BOARD chair, OLGA KILDISHEVA
Chair Elect, Stephanie Frischie
SECRETARY, WILLIAM MARTIN
TREASURER, NANCY SHAW
DIRECTOR AT LARGE, Jenny Fortier
DIRECTOR AT LARGE, Victor Otieno
DIRECTOR AT LARGE, Eduardo Malta Campos Filho
DIRECTOR AT LARGE, KARIN KETTENRING
At-Large Director, Sarah Barga
PAST Chair (2022-2024), Simone pedrini
I’m a restoration ecologist, passionate about seed-based restoration, in the broadest sense, from understanding species biology to enable their establishment to developing market drivers that improve native seed supply and use in restoration. Currently, I serve as a Regional Manager for the Pacific Northwest at Land Life Company. Prior to this, I led The Nature Conservancy’s Sagebrush Sea Restoration Strategy where I coordinated teams working across 6 western US states, building partnerships, and guiding R&D of seed technologies to improve the restoration of the sagebrush biome. I hold a Ph.D. from the University of Western Australia where I evaluated novel methods to enhance seed-based restoration of native plant communities in the western U.S. and Australia. I also earned an M.Sc. from the University of Idaho and a B.S. from Purdue University, both focused on restoration and reforestation efforts across the US and internationally. Olga is thrilled to rejoin the board and contribute to building a global community of practice where scientists and managers can come together to explore challenges and develop solutions to improve restoration outcomes.
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I work across conservation agronomy; plant ecology; ecological restoration; and native seed production, use, policy, research, and quality - all to improve the supply and growth of important plant species for restoration of insect habitat. In my current role with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, I provide technical expertise on native plant materials, native plants, and plant-insect interactions. Additionally, I lead the Bee Better Certified – Electric: third-party verified pollinator habitat certification for electric utilities; and Soil Life: training materials about soil invertebrate ecology and soil health. My experience in seed-based restoration ranges from the prairies of the central US and Canada, the scrub forests of Bolivia and olive agroecosystems in southern Spain. I am a founding member of the International Network for Seed-based Restoration and run Native Interest LLC from my homebase in central Indiana, USA.
I earned a PhD from Pavia University (Italy) for research on commercial seed production of Spanish native plants as cover crops in olive orchards at Semillas Silvestres, S.L. through the NASSTEC (NAtive Seed Science, Technology and Conservation) project. My MS is from Northwestern University/Chicago Botanic Garden’s Conservation Land Management Program, and I hold a BS in international agronomy from Purdue University.
I aim to serve the seed-based restoration community by expanding and deepening our network and resources, especially to include people and perspectives with Traditional Ecological Knowledge. We are approaching the midpoint of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and I see an important role for INSR to support progress toward local, regional, and global biodiversity targets. Seeds are plants too and are a very key part of restoring vibrant communities.
I spent the last decade in Australia, working on building social enterprise in remote Indigenous communities, with a focus on ecological restoration projects, native seed production, economic development, ongoing horticultural training and bringing new bush food and medicinal plant crops to market. In 1993, I produced an event with His Holiness, The Dalai Lama. During the multi-day event, I accompanied His Holiness to the Botanic Gardens in order to explore seed banks and what could be done to preserve traditional culture in Tibet. It was an experience that changed his life and helped to guide his work with seeds. In 2019 he founded and managed the First Nations Seed Bank, a community seed bank that serves as a central hub for First Nation's bush food and native plant resources and information, helping to further develop Australian bush food farming enterprises and native seed production in remote Indigenous communities.
I am a research botanist (emeritus) with the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, with 35 years of experience in the restoration of riparian and terrestrial disturbances in semi-arid lands of the western United States. Prior to retirement, I led the Great Basin Native Plant Project, an interdisciplinary program to develop native plant materials, seed production practices, and restoration technology for this region. The project involved collaboration with federal and state agencies, universities, seed regulatory organizations, and the private sector native seed industry. I am currently contributing to efforts that inform and strengthen native seed conservation and use at levels from local to international. Through the INSR we have a valuable tool for sharing information on the effective and efficient use of native seeds in and beyond the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
I’m the Founder and CEO of Northern Wildflowers Inc., based in Sudbury (Canada), and have over 15 years of experience in habitat restoration. Northern Wildflowers is one of Canada’s largest native wildflower seed producers and a North American leader in native seed enhancement technology. I hold a B.Sc. (Laurentian University) , an M.Sc. (Trent University), and am a Master Gardener with a certificate in Sustainable Landscape Design. I serve on the boards of VETAC (Sudbury’s Regreening Committee) and the Ontario Chapter of the Canadian Land Reclamation Association (CLRA) and joined SER-INSR in 2024. I’m also a founding member of the Native Seed Producers of Canada (NSPC), Canada’s first native seed producer network. In recent years, I have played a pivotal role in strengthening the Canadian seed supply chain and collaborating with farmers across the country to encourage interest in native seed production.
