2007 Volunteer Board Bios
Polly Swerdlin
Chair
pfollyred@yahoo.com
281-814-4606
The Chair is the Organization's chief executive officer presiding at volunteer board meetings, and volunteer general meetings. The Chairperson also prepares agendas for volunteer board and general meetings, attends or sends representatives to staff, trustee, and committee meetings as well as appoints committee chairs.
Formerly from Wellsville, New York, Polly began her many activities in 1980's when she and her husband Fred attended a Fall Festival and joined as members. In 1995 she became a volunteer, and has helped in all three ecosystems of the Nature Center; however, her primary love is the farm. Polly has shared her enthusiasm of the Martyn Farm by demonstrating how to churn butter, how to make rope, and participated in farm interpretation. In addition, she has co-chaired Fall Festival for many years. Polly has served as vice-chair and weekend demonstration coordinator. In addition, she has been a valuable weekday field trip teacher, and has recently added front desk and animal demos to her repertoire.
Polly and Fred have now both retired, allowing more time for volunteering and travels to scuba locations or exploring our national parks.
Bob Paxton
Vice-Chair
thepaxtons@sbcglobal.net
281-990-7968
The Vice-Chair primarily has the responsibility of the general volunteer meetings program, in addition to coordinating continuing education opportunities for the volunteers with ABNC staff.
Bob began volunteering at ABNC in January of 2002 primarily in the facilities and stewardship areas. Another New Yorker, Bob moved to Houston in 1979. Having always enjoyed the outdoors, he has found a special niche with the carpentry crew at the Nature Center.
Laura Bradley
Secretary
Brad9@flash.net
281-992-2604
The secretary is responsible for recording the minutes at all volunteer board and general meetings as well as handling the general correspondence of the volunteer organization. The secretary also maintains the official record of the volunteer organization.
Laura was born in Hawaii, but has lived all over Texas with the last 34 years in Houston. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Rice University in 1979, and a Master of Science degree in Math from University of Houston - Clear Lake in 1989. Laura worked in the chemical industry for 20 years, primarily in environmental compliance for air and water discharge. She retired in 1999. Along with being Secretary, Laura primarily donates her time with outreach and stewardship activities. She particularly enjoys the prairie and helps with prescribed burns, making seed balls, and planting native grasses. She has also developed an educational brochure for the public on this vanishing ecosystem.
Laura also volunteers with her church youth group and is a Texas Master Naturalist.
Eleanor Stanley
Treasurer
No email
713-455-1502
The Treasurer is responsible for all financial transactions of the Volunteer Organization and assists the Chair in establishing an annual budget for the volunteer organization. The Treasurer also maintains accounting records of financial transactions for audit purposes and coordinates an annual audit of the organization's financial records by the ABNC Staff accountant.
Another New Yorker, Eleanor has had a variety of jobs during her twenty plus years as a Nature Center volunteer. At ABNC, she has been involved in outreach programs, farm interpretation, and greeting. She not only participates in many special events at ABNC, but also shares her creativity by selling crafts at many events. Like Dottie, Eleanor enjoys many an hour volunteering at the Houston Zoo. She has been a zoo docent now for over 30 years!
Dottie Evans
Admissions Coordinator
docentmom@aol.com
281-532-1273
Dottie began volunteering at ABNC ten years ago. She has served as Outreach Coordinator and has taught many a weekday class to visiting school and scout groups. She has led trails, is a deckhand on the pontoon boat rides, and also enjoys helping with owl prowls. As a volunteer, Dottie shares the importance of conserving resources, and making a difference in our community.
Dottie moved to Texas from Kansas City, Missouri to be close to her family. She is a Texas Master Naturalist and also volunteers at Space Center Houston. In addition, Dottie has found time to serve as a zoo docent for the past twenty years.
Ian Kress
Stewardship
ian.kress@conocophillips.com
281-333-9066
The Stewardship Coordinator provides assistance to the Staff Stewardship Coordinator through the organization of Saturday morning activities designed to restore, preserve and manage the wildlife habitat at Armand Bayou Nature Center. The primary activities revolve around prairie preservation and restoration in the cooler months and bayou restoration in the warmer months. The two events each year that the Volunteer Stewardship Coordinator helps organize the Trash Bash at Bay Area Park in March and Marsh Mania in May.
