ARC Members

Highlights

ARC Council Members

	Herschel T. Vinyard Jr., Chairman, Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection, has more than twenty years of experience in environmental law and business management. Prior to his being DEP Secretary, he served as director of business operations at BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards where he was responsible for strategic planning, business development and regulatory and government affairs. During a decade in private practice, Secretary Vinyard counseled clients in state and federal environmental compliance and permitting. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from Louisiana State University. Mr Al Dougherty, Deputy Secretary for Land and Recreation, has been designated by Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard, Jr. to represent the Department of Environmental Protection on ARC and to serve as Chairman.
	David “Lane” Green, Vice Chairman: Executive Director of Tall Timbers Research Station, a nonprofit organization dedicated to wildlife research and conservation activity. Tall Timbers promotes ecological understanding and good stewardship of our natural resources. Mr. Green has also directed the Red Hills Conservation Association and the Tallahassee Museum of History and Natural Science. He was also a teacher and principal for eight years. He holds Bachelor and Master degrees from Florida State University. He lives on a family homestead outside of Tallahassee that dates back to the 1860s.
	Nick Wiley, Executive Director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). He is responsible for the management of the FWC and serves a seven-member Commission that has rule-making authority. He has over 22 years of professional experience in fish and wildlife management, mostly in Florida. He has served in a leadership capacity in various FWC programs including alligator management, small-game management and conservation lands management. Mr. Wiley has a Bachelor of Science Degree in biology from Georgia Southern University and a Master of Science Degree in Wildlife Science from Auburn University. Mr. Eric Sutton, Director of the Division of Habitat and Species Conservation, has been designated by Director Wiley to represent the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on ARC.
	Jim Karels, Director of the Florida Forest Service. This position oversees all wildland fire and land management activities within the Florida Forest Service. He is a 1984 graduate of the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Management. Jim has more than 27 years experience in wildfire response and land management with the U.S. Forest Service and the Florida Forest Service.
	Robert F. Bendus, Director of the Division of Historical Resources and Florida's State Historic Preservation Officer. Mr. Bendus has served as an integral member of the Division's management and leadership team for the past several years, as Operations and Business Manager for the Division. Prior to that, he worked in both the Bureau of Historic Preservation and the Bureau of Archaeological Research, in the Florida Master Site File, and in programs responsible for the management of artifact loans, maintenance of archaeological data bases and inventories. Rob has attended Catholic University, Georgetown University, St. Louis University School of Law and is currently pursuing his doctorate in History/Anthropology at Florida State University.
	Vickie Larson, Director of the Ecospatial Analysts. She has more than 20 years of science experience in the Indian River Lagoon region ranging from seagrass and fisheries science to wetland and terrestrial characterization, monitoring and restoration. For 13 years, Ms. Larson had direct involvement in environmental and ecological projects for NASA at Kennedy Space Center that included the ecology of wetlands, wildlife, fire and wildlife ecology, and land use planning. Ms. Larson has a Master of Science degree in Ecology from Florida Tech and is a Certified Florida Environmental Assessor (CFEA).
	Lynetta Usher Griner, Officer of the Usher Land and Timber Company in Chiefland. She has been an attorney for 28 years, leaving private practice to work for her family timber business. She gained valuable experience in land-management issues as a former member of the Governing Board of the Suwannee River Water Management District. She has also worked with Friends of Fanning Springs, a citizen-support organization for Fanning Springs State Park. Plus, she was also a member of the Florida Forever Advisory Council, which evaluated Florida Forever projects when the program was set up as a replacement for Preservation 2000.
	Elizabeth “Lyssa” Ball, Former administrator and consultant for the Preservation Project Jacksonville, working to manage growth, protect environmentally sensitive areas and to enhance public access. Former manager for New York’s Central Park Conservancy. She has served on the board of Preservation North Florida and the City of Jacksonville’s Environmental Protection Board.
	Peter C. Frederick, Research professor at the University of Florida. His interests include ecosystem restoration, wetlands ecology, ornithology and improving management, conservation and restoration of wetland ecosystems. He has also studied at Swarthmore College, the University of Florida and at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

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