Email: Jenny@northernwildflowers.ca
I’m the Germplasm Resource Manager at the Centre for Ecosystem Restoration in Limuru, Kenya, with 14+ years of experience in plant genetic resources conservation and sustainable use. My current projects include ‘Native Seed Production and Distribution through Empowering Community Seed Collector Networks - Terraformation Projects ’ and ‘Conservation of Kenya’s Central highlands threatened tree species through community participation and integration into planting programmes-Franklinia Foundation’. Previously, I worked as a Technical Manager at Agropen Seed Company Limited, a Restoration Ecology Consultant at African Forest, a Seed Consultant at the World Agroforestry Centre-ICRAF, and a project officer at the Kenya Forestry Research Institute. My professional interest focuses on seed biology, technology, and trade interacting with practitioners, educators, researchers, and policy makers. I hold a BSc. and MSc. both from the University of Nairobi and currently a PhD student at JKUAT. I am a member of the International Society for Seed Science, the Botanical Society of America, the British Ecological Society, the IUCN SSC Seed Conservation Specialist Group, and Nature Kenya.
I am a biologist working since 2006 with Instituto Socioambiental (ISA), a brazilian non-profit NGO, for the development of community-based native seed networks, composed mainly of Indigenous, quilombolas, and other traditional people, now gathered in a network of 20 seed networks in Brazil, the Redário, already active in 3 biomes (Amazon, Cerrado, and Atlantic Forest), supplying 58 tons of native seeds in 2021. I’m also a tropical forest restoration practitioner since 2001, developing and disseminating direct seeding strategies called “Muvuca” in Brazil, using species-rich seed mixes that have been applied to more than 8,000 hectares on hundreds of places in those 3 biomes. I work with native seed and restoration researchers, anthropologists, economists, policymakers, seed collectors, community organizations, regional alliances, and clients - restoration demanders of the ecological restoration market. I am a member of Brazil’s Native Seed Committee to formulate policy recommendations for large-scale native seed supply. Through the INSR we can learn and share experiences on the effective and efficient use of native seeds on Ecosystem Restoration while promoting biological conservation, benefit distribution, and social opportunities.
E-mail: eduardomalta@socioambiental.org
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Eduardo-Malta-Campos-Filho
https://www.linkedin.com/in/eduardo-malta-campos-filho-4772962a/
I am a Professor of Wetland Ecology and Restoration at Utah State University in the U.S. My research focuses on (1) the ecology, genetics, and management of wetland invaders, (2) seed ecology of native wetlands plants, with implications for wetland revegetation, and (3) restoration genetics for sustainable, functioning wetland restorations. Some of my current projects with my students include seed-based restoration of Great Salt Lake wetlands and Suisun Marsh in the San Francisco Bay-Delta with a focus on seed traits and improving seeding outcomes in restorations. I am excited to be a part of the INSR network and to bring a stronger emphasis on seeds in aquatic ecosystems.
E-mail: karin.kettenring@usu.edu
Twitter @KarinKettenring.
I am a Research Botanist with the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station in Cedar City, UT. In this role, I mainly conduct applied scientific research that is relevant to restoration in arid landscapes. My past research has examined how plants respond to environmental variation, which included seed germination work, seed bank studies, and species distribution modeling for native dryland species. My current work includes a large-scale forb common garden study for native plants to provide seed sourcing guidance for restoration across the Great Basin. With resources from the common garden study, I am performing complementary research identifying population-level variation in dormancy breaking cues and their relationship to source climate. I am also involved in research examining seed-based restoration of understory species in thinned areas of core pinyon-juniper woodland. More recently, I am partnering with the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah and the Grand Staircase Escalante Partners to establish a tribal native plant nursery on Paiute land in Cedar City, UT; this facility will provide local, native plant materials for use in restoration, as well as the opportunity to study the native plant materials development process and ways to reduce the potential effects of propagation on restoration outcomes. I have been an INSR member for many years and am excited to be part of the board and to more formally support the needs of this dynamic group of people whose focus is my passion.
I am a senior lecturer in environmental restoration at the School of Molecular and Life Sciences at Curtin University and project lead of the Native Seed Technology and Innovation Hub for Western Australia. My focus is optimizing the native seed supply chain for ecological restoration, from seed collection and production to seed processing, quality testing, dormancy treatment, seed enhancement, and seed use in the field. I was co-founder and managing director of the first Italian native plant nursery and seed supplier, Flora Conservation (2012 to 2015). He obtained a PhD in "Seed enhancement technology application to native seeds" from Curtin University (2015-2019). I am a certified ecological restoration practitioner, co-founder, and advisor for the European Native Seed Producers Association.