Originally from Gainsville, Florida, Ian started volunteering at the Nature Center in early 2006, and says he really loves it! As a petroleum engineer, Ian gets to travel with his jobs to all sorts of interesting places. Ian and his wife like to hike, bike ride and kayak.
Jarita Sepulvado
Greeters/Interpreters
ivanillarita@gmail.com
281-725-3339
The Greeter/Interpreters Coordinator is responsible for scheduling volunteers to "greet" visitors in the admission building, and interpreting the Jimmy Martyn Farmhouse on the weekends.
A native Texan, Jarita grew up in Deer Park. She visited ABNC as a young girl, and loved it so much that after moving back to the area Jarita decided she would like to become involved by volunteering.
Martha Hood
Weekend Trail
mhood85@yahoo.com
281-286-6746
The Weekend Trail Coordinator is responsible for scheduling trail guides for the weekend trail hikes as well as monthly owl prowls.
Martha has served as Secretary, and enjoys trail hikes, and helping with the butterfly/hummingbird gardens. She also had greeted visitors at the front desk, and participates in all of the special events at the Nature Center. Martha also participates in the Monarch Larvae Monitoring Project and sends data to Minnesota based upon one of the Nature Center butterfly gardens!
Another native Texan, Martha began volunteering in 1996. Her interest began in the 1980's when visiting the Nature Center to take pictures for her school photography class. She enjoys rowing, birding, and is also a Texas Master Naturalist.
Gaye Batiz
Weekday Outdoor Education/Farm Coordinator
gayebatiz@aol.com
281-538-0592
Gaye grew up in Redcar, England, but considers herself and adopted Texan (she is still working on the accent and hopes to stay in Texas for a very long time!)
She first visited ABNC in 1999 while killing time to catch a flight back to the UK, and says she fell in love with the place then. At that time she never dreamed that she would marry an American citizen and move to the area.
Gaye says she found it difficult to get a permanent job in the area due to the need to travel for 3 weeks at a time. "Armand Bayou has been my lifesaver,"she says, "giving me an interest based on nature, an area that I have always loved." Gaye became a volunteer in November 2005, a member in March 2006 and the current coordinator role in January 2007. She wants to be as flexible as possible when it comes to volunteering, and thus has gained experience in pondlife, trees, wildflowers, grasses, birds, the farm and general history of the area.
Away from nature, Gaye also enjoys photography, reading, walking,computing and needlework. She is currently reading up on the local Indians of the Galveston Bay area and is always willing to try her hand at anything new. So if you’re looking for help give Gaye a call.
Jane Bingle
Weekend Demos
No email
713-554-5069
The Weekend Demos Coordinator schedules volunteers for both the natural history and farm demonstrations on the weekends.
Outreach
The Outreach Coordinator is responsible for arranging volunteers to share educational programs and information about ABNC with the community.
JT Chapman
Facilities
jtchapmaniii@msn.com
281-488-3452
The Facilities Coordinator is the contact person for any repairs or improvements, which might need to take place on the grounds of the Nature Center.
JT began volunteering in 2000 after devoting 32 years at NASA. His next door neighbor introduced him to the Nature Center and JT is glad he did. He has joined the infamous "Gem Crew" and wishes to help preserve ABNC.
A native Texan, his ancestors were sharecroppers in Central Texas. Although they did not own the land, they loved it and worked hard to preserve it. JT shares the ideal of working hard to preserve land and resources in this country, even if not owned.
Amy Corron Power
Webmaster
The webmaster updates the volunteer website, which continues to be a work in progress.
Amy Corron Power began volunteering at the Nature Center in 2005. She and her husband Joe, who designed the latest website, visited Armand Bayou by chance one day when investigating outdoor venues in the Clear Lake area.
Amy has volunteered at the Front Desk, has led weekend Trails and Owl Prowls, and participates in many of the special events at the Nature Center. Last summer she joined volunteers on a canoe trip in East Texas.
Amy grew up in West Virginia where she enjoyed walking in the woods near her home. She originally moved to Texas in 1984 and worked in marketing, advertising and public relations. She returned to Houston in 2004 after living four years in Toledo, Ohio, while attending the University of Toledo, College of Law. A second-career attorney, she enjoys college football, music and sharing the beauty of nature through her photography.