Dr. Gary E. Machlis

Dr. Gary E. Machlis is a founding principal in the Ilahie Group, LLC, a niche consulting company with offices in Moscow, Idaho and Alexandria, Virgina. Machlis is also a professor at the University of Idaho. Dr. Machlis received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Washington, and his Ph.D. in human ecology from Yale University.

He has written several books and numerous articles on issues of conservation, including The State of the World's Parks (1985), the first systematic study of threats to protected areas around the world, On Interpretation: Sociology for Interpreters of Natural and Cultural History (1992) and National Parks and Rural Development (2000). Yale University Press will publish his next co-authored book, Human Ecosystems in the First Urban Century, in 2009. He is currently at work on his next book, The Structure of Human Ecosystems.

Dr. Machlis has conducted studies in over 130 US national parks as diverse as Everglades, the Statue of Liberty, and Yellowstone. He originated and led the Visitor Services Project, an innovative series of integrated visitor studies for the National Park Service (NPS), and from 1996-2002 he served as Visiting Chief Social Scientist for the NPS. His research program received a Hammer Award from Vice President Gore for its role in improving efficiency in government. From 1997-99, he served on the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of the President's Commission on Sustainable Development.

Dr. Machlis has been a leader in collaborativeh higher education. He was instrumental in the development of the nation's Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Units (CESU) Network, which includes 13 federal agencies and over 200 universities, and served as its National Coordinator from 1998-2006. For this work, Dr. Machlis was a recipient of the Department of the Interior's 2000 Conservation Service Award, one of the highest awards it grants to private citizens.

Dr. Machlis is active in international conservation, and is a member of the IUCN's Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas. He worked in China in 1981 and again in 1986-87 on the Giant Panda Project for the World Wildlife Fund. He is also a founding member of the Wolong Nature Reserve International Advisory Council, which provides advice to managers of one of the world's largest reserves for the giant panda. Dr. Machlis established the Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program, with over $8 million scholarships provided by Canon U.S.A., Inc. to students throughout the Americas. He has served as an elected council member of Section K (Social, Political, and Economic Sciences) of the AAAS, and is currently a member of the AAAS National Committee on Opportunities for Women and Minorities in Science.

Consulting clients have included the Army Corps of Engineers, the Conservation Fund, National Park Foundation, National Park Service, US Information Agency, US Department of Energy, US Forest Service, Walt Disney Imagineering, White House Futures Long-Term Futures Design Team, and World Wildlife Fund, among others.

Dr. Jean E. McKendry

Dr. Jean E. McKendry is a founding principal in the Ilahie Group, LLC, a niche consulting company with offices in Moscow, Idaho and Alexandria, Virgina. McKendry is also a principal scientist with the University of Idaho. Dr. McKendry recieved her bachelor's degree in political science and ecology from the University of Arizona and her master's degree and Ph.D. in geography from Clark University.

Dr. McKendry has authored several scientific papers, articles, and workbooks about cartography, GIScience, biodiversity, and resource management. She has co-authored training workbooks on the application of GIS in resource management for a series sponsored by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). Her publications have also included atlases related to the human dimensions of ecosystem management. She has co-authored numerous technical reports for the National Parks Service (NPS). Dr. McKendry is currently developing a series of atlases for park managers that illustrate socioeconomic involvement responsibilities. Sixteen atlases have been completed to date.

Dr. McKendry has spent many years working at the intersection of higher education and federal resource management. From 1995-2002, she managed projects with the National Park Service (NPS) Social Science Program, including many visitor studies. Dr. McKendry also assisted in the development of the nation's Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Units (CESU) Network, which includes 17 units with 13 federal agencies and over 200 universities. She served as Deputy National Coordinator from 2000-2006. For her efforts, she received a National CESU Award in 2003.

Dr. McKendry has worked internationally in Europe, Latin America, China, and the Galápagos Islands, where she prepared a needs-assessment for a GIS at the Darwin Research Station. She coordinated the Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program, with over $8 million in scholarships provided by Canon U.S.A., Inc. to students throughout the Americas.

Dr. McKendry has been a Visiting Instructor in geography at Middlebury College, and has worked for environmental NGOs including The Conservation Fund and National Parks Conservation Association. Dr. McKendry has taught courses and delivered training workshops in the US and abroad in cartography, GIS, and ecosystem management.

Dr. McKendry is a member of the Association of American Geographers (AAG), Cartography and Geographic Information Society (CaGIS), North American Cartographic Information Society (NACIS), Canadian Cartographic Association (CCA), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She also serves on the board of CaGIS.