GDPE Administration
The GDPE Director, Senior Ecologist, Program Coordinator and the Executive Committee work collaboratively to manage the program.
Director
Professor Kurt Fausch is the Acting GDPE Director for 2012-2013. A professor in the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Kurt will be overseeing the directorial duties for the 2012-2013 academic year.
Professor LeRoy Poff is the GDPE Director and a Professor in Biology. LeRoy handles curriculum, all of the speaker's programs (GDPE Resident Ecologist, GDPE Alumnus, Visiting Distinguished Ecologists), budgets, and he represents GDPE to CSU administrators. In addition, he is responsible for enhancing the GDPE community, alumni relations and development, and he advises student organizers of the annual Front Range Student Ecology Symposium (FRSES).
Senior Ecologist
Professor Alan Knapp is the GDPE Senior Ecologist and a professor in the Department of Biology. He advises the director, represents the program both within and outside of the university, and teaches core courses in the GDPE curriculum.
Academic Coordinator
Liba Pejchar is the Academic Coordinator for GDPE until August 2013. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology. She works with the director and program coordinator to evaluate applications for students who have applied to GDPE and she assists students and faculty with program of study forms, graduation contracts and other curriculum related issues.
Program Coordinator
Jeri Morgan is the GDPE Program Coordinator. She works with prospective faculty and students, overseeing applications and admissions. She runs the daily operations, organizes the events of the program, and assists students in all stages of their graduate career. She co-advises the Executive Committee of the annual FRSES. Jeri is located in Room 238 of the Natural Resources Building and may be contacted by phone (970-491-4373) or by email at Jeri.Morgan@colostate.edu.
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee consists of members from each of the member colleges, three at-large faculty from GDPE faculty membership, two GDPE students, the director, senior ecologist and program coordinator (who serves in a non-voting, ex-officio capacity). The Executive Committee is convened and chaired by the Director. Faculty are elected on an alternating cycle for two-year terms by GDPE faculty to represent the participating colleges of the GDPE. The two student representatives are elected by the GDPE student body for a one-year term. The Program is jointly administered by the Warner College of Natural Resources and the College of Natural Sciences.
Responsibilities of the executive committee include:
- Establishing policy for the program. (The director has final say for policy; disputes between the director and the executive committee may be taken to the deans of the colleges.)
- Evaluating faculty applications for membership
- Selecting Distinguished Ecologist speakers
- Advising the Director and Program Coordinator
| Image | Name | Home Department | College | Member Type | Term Expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | LeRoy Poff | Biology | Natural Sciences | Director | Ex Officio |
 | Kurt Fausch | Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology | Natural Resources | Acting Director | 2013 |
 | Alan Knapp | Biology | Natural Sciences | Senior Ecologist | Ex Officio |
 | Liba Pejchar | Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology | Natural Resources | Academic Coordinator | 2013 |
 | Jeri Morgan | Program Coordinator | Ex Officio | ||
 | Brian Bledsoe | Civil & Environmental Engineering | Engineering | Engineering | 2015 |
 | Cynthia (Cini) Brown | Bioagricultural Sciences & Pest Management | Agricultural Sciences | Agricultural Sciences | 2015 |
 | Francesca Cotrufo | Soil & Crop Sciences | Agricultural Sciences | At Large | 2014 |
 | Kevin Crooks | Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology | Warner College of Natural Resources | Warner College of Natural Resources | 2014 |
 | Sam Dunn | Biology | Natural Sciences | Student | 2014 |
 | Cameron Ghalambor | Biology | Natural Sciences | At Large | 2014 |
 | Dennis Ojima | Ecosystem Science and Sustainability (NREL) | Warner College of Natural Resources | At Large | 2015 |
 | John Sanderson | Nature Conservancy (Biology) | Natural Sciences | Affiliate Scientist | 2015 |
 | Jason Sibold | Anthropology | Liberal Arts | Liberal Arts | 2015 |
 | Melinda (Mendy) Smith | Biology | Natural Sciences | Natural Sciences | 2015 |
 | Kevin Wilcox | Biology | Natural Sciences | Student | 2014 |
