2020 Skaneateles Lake Data & Research Summit Speaker Biographies
Frank Moses, Executive Director, Skaneateles Lake Association (SLA)
Prior to working at SLA, Frank was the Director of Community Engagement and Organizational Advancement for FOCUS Greater Syracuse and was Assistant Director of the ESF Alumni Association. Frank has over 15 years experience as an environmental educator and spent 8 years as a Center Director for the National Audubon Society where he helped establish the Onondaga Lake Conservation Corps, a national award winning conservation program. Frank’s academic background focused on water and lake ecology studies at Paul Smith’s College where he also researched aquatic invasive species. He then went on to SUNY ESF with a concentration in environmental policy and management.
William Dean, PhD, SLA Board Member and Lake Ecology Team Co-Chair
Bill Dean holds a PhD from Syracuse University in biochemistry and was a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard School of Medicine. He is now retired dedicating much of his time to SLA. The majority of Bill’s career with Genencor focused on research and development and business development related to medical, industrial and commercial uses of engineered enzymes.
Charles T. Driscoll, PhD, Syracuse University Professor of Environmental Systems, Distinguished Professor Civil & Environmental Engineering
Professor Driscoll’s research largely involves characterization and quantifying the impacts of air pollution, such as acid rain, mercury, elevated concentrations of carbon dioxide and associated effects of changing climate and land and water disturbances on the structure and function of ecosystems. He also examine effects on wetlands, the Great Lakes, urban ecosystems, coastal waters and the open ocean. Over the past 35 years, he has advanced new analytical techniques, established and maintained long-term measurements and experiments, and developed a series of research and predictive models that simulate transformations of major chemical elements in forest vegetation, soil and surface waters in response to air pollution, climate and land disturbance. Current research includes using models, field experiments and measurements to examine: ecosystem effects of changing climate and acidic, nitrogen and mercury deposition; the effectiveness of “green” water infrastructure in storm water management; and ecosystem restoration.
David A. Matthews, Ph.D., CLM, Director, Upstate Freshwater Institute (UFI)
Dave serves as Director of the Upstate Freshwater Institute (UFI), a Syracuse-based not-for-profit devoted to advancing freshwater research and education. Dave received his B.S., M.S., and PhD degrees from SUNY-ESF and has conducted fundamental and applied research on lakes, rivers, and streams across New York State for more than 20 years. His research has resulted in the publication of more than 60 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Cornelius B. Murphy Jr., PhD, SUNY-ESF Professor of Environmental and Sustainable Systems
Cornelius (“Neil”) B. Murphy Jr. is Professor of Environmental and Sustainable Systems at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF). From 2000 to 2013, he was the third President of SUNY-ESF. Previously, he was president and chief executive officer of O’Brien & Gere, a large environmental engineering consulting firm based in Syracuse, New York. He has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Syracuse University (NASA Fellow), and a B.A. in Chemistry from Saint Michael’s College. His technical expertise lies in the areas of environmental science and engineering management, hazardous waste management, environmental assessment, renewable energy systems, limnology, urban runoff planning, and industrial wastewater treatment.
Giorgos Mountrakis, PhD, SUNY-ESF Professor of Environmental Resources Engineering
Dr. Giorgos Mountrakis is a Professor in Environmental Resources Engineering at SUNY-ESF. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Maine in Spatial Information Engineering and Science (2004). He is the Founder of the Intelligent Geocomputing Laboratory at ESF. His areas of expertise include environmental monitoring using remote sensing methods and interdisciplinary studies linking land cover dynamics, socioeconomic patterns and environmental covariates. His teaching includes courses in Digital Image Analysis, Spatial Statistics, Remote Sensing, Surveying, GPS and Artificial Intelligence in Geography.
Rick Relyea, PhD, David M. Darrin ’40 Senior Endowed Chair; Director, Darrin Fresh Water Institute; Director, Jefferson Project
Dr. Relyea completed his PhD at the University of Michigan in 1999 and then spent the next 15 years as a professor at the University of Pittsburgh. In 2014, he moved his research group to Rensselaer to become the Director of the Darrin Fresh Water Institute and the Director of The Jefferson Project at Lake George.
Mike Kelly, Senior Research Engineer, IBM Research
Mike Kelly is a Senior Research Engineer with IBM Research. He earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Union College and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Rensselaer with Professor Kevin Rose. His current research includes the study of factors antecedent to, and fundamental causes underlying harmful algal blooms in fresh water systems. He is also currently working on environmental sensor deployments, integration of the sensor network and Cyber-physical systems, and limnological data analyses for The Jefferson Project at Lake George. Prior to his work on The Jefferson Project, Mr. Kelly spent over 20 years working as a microprocessor chip designer for IBM Power and mainframe computing systems.
Aimee Clinkhammer, Watershed Coordinator at the Finger Lakes Water Hub NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC)
As the Watershed Coordinator at NYSDEC’s Finger Lakes Water Hub, Aimee develops strategies with stakeholder input to better understand, protect, and address the water quality issues confronting the Finger Lakes. Prior to her current position, Aimee was the Onondaga Lake Watershed Coordinator at NEIWPCC and a Project Scientist at the Syracuse Center of Excellence at Syracuse University. She received her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Anthropology from St. Lawrence University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree at SUNY-ESF.
Alexander J. Smith, PhD – Chief, Water Quality Standards and Analytical Support, NYSDEC Division of Water
Prior to AJ’s current role, he supported the DEC as a research scientist and manager of the Stream Biomonitoring Unit Program where he developed effects-based river and stream nutrient criteria, biotic indices, new monitoring methods, and evaluation of biological assessment regulatory frame works. AJ was integral in implementing the DEC’s first comprehensive, ecosystem based management program for the Mohawk River basin. Additionally, AJ serves as adjunct faculty for Hudson Valley Community College’s biology department.
Jennifer Graham, PhD, Harmful Algal Bloom Coordinator, USGS
In addition to being a HAB coordinator, Jennifer also represents the USGS on the Interagency Working Group on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia. Jennifer is a nationally recognized expert in cyanobacteria and associated toxins and taste-and-odor compounds. For over two decades Jennifer has conducted research on the environmental factors influencing the occurrence of cyanotoxins in the United States. She has conducted both regional and single system studies at a variety of spatiotemporal scales.
Kate Hogle, Coastal Resource Specialist, NY Department of State, Office of Planning Development and Community Infrastructure
Kate grew up in Central NY and received her masters from ESF. Prior to joining DOS in 2019, she performed and monitored ecosystem restoration projects with a focus on wetland and riparian restoration. At DOS, Kate manages multiple watershed planning and implementation grants along with waterfront revitalization planning and implementation projects in the North Country.
Anthony Eallonardo Jr., PhD, PWS, Technical Manager, OBG, Part of Ramboll
Tony is OBG’s applied ecology lead focusing on ecological restoration and clean water planning efforts. Dr. Eallonardo has managed a wide range of ecological restoration design and implementation projects, phytotechnology applications, multi-agency planning efforts, as well as ecological assessments and mapping projects. He is a co-lead of the Prevention committee within ITRC’s (Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council’s) Strategies for Preventing and Managing Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms team.