Jackson Hole, from 2012 – April 2016 she worked at The Murie Center as their Associate Director. Kate’s educational background includes a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from George Washington University’s School of Public Policy and Public Administration plus, a master’s degree in Sustainable Destination Management from George Washington University’s School of Business. She is also alumna of the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders program where she helped design a conservation campaign that developed “Guidelines for Minimizing the Negative Impact to Bats and Other Cave Organisms from Guano Harvesting” Ver. 1.0 (12 March 2014), IUCN SSC (2014). Email: kate@jhwildlife.org

Kole Stewart
BearWise Jackson Hole Program Manager
I grew up in Nebraska near the Platte River in the heart of the central flyway and a sea of crop fields. Witnessing millions of migrating birds each year and seeing firsthand how land use can change wildlife migration patterns and habitat use instilled in me a passion for wildlife conservation. To pursue a career in wildlife conservation and management I obtained a B.S. in Wildlife Management from Fort Hays State University and an M.S. in Fish and Wildlife Management from Montana State University. During my time working as a seasonal fish and wildlife technician in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, I learned the value of large intact landscapes and became well acquainted with the challenges associated with human development in wildlife habitats. I have worked with multiple state and federal agencies and am most interested in landscape scale wildlife conservation and avenues for minimizing human/wildlife conflict. I am excited to live and work in a community that has prioritized wildlife conservation and look forward to using my skillset to help minimize conflicts between bears and humans in Jackson Hole.

Kyle Kissock
Communications Manager
Kyle joined the team at Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation to help JHWF increase its impact by engaging new audiences and strengthening existing partnerships through creative communications. Kyle moved to Jackson in 2014 to work as a field instructor at Teton Science Schools, where he taught an array of topics from ecosystem science to leadership and team building. He has also worked in the Jackson community as an education associate for the Grand Teton Association and as a fisheries technician for Grand Teton National Park. Kyle has a B.S. in Environmental Geology from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, and an M.S. in Geology from the University of Iowa. Kyle grew up splitting time between Ohio and the Rocky Mountain West. He is especially passionate about bringing together human communities around the shared values of wildlife and landscape stewardship. In his free time, he enjoys recreating on our treasure trove of public lands, and can usually be found fishing, birding, skiing or trail-running.
Email: kyle@jhwildlife.org

Frances Clark
Lead Ambassador - Nature Mapping Jackson Hole
Born and raised just outside of Boston, Clark was one of five siblings. Until 3rd grade, she attended Shady Hill School, an experiential learning environment that furthered her exposure to wild animals and wild places. “They had this great science program,” she said. “We got to handle snakes and turtles, and we would break apart owl pellets to see the tiny bones.”
After attending George Washington University for two years, Clark took a break from college and volunteered at the New England Aquarium. The hands-on experience with living things triggered something fundamental, and Clark began thinking of a career in biology. She eventually settled on plants and focused her year off on volunteering at Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum. It was there that she experienced the satisfaction and sense of community that volunteering can foster.
At the conclusion of this hiatus, Frances finished college at the University of New Hampshire, majoring in plant science and continuing what has become a lifetime passion for public gardens and flowers.
After a stint at the Callaway Gardens in Georgia and a fellowship at the University of Delaware, Frances began what proved a long-term relationship with the New England Wildflower Society. There, she started as an educational program coordinator and eventually worked her way up to serve as the chair of the board of directors. Even now, she continues her association with the group as she runs her own botanical consulting business.
Frances and her partner, Bernie McHugh, landed in Jackson after spending a portion of eight summers here “mostly to enjoy the wildlife and the wildflowers,” she said. “We needed a break… and this seemed to be the logical spot. While plants remain her true passion, the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation’s Nature Mappingprogram has cultivated in her a deep appreciation for our spectacular wildlife. Nature Mappingstarted out as a way “to focus on and learn about the wildlife while helping to conserve them,” she said. “The Nature Mapping program was easy and fun.” Email: frances@jhwildlife.org

Hilary Turner
Program Coordinator
Hilary joined the JHWF team to help the organization continue to inspire community participation in its programs through education and outreach. She is excited bring her passion for wildlife biology, education, and outreach to the Jackson Hole area. Hilary was born and raised in Helena, MT, where early in life, she developed a strong love of nature, especially birds. She attended the University of Montana, graduating with a BS in Wildlife Biology and a minor in Spanish. After graduating, Hilary worked a variety of field jobs, including raptor monitoring on a wind farm in northcentral Montana, sagebrush songbird nest searching in western Wyoming, and hawkwatching at a spectacular Golden Eagle migration site near Helena. In 2017, Hilary was hired by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to collect roadkill data in eastern Idaho. Her job morphed into a full-time position that involved training volunteers and agency personnel on roadkill data collection and coordinating projects around the state. The highlight of her time at IDFG was a trip to Sacramento, where she participated as a panelist at the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation. When not working, Hilary can be found outside – birding, botanizing, or simply appreciating the stunning landscapes of eastern Idaho and western Wyoming.
Email: hilary@jhwildlife.org
Photo Credits:
Henry Holdsworth
Mark Gocke
Steve Morriss
Sava Malachowski
Leine Stikkel
Tim Griffith
Jon Mobeck
Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation
Office Location:
25 S. Willow St., Suite 10
Jackson, WY 83001
Mailing Address:
PO Box 8042
Jackson, WY 83002
(307) 739-0968
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