Joy O’Keefe grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, the land of vinegar style BBQ and sweet tea, but always wanted to be from the Midwest, so it has worked out well that this has become her academic home. From a young age, Joy was passionate about conserving animals – first the voles the cat brought to the back door, then tigers were a passion, and finally bats captured her heart. She completed her B.S. in Zoology from North Carolina State University, with an undergraduate thesis on behavior of Coquerel’s sifakas. Then she moved to Kentucky to do her M.S. in Biology, studying Ruffed Grouse at Eastern Kentucky University. She headed south again to complete her Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology at Clemson University studying the ecology of forest-dwelling bats in western North Carolina. Joy has since led many large-scale projects studying bat ecology in the southern Appalachian Mountains and the Midwest. Understanding bat responses to forest management has been a major focus of her work, but she is also keen on other types of conservation-oriented work for the threatened and endangered bats of eastern North America. jmokeefe at illinois.edu

Melissa Boman grew up in northern Minnesota, the land of 10,000+ lakes and endless rivers. She earned her bachelor of science in fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology from the University of Minnesota Twin-Cities in 2015. During this time she became fascinated by small mammals typically left out of the spotlight – the uncharismatic microfauna. This interest led to a position with the Minnesota Biological Survey conducting small mammal surveys, where she was first introduced to bat research. Stumbling across bats ignited a new passion and unparalleled curiosity, fueling the desire to pursue a graduate project focused on aiding bat conservation. Her Master’s work focuses on investigating microclimate profiles of bat boxes and preference of bats for box types, as well as testing the utility of acoustic lures to promote box use by bats. Through her research she hopes to improve guidelines for bat box use as a mitigation tool in a northern climate. In addition to connecting to nature through science, Melissa also enjoys integrating appreciation of the natural world in her life as an artist and fly angler. boman2 at illinois.edu

Sean Obrochta grew up in Chicago, Illinois, the land of the Cubbies and Italian beef. He received his undergraduate education at Northwestern University, where he majored in Biology. After watching Planet Earth II, he became fascinated by urban wildlife. For his honors thesis, he researched the differences in microbiome composition between migratory and resident urban Canada geese in Chicago. He did fieldwork with Blanding’s turtles in Toledo and the Chicago area in the summer of ‘21 before working with the Cook County Forest Preserves as an environmental educator and animal caretaker. He is excited to understand the role urbanization plays in bat ecology. His Master’s thesis will focus on evaluating the roosting and foraging habitat of bats in the Champaign-Urbana area, while also seeking to establish the determining factors of bat occupancy in urban habitats. Through his research, he hopes to provide recommendations for forest preserve and park district agencies to improve the management of bat habitats. sean3 at illinois.edu

Katie Fitzgerald grew up in sunny San Diego. She earned her bachelor of science degree in Natural Resource Management and Conservation from San Francisco State University. After taking a field course on the ecology of bats, she was officially hooked. This interest led to working with various agencies, such as National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She had the opportunity to assist in bat research in southern Mexico, Borneo, and Madagascar. She completed her Master’s degree at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. Her Master’s work characterized seasonal variation of the diet of cave myotis (Myotis velifer) found in a historic fort in Presidio, Texas. Katie’s Ph.D. research will focus on monitoring the health of Indiana bats (Myotis sodalis) to determine whether forest management practices affect populations. Managed sites that are effective may provide bats with various roosting habitats and minimize competition with conspecifics. In addition to connecting to nature through science, Katie enjoys backpacking and is a novice rock climber. kvf2 at illinois.edu

Reed Crawford is originally from the small town of Riley in west-central Indiana. He completed his Bachelor’s in biology in 2018 at Indiana State University, during which he worked on several Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) related projects in central and southern Indiana. In 2020, he completed his Master’s at Eastern Kentucky University, studying Indiana bats and artificial roost usage in northern Kentucky and central Indiana. Reed’s PhD research focuses on the thermoregulatory strategies used by Indiana bats in both artificial and natural roosts. Additionally, he is building a variety of rocket box style bat houses for future work. Reed is also interested in roost selection and studying ecological traps. reeddc2 at illinois.edu

Lizz Beilke originates from Wisconsin, the land of beer, cheese, beer cheese, and other yellow foods. She earned her bachelor of science in ecology and environmental biology from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. There, her research focused on behavioral mechanisms of isolation in Bahamian pupfish and pedagogy in conservation biology. After graduating, she spent a few years working for USGS in North and South Dakota and then USFWS in Mississippi. After having studied assorted fish, bird, and insect species, she settled on bats for her Ph.D. Lizz is interested in a variety of ecological topics, but her thoughts are currently occupied by resource partitioning, foraging ecology, and trophic cascades. Her dissertation is focused on the ways different bat species share resources (time, space, and prey) and how bats affect the ecosystems they are a part of. She is also studying the diet, foraging ecology, and sexually-dichromatic fur color of the best bat, the Eastern red bat. ebeilke at illinois.edu

Texas born but raised in the northeastern United States, Andrew Bennett has worked at the intersection of human and animal health for more than a decade. He studied ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell University, where he received his BS, and went on to earn a PhD in Comparative Biomedical Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For his dissertation he studied Ugandan bats and their ectoparasites–and the viruses they host–with the goal of better understanding what makes bats special in their capacity to host high-consequence pathogens. For his postdoc, he will develop field and laboratory methods to assess bat health in order to help inform management strategies and to further elucidate what makes bats special. andyb at illinois.edu

Clarissa Starbuck is originally from the land of caves, springs, and toasted ravioli: Missouri. She has been fascinated by bats since at least the age of seven and has been involved in bat research since she was an undergrad at the University of Missouri. She also received her MS from Missouri, and then she spent five years in the much drier southwest to get her PhD from Northern Arizona University. Now she has returned to the Midwest and is working on a project to determine effects of forest management on Indiana bats in northeast Missouri. cstarbuc at illinois.edu

Essential Staff

Katrina Cotten is from the Chicago suburbs. Growing up, she didn’t know much about the environment but has grown a particular interest in conserving wildlife species and understanding their ecology. She’s currently working toward a Bachelor’s in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. After graduating, she hopes to start working as a wildlife technician and possibly pursue a Master’s in the future.

James Cox is from a small town in Indiana. He earned his Bachelor of Science in biology from Indiana State University in 2013. After 2 years as a lab research coordinator for the Indiana University School of Medicine, James returned to Indiana State University to obtain a Master of Science in Biology, with a focus on bat ecology. James completed his master’s in 2019, having studied bat populations in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. James is currently data manager for the Midwest Bat Hub, a regional division of the North American Bat Monitoring Program. James enjoys gardening, carpentry, playing live music, and cooking. jhcox at illinois.